US midterm elections: Trump faces test as Democrats target Congress

President Donald Trump's approval rating has reached a career low, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted ahead of the upcoming congressional midterm elections. The poll, completed on Monday, shows that Trump's rating remains near the lowest point of his presidency. The generic ballot question, which asks voters which party they prefer to control Congress, shows a narrow 8-percentage-point Democratic advantage over Republicans at 46% to 38%.

This figure is slightly lower than a similar poll conducted a week earlier, when Democrats led by 11 points.

Trump himself has an approval rating of 32%, which has remained unchanged over the past week. Among registered voters, 50% of independents indicated that their vote in the congressional elections was a way to oppose Trump, while 13% saw it as a vote for him and 33% felt the president was not a factor in their decision. When asked which party they thought was better on the issue of rising living costs, 78% of voters chose Democrats over Republicans, with 43% in favor of Democrats and 32% opting for Republicans.

Democrats appear to have higher enthusiasm levels among their voter base, with 49% of Democratic voters reporting they are "very enthusiastic" about casting their ballots this year. In comparison, 33% of Republican voters expressed the same level of enthusiasm. The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,765 US adults online, with a margin of error of 2 percentage points.