WASHINGTON: Brian Rauch has felt the squeeze of higher gas prices on his 30-mile (50-km) drives from his home in rural Stevensville, Montana, to the doctor's office. He has also noticed food prices going up and, as an Air Force veteran, sees little rationale for the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. These are among the reasons the 42-year-old increasingly disapproves of the performance of President Donald Trump, the man he voted for in the last three presidential elections, putting him among a growing portion of rural Americans disappointed by his leadership in Washington.
Trump's approval rating among rural Americans dropped in June to a new low of 50%, according to the June 3-8 Reuters/Ipsos poll. That compares with 60% approval in February 2025 shortly after Trump took office. Rural disapproval of Trump's performance meanwhile rose to 48% from 34% in February 2025, according to the poll of 4,531 U.S. adults nationwide. The poll, which was conducted online, had a margin of error of 3 percentage points for people in rural areas and 2 points for Americans overall. The discontent is notable for a voting bloc that has strongly supported Trump in his presidential campaigns, and could have implications for Trump's Republican party inNovember's midterm elections, where they will defend slim majorities in the U.S. Congress.
