⏰ Tick Tock
Days until the court-mandated deadline for lawmakers to submit new congressional maps (9/25/2025) - 8
Days until Election Day (11/4/2025) - 48
Days to the start of the 2026 Utah Legislature (1/20/2026) - 125
Days until the 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026) - 412
Days until the 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028) - 1,147
President Donald Trump's approval rating hits a new low
President Donald Trump's iron grip on American politics appears to be rusting.
According to the latest Economist/YouGov polling, Trump's net approval rating is underwater at -17%, down nearly 3 points from last week.
Trump carried Utah by more than 21 points over Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024, but his popularity in the Beehive State has taken a major hit. His overall net approval rating in Utah is barely in positive territory, standing at +1.4%. Among those who voted in the 2024 election, his net approval is better at +10.6%, but that's still about half of his 2024 winning margin.
At the beginning of his second term, Americans were optimistic about how he would handle several key issues. Since then, his net approval on all five has dropped dramatically.
Economist/YouGov
Mr Trump was re-elected on a wave of economic pessimism, telling voters that “incomes will skyrocket, inflation will vanish completely, jobs will come roaring back and the middle class will prosper like never, ever before” during his second term. So far they have been disappointed. Ratings of his handling of the economy and inflation were net positive shortly after his inauguration. They have since fallen to strongly negative in the wake of his declarations of trade war and the ensuing response of investors. YouGov’s data also suggest Americans now disapprove of his handling of immigration, another issue central to his re-election.
The only area where Trump is still in positive territory is among white people. His net approval rating has increased slightly from anmm all-time low of -2 in July to +6 in the current survey.
As with other Republican politicians before him, white and male voters are among the most likely to approve of Mr Trump’s job performance, while younger voters and members of ethnic minorities are among the most strongly disapproving. People who have the most education—college graduates and postgrads—are least likely to support Mr Trump. Voters of pension age, normally a solidly Republican bloc, are also surprisingly lukewarm on the president.
Wednesday morning's headlines
Charlie Kirk
Tyler Robinson said he killed Charlie Kirk because he "spreads too much hate": Officials. [ABC News]
Prosecutors seek death penalty for Charlie Kirk murder suspect. Key takeaways from the charges against Tyler Robinson. [CNN]
After Kirk's killing, Obama says the nation is in a "political crisis." [New York Times]
House Republicans threaten to cancel anyone who disparages Charlie Kirk. [Washington Post]
Utah officers face emotional, physical toll after recent high-profile shootings. [KUTV]
Lawmakers push for Charlie Kirk memorial on UVU campus. [Fox 13]
Fake Charlie Kirk shooter slapped with kiddie porn charges...after confessing to FBI. [TMZ]
Student who mocked Charlie Kirk's death "no longer" at Texas State University as clampdowns continue. [Texas Tribune]
Utah and the West
Out of all the public universities in Utah, lawmakers only rejected Utah State's budget cut plans. Here's why. [Salt Lake Tribune]
With nuclear projects coming to Utah, Cox hopes for rural jobs, but that's no easy task. [Utah News Dispatch]
Which Utah law enforcement agencies work with ICE? Here are all the existing agreements. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Salt Lake City wants to update its climate action plan before 2034 Winter Olympics. [KSL]
Utah 8th graders outpace nation in math and reading as U.S. scores decline. [Fox 13]
Nation
Democratic voters want shutdown fight, poll shows. [Semafor]
A Black student was found hanging from a tree. Police say there's no sign of foul play. [Associated Press]
Why the terror-related murder charges against Luigi Mangione fell apart. [CNN]
World
King Charles III greets Donald Trump in Windsor, kicking off president's second state visit to UK. [Associated Press]
Moscow and Minsk rehearse launch of nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus, Lukashenko says. [Reuters]
EU lays out new tariffs and sanctions on Israel over war in Gaza. [Associated Press]
Education
Student achievement is down overall–but kids at the bottom are skinking faster. [The 74]
Economy
US retail sales beat forecasts in sign of solid summer spending. [Bloomberg]
Technology
Who is TikTok's American buyer? Trump says US will be announcing it soon. [USA Today]