Upshot: New poll on Trump: How long can he go?

May 18, 2026

President Trump, wearing a white cap underneath a blue sky, walks away as security personnel look on.

Tom Brenner for The New York Times

A Crack in the Polling Floor Puts Trump in New Territory

A 37 percent approval rating in a new Times/Siena poll suggests the G.O.P. is facing a big midterm problem despite recent redistricting gains.

By Nate Cohn

The New York Times

Why Neutral Maps Could Empower Black Voters as Much as the Voting Rights Act

Our simulations debunk the notion that the act created artificial minority districts that wouldn’t otherwise exist.

By Nate Cohn and Eve Washington

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WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

The New York Times

Flashback: Your Weekly History Quiz, May 16, 2026

Can you sort 8 historical events?

By Steve Anderson

Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Associated Press

Mail-Order Abortions Have Quickly Become Common

Pills shipped to states with bans are a reason abortion has increased since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

By Margot Sanger-Katz and Claire Cain Miller

The New York Times

How Iran’s Energy Exports Are Still Headed Toward China

The U.S. blockade has intercepted dozens of vessels since mid-April. But a small number of ships with Iranian cargo are still sailing.

By Adina Renner and Jenny Gross

Congress Has Rejected 10 Chances to Assert Its War Powers in Iran

The vote was the latest in a series of 10 similar measures across the House and Senate since the war began in late February, all of which aimed — and failed — to insist on a role for Congress in authorizing the conflict.

By Ashley Wu and Robert Jimison

POLLING AROUND THE NATION

A bar chart showing whether voters think Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran was the right decision or the wrong decision, according to a May New York Times/Siena poll. Thirty percent of respondents think it was the right decision, and sixty-four percent think it was the wrong decision. Five percent of Democrats think it was the right decision, and seventy-three percent think it was the wrong decision. Twenty-one percent of independents think it was the right decision, and seventy-three think it was the wrong decision. Seventy percent of Republicans think it was the right decision, and twenty-two percent think it was the wrong decision.

Ashley Cai/The New York Times

Trump’s Approval Sinks Amid Unpopular War, Darkening G.O.P. Prospects

With the midterms nearing, President Trump’s approval rating has hit a second-term low as voters question his handling of the economy, according to the latest New York Times/Siena poll.

By Lisa Lerer, Ruth Igielnik and Camille Baker

The New York Times

President Trump’s Approval Rating: Latest Polls

Track the latest approval rating and polls on Americans’ approval of President Trump.

By Annie Daniel, Jon Huang, Ruth Igielnik, Jasmine C. Lee, Alex Lemonides, Jonah Smith, Caroline Soler, Albert Sun and Rumsey Taylor

Cross-Tabs: May 2026 Times/Siena National Poll of Registered Voters

Results of a nationwide New York Times/Siena poll of 1,507 registered voters conducted from May 11 to 15, 2026.

Veronika Lukasova for The New York Times

A Few Changes for the Times/Siena Poll

Starting with today’s survey, we’re introducing a new target for weighting called synthetic past vote.

By Nate Cohn

Midterm Test

This question comes from a recent article in The Times. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.)

On Saturday, a senator lost his Republican primary race after President Trump targeted him for defeat in retaliation for a vote to convict him in his impeachment trial five years ago. Which state did this happen in?

Louisiana
Kentucky
Alabama
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