U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a back-to-school-themed event to highlight his administration's education policies, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 24, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
President Donald Trump’s plummeting approval rating shows Republicans are increasingly turning against him as an escalating Middle East conflict drives up gas prices, a former administration insider said Monday.
Sarah Matthews, who served as a Trump White House deputy press secretary during his first White House term, sounded the alarm on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront” after a new poll showed Trump’s approval rating hitting an all-time low of 33%, with 65% disapproving.
Trump typically dismissed unfavorable polls as “rigged” or driven by Democrats, Matthews said, but growing frustration with his own party will be “much harder to dismiss.”
“The thing is what we’re actually seeing is the shift among Republicans,” Matthews said. She argued that Trump has failed to deliver on promises he made while campaigning for president in 2024 - particularly his pledge to become “the peace president.”
“Instead, he got us into another endless Middle East conflict with no end in sight that has just caused the price of gas to skyrocket,” Matthews said. “And so, yes, Republicans are going to be upset.”
Matthews predicted Monday that Trump’s approval rating would continue to fall if the conflict drags on, arguing that Iran has little incentive to end it before November’s midterm elections.
“They don’t want to do Trump any favors,” she said. “I think we’re going to continue to see the approval rating for him continue to decline as this war drags on.”