'Just a disaster!' Free-falling Trump approval astounds expert as 'very bad sign' emerges
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he arrives to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo

President Donald Trump's sinking approval rating among wide swaths of voters astounded one analyst on Wednesday.

Recent polling showed that Trump's approval rating among Republicans has sunk to 75% as of September, which is the lowest approval rating the president has recorded among his own party. That pales in comparison to the 25% approval rating that Trump has garnered from Independent voters, which is down from 43% in February 2025.

David Chalian, CNN's Washington Bureau chief, was astounded by the new figures as he discussed them on "CNN News Central."

"This is just a disaster right now!" Chalian said.

One of the key drivers of Trump's free-falling approval rating is the economy, Chalian added. According to the poll, just 27% of voters approved of Trump's management of the economy. Another 27% said they approved of his handling of persistent inflation, and just 28% said they approved of Trump's efforts to help the middle class.

Chalian described the poll as a "very bad sign" for the midterms.

"It's pretty clear it's a significant drag," Chalian said about how Trump's poll numbers are impacting Republicans in races across the country.