Members of the GOP are stunned. This is not what they were expecting at all.
And the Republican Party is on the verge of collapse according to a new bombshell report.
President Trump is riding high with a solid 50% approval rating against just 46% disapproval, according to a fresh poll from conservative firm McLaughlin & Associates. This marks a clear win for the commander-in-chief, showing that his America First agenda still resonates with everyday folks tired of the establishment’s games.
Yet, even as Trump celebrates this milestone on Truth Social, Republicans are staring down a tough reality: Democrats have edged ahead on the generic congressional ballot, 45% to 44%. It’s the first time this cycle the left has pulled in front, and it’s got GOP strategists scrambling as midterms loom in 2026.
The pollsters themselves are sounding the alarm. “If Republicans need around 60 million votes in 2026 to retake the House, there are more than enough Trump voters to do it — but as of 2025, the 75 million Harris voters appear more energized,” pollsters Jim McLaughlin and John McLaughlin said in a Newsmax article.
They added a note of optimism, though: “There is time to change it.”
This McLaughlin survey stands out a bit from the pack. While it gives Trump a thumbs-up, the RealClearPolitics average paints a different picture, with the president facing a net 11.7-point disapproval.
On the generic ballot front, Democrats hold a bigger lead in the RCP aggregate—4.8 points
As America approaches the 2026 battles, where Republicans are fighting tooth and nail to hold their slim House majority, this poll uncovers some red flags that demand attention. The GOP can’t afford to ignore these trends if they want to keep control and block the radical Democrats’ agenda.
Voters aren’t thrilled with the country’s path right now. Just 38% say the U.S. is headed in the right direction, while a massive 56% call it the wrong track, according to the McLaughlin & Associates poll.
The economy is another sore spot. Only 49% of folks believe the country is not in a recession, down sharply from 58% back in August. Inflation is hammering 77% of likely voters, and 41% are struggling just to pay their bills.
Trump’s signature achievement in his second term, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—now proudly called the Working Families Tax Cut Act—gets mixed reviews.
According to the poll, 46% support it versus 43% opposed, but independents are leaning against it 50% to 35%. The GOP needs to sell this tax relief harder to show how it puts money back in pockets.
Democrats are making inroads with key groups that Republicans must win back. Among independents, the left leads 42% to 26%; with women, it’s 50% to 38%; and Hispanics favor Democrats 48% to 36%.
Betting markets aren’t kind either, giving Democrats a 73% shot at flipping both the House and Senate, per the McLaughlins.
But it’s not all doom and gloom for Trump and the GOP. There are solid wins in this poll that prove the America First movement is alive and kicking.
Take Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer—his ratings are in the tank at 31% favorable to 44% unfavorable.
Capitalism crushes socialism in the eyes of respondents, 63% to 17%. Americans know free enterprise built this nation, not the failed experiments pushed by the far left.
And a whopping 64% stand behind Trump’s core mission of putting America first.
This McLaughlin & Associates poll reached out to 1,000 likely voters between November 17 and 24, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 points. It’s a snapshot, but one that urges Republicans to ramp up the fight and reclaim the momentum.
