Skip to content

PoliticsBreaking

Early exit polls show Trump approval at 38 percent in 2026 midterm voting

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly left-leaning (67%).

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Voters queue beneath a VOTE HERE sign at a polling location, with a baby in a carrier nearby.
Image via CBS NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

Early CBS News exit polls from Tuesday's 2026 midterm elections show 38 percent of voters approve of President Trump's job performance. The Hill, The Independent and CBS News report the figure, and the polls put it below the midterm exit-poll approval levels recorded for Trump in 2018 at 45 percent, Joe Biden in 2022 at 44 percent, Barack Obama in 2010 at 44 percent and George W. Bush in 2006 at 43 percent. Exit polls are early estimates based on voters who spoke to CBS News. Roughly six in 10 voters say Trump is a factor in their House vote, according to the same polls.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Early CBS News exit polls show 38 percent of voters approve of Trump's job performance.

    Reported byLeft2Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent, CBS News
    Center
    The Hill

  2. The 38 percent figure is lower than Trump's 45 percent in the 2018 midterm exit polls.

    Reported byLeft2Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent, CBS News
    Center
    The Hill

  3. The exit polls show the figure is below Biden's 44 percent in 2022, Obama's 44 percent in 2010 and Bush's 43 percent in 2006.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent
    Center
    The Hill

  4. Roughly six in 10 voters say Trump is a factor in their vote for the House, according to CBS News exit polls.

    One outletCBS News· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report the early CBS News exit poll showing 38 percent approval for Trump, below past midterm figures for recent presidents. The left-rated outlets stress the record-low comparison and Trump's standing, while the center outlet presents the same figures as an early poll result.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Headlines frame the poll as a record low for a midterm president, with The Independent putting Trump's numbers against Biden's and CBS News using a neutral poll-results headline.

    Trump scores lowest midterm voter approval numbers ever in CBS exit poll
    The IndependentLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill's headline states the 38 percent figure as an early exit poll result and compares it with the past four presidents without adding judgement.

    Early exit polls: 38 percent approve of Trump, lower than past 4 presidents
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read 3 of the 4 articles in context when it wrote the analysis. Straight reporting often has none.

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Lowest midterm approval for a president
  • Comparison with past presidents
  • Trump's weak standing with voters

Leaves out

  • Explanation of how exit polls are conducted

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Early exit poll figure
  • Comparison with the past four presidents

Leaves out

  • Voter motivations behind the midterm vote

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Early exit polls: 38 percent approve of Trump, lower than past 4 presidents

    Early exit polls on Tuesday from CBS News reported 38 percent of voters who spoke to the outlet approved of President Trump, notably fewer than exit polling during midterm cycles in his first term and the previous three presidents. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    CBS News, Nov 3, 5:28 PM EST

  • Center

    1 hr 46 min later

    Its first report, Nov 3, 7:15 PM EST

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. CBS NewsLeftNov 3, 5:28 PM EST
  2. The HillCenterNov 3, 7:15 PM EST
  3. The IndependentLeftNov 3, 7:27 PM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it
Embed

Show this story’s coverage card on your own site, blog or class page. It has the headline, who is covering it and a link back here, and it tracks nobody. See the card

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page