Trump approval ticks up to 32 percent: Survey

President Trump’s approval rating inched up by 1 point from a record low last week , according to a new poll.

The Reuters/Ipsos survey , released Monday, found 32 percent of U.S. adults support the president’s job performance, while 66 percent disagreed. This is a slight uptick from the pollster’s previous findings, which showed Trump with a low 31 percent approval rating.

Rising costs amid the Trump administration’s ongoing war against Iran and trade battles with economic allies like Canada have strained the president’s public approval ratings.

These numbers have cast a shadow over Republicans’ prospects in the upcoming midterm elections, in which Trump has repeatedly urged Americans to vote as if he were on the ballot.

“I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” the president told a crowd of supporters at the GOP’s September midterm convention in Dallas.

“Just one more time, because if we lose, you’re going to lose your border, you’re going to lose your tax cuts, you’re going to lose your safety and security, you’re going to lose your wealth,” he added at the time.

Trump also promised during his speech to send $5,000 to each U.S. adult if Republicans hold control of both the House and Senate next year.

Before the onset of the Iran conflict on Feb. 28, respondents in Reuters/Ipsos polls displayed a preference for Republicans over Democrats when handling economic issues. In the latest survey, 37 percent of voters said Democrats had a better approach to the economy, while 33 percent said they would turn to Republicans on this issue.

The GOP is also seeking to close an enthusiasm gap ahead of the Nov. 3 elections, with the president traveling to stump for candidates in battleground states like Texas and Georgia. Some Senate Republicans warned that Trump’s presence is endangering vulnerable GOP candidates’ support from independent voters.

The latest poll found that more Democratic voters were excited to vote in the election. Around 46 percent of surveyed Democrats said they were “very enthusiastic” about casting their ballot, while only 30 percent of GOP voters said the same.

Additionally, 47 percent of respondents broadly favored Democrats over the 36 percent who supported Republicans on a generic ballot ahead of the midterm elections, the data shows.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted among 1,679 U.S. adults from Oct. 22 to 26. It has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.