I'll gather the latest on the state of U.S. politics for you.
As of September 2026, the United States is in a highly polarized, midterm election year under President Donald Trump's second term:
1. Executive Branch - Low Approval
President Trump's job approval is low by historical standards.
•Thirty-three percent of voters approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president, while 59 percent disapprove
•Pew Research measured it at 34% as of mid-July, lower than his rating at a comparable point in his first term – 40% in August 2018
•Tracking averages for September 2026 show Approve 37.7%, Disapprove 58.4%
•Pew notes Trump's approval has declined over this administration primarily among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents: 69% approve now, down from 84% in February 2025
Analysts note President Trump is continuing to try to centralize power on both domestic and foreign policy.
2. Legislative Branch - Narrow Republican Control
Since the 2024 elections, Republicans control both chambers, but with narrow margins:
•Heading into the November election, Republicans have a majority in the U.S. Senate, controlling 53 seats to Democrats' 47
•Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to retake the House majority
•Elections for 35 U.S. Senate seats will take place in 2026
•Congressional approval is also low: at the end of August, congressional approval was at 16%
3. The 2026 Midterm Context
The 2026 midterm general election season is upon us
•From control of Congress to statehouse battles, the 2026 midterms will have far-reaching consequences for the balance of power and the policy agenda of the United States
•GOP is eager to advance President Trump’s agenda while they still control the House and Senate, which won’t last if Democrats wrestle back control of one or both chambers after the midterm elections
•It is close to an ironclad law that the president’s party loses seats in midterm elections — typically more than two dozen of them
Current polling favors Democrats for Congress, but with caveats:
•With the midterm elections less than two months away, voters give the Democratic Party an 11-point lead for control of U.S. House in Quinnipiac poll
•Other polls show Democrats hold a 6 percentage point edge over Republicans among registered voters on the generic ballot for Congress (43% vs. 37%) and Emerson poll showing Democratic candidate holds a 10-point lead over the Republican candidate, 50% to 40%
•Brookings analysis concludes Democrats are positioned to gain around 25-30 House seats, short of a landslide but enough to deliver a significant rebuke of Trump’s second term
•A countervailing factor is redistricting: the median district is about two points more Republican than it was before mid-cycle map redraws, with Republicans heading to 2026 with a redistricting edge after a Supreme Court ruling favoring Texas lawmakers
4. Political Polarization and Key Issues
Polarization remains high:
•Polarization has become a permanent fixture in American culture, and immigration is the top issue contributing to the current high level of polarization
Top issues driving 2026 voters:
•A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that a plurality (47%) of registered voters say the cost of living would be the single most important factor in deciding their 2026 midterm vote
•Another survey finds inflation and the cost of living (26%) ranks first, followed by democracy and elections (15%), jobs and the economy (14%), and deportations/immigration enforcement (12%)
•69% of Americans agree that the Trump administration is focusing too much on deportations and not enough on fixing the economy, inflation, and the rising cost of living
Intraparty dynamics are also in focus:
•Congressional primaries in both parties are serving as early indicators of whether Trump retains his grip on Republicans and whether the Democratic Party is shifting left ahead of the 2028 presidential race
5. Trust and Turnout
•60% of respondents said they are confident votes will be counted accurately nationwide in the 2026 midterms. Just after the 2024 presidential election, that figure stood at 77%, a 17-point drop
•Nearly half (48 percent) say they are more motivated to vote than in past midterm elections