President Donald Trump’s approval rating among Black voters surged to a new high in a new survey—but the poll appears to be an outlier, as other polls show his approval with the historically Democratic group remains low.
Why It Matters
Trump made notable gains among Latino and Asian voters—two groups that have backed Democrats by large margins in the past—but former Vice President Kamala Harris mostly held onto support from Black voters, the most Democratic-leaning demographic in the country.
A new poll touted by Trump shows him with a positive approval rating among Black voters, though other recent surveys suggest that may be an outlier. Trump’s approval rating will have key implications for the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races this year, where Democrats have sought to tie Republican candidates to Trump as his approval has dwindled, as well as the 2026 midterms.
What to Know
The latest poll from AtlasIntel found that 54 percent of Black voters approve of Trump, while 46 percent disapprove of the president’s job performance thus far. Across all racial groups, 52 percent of voters disapproved of his performance, while 47 percent approved of him, according to the poll.
The poll surveyed 1,066 Americans from September 12 to September 16, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Of those respondents, about 10.6 percent identified as Black.
Polling crosstabs often have relatively small sample sizes, in this case, about 113 respondents, which can at times produce results that are not replicated in other surveys.
The poll would mark a significant shift in Trump’s support among Black voters from past AtlasIntel surveys. The pollster found in July that just 14 percent of Black voters approved of Trump, and in May reported that 28 percent of Black voters approved of his job performance.
Newsweek reached out to AtlasIntel for comment via its contact form.
Other independent pollsters have similarly shown his support among Black voters remains low.
A YouGov poll, which surveyed 1,656 adults from September 26 to September 29, found that 12 percent of Black Americans approve of his job performance while 86 percent disapprove. Meanwhile, a New York Times/Siena College poll, which surveyed 1,313 registered voters from September 22 to September 27, 2025, found that 10 percent of Black voters approve of Trump.
A survey from NPR, PBS and Marist Poll showed similar results—it found that 19 percent of Black voters approve of Trump. It surveyed 1,477 adults from September 22 to September 26.
In 2024, Black voters backed Harris by a 73-point margin (86 percent to 13 percent), a slightly smaller margin than that of former President Joe Biden in 2020, when he won Black voters by 75 points (87 percent to 12 percent), according to CNN’s exit polling.
What People Are Saying
President Trump wrote on Truth Social: “WOW!!! Such an! honor. Record ‘stuff’ for a Republican. President DJT.”
Journalist Corey Walker wrote to X: “So his approval is dropping nationally and rising with black voters? Seems deeply unlikely.”
X user Armand Domalewski wrote to X: “i am skeptical.”
Steve Bannon wrote on Gettr: “Record Approval from Black Voters.”
What Happens Next
Trump’s approval rating will continue to be monitored as a key metric of his popularity ahead of critical elections later this year. If his approval remains low, it could present a challenge for Republican candidates. However, if it increases, that would be viewed as a boon for the GOP.
