NBC/Telemundo poll: 27% of Latino voters approve of Trump ahead of midterms
Version 2: Additional survey details were added, including Latino voters' views of both parties and a comparison with a Cook Political Report survey, while the poll's core findings were unchanged.
In short
A new NBC News/Telemundo poll of 800 registered Latino voters found 27% approve of President Donald Trump's job performance and 69% disapprove, according to Fox News, CNN and The Hill. On the generic congressional ballot, 59% said they preferred Democratic control of Congress and 35% Republican, a 24-point margin. The survey, conducted Sept. 21–28, comes ahead of November's midterm elections, after Latino voters helped fuel Trump's 2024 win.
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A new NBC News/Telemundo poll found 27% of Latino voters approve of President Donald Trump's job performance and 69% disapprove, according to Fox News, CNN and The Hill. On the generic congressional ballot, 59% of Latino voters said they preferred Democratic control of Congress and 35% Republican, a 24-point margin, Newsweek, CNN, Fox News and The Hill reported. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
Fox News said the poll surveyed 800 registered Latino voters across the U.S. from Sept. 21–28, by phone interviews and online surveys via text message, and advertised a margin of error of 3.5%. The Hill said 800 registered Latino voters were surveyed in September. [ 6 , 8 ]
CNN reported that 20% of Latino voters approve of Trump's handling of the cost of living and 30% of his handling of immigration, and that two-thirds say his administration has gone too far in its approach to immigration enforcement, with roughly one-quarter saying they know someone deported or detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the past two years. Fox News said 66% called the deportation policies excessive and 75% said he has mishandled the economy and cost of living. The Hill said 67% felt immigration enforcement has gone too far and 65% said his policies have hurt economic conditions. Newsweek reported that 33% of Latino men approve of his performance and 64% disapprove. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
CNN noted the 24-point Democratic margin was broader than the 12-point margin at the same point in 2024, though less robust than ahead of the 2018 midterms, and that 2024 exit polls showed Trump with 46% of the Latino vote to Kamala Harris' 51%, among roughly 36 million Latino voters. Fox News said Latino support for a GOP Congress was 21% in 2016 and 26% in 2018. The Hill said Harris won the Latino vote by 3 points in 2024, down from Biden's 25-point margin in 2020, and that Trump won Latino men by 2 points after Biden carried them by 18. [ 5 , 6 , 8 ]
On party views, CNN and The Hill reported that 62% of Latino voters rate the Republican Party negatively, up from 46% in September 2024. The Hill said positive views of the Democratic Party stood at 41%, against 38% in 2024, with negative sentiment rising to 42% from 38%. CNN reported that 48% to 27% said Democrats would do a better job on the economy, and cited a CBS/YouGov poll released the same day in which Latino likely voters favored a Democratic House candidate 60% to 39%. [ 5 , 8 ]
White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster said in a statement emailed to Newsweek that the president “was honored to receive a record level of support from Hispanic Americans that helped fuel his landslide 2024 election victory,” and cited middle-class tax cuts and work on affordability. Fox News reported that Trump told a rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday night that “these fake polls” do not account for the fact that he is out campaigning, in remarks the document quotes only in part. [ 4 , 6 ]
Politico reported the polls show Democrats ahead among Latino voters as Trump draws low marks on the economy and immigration enforcement, while NBC News said Latino voters are swinging away from Trump and Republicans. Newsweek said a key question is whether there will be a reversion to Democrats or whether the GOP gains are permanent, and that a reversal among Latino men could have implications in competitive House districts and statewide races in Texas, Nevada and Florida. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The poll lands ahead of November's midterm elections, when Latino voters, who helped Trump win in 2024, are again being contested by both parties. Newsweek reported that a reversal among Latino men could have major implications for Republicans in competitive House districts and statewide races in Texas, Nevada and Florida. Fox News noted the data is the latest in a series of polls showing Democrats with a large advantage heading into the midterms.
Key facts
- The NBC News/Telemundo poll found 27% of Latino voters approve of Trump's job performance and 69% disapprove. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
- The survey covered 800 registered Latino voters across the U.S. from Sept. 21–28 by phone interviews and online text-message surveys, with a margin of error of 3.5%, according to Fox News; The Hill said 800 were surveyed in September. [ 6 , 8 ]
- On the generic congressional ballot, 59% of Latino voters preferred Democratic control of Congress and 35% Republican, a 24-point advantage. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
- CNN reported 20% of Latino voters approve of Trump's handling of the cost of living and 30% of immigration, and that two-thirds say his administration has gone too far on immigration enforcement. [ 5 ]
- Fox News said 66% of respondents called the deportation policies excessive and 75% said Trump has mishandled the economy and cost of living. [ 6 ]
- The Hill reported 62% of Latino voters rate the Republican Party negatively, up from 46% in September 2024, and that 54% said they will vote to send a signal of opposition to Trump. [ 8 ]
- Among Latino men, 33% approved of Trump's job performance and 64% disapproved, Newsweek reported. [ 4 ]
- White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster said Trump has worked to improve life for Hispanic Americans since his inauguration, while Trump told a Dayton, Ohio, rally that “these fake polls” do not account for his campaigning, according to Fox News. [ 4 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The polling was conducted by NBC News and Telemundo. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
- Trump's approval rating among Latino voters in the survey stands at 27%, with 69% disapproving. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
- Democrats hold a 24-point lead among Latino voters, with 59% favoring Democratic control of Congress against 35% for Republicans. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
- The poll surveyed 800 registered Latino voters. [ 6 , 8 ]
Still unclear
- What caused the shift in Latino voter support away from Trump. Politico cites low marks on the economy and immigration enforcement, and NBC News frames it as support shifting back toward Democrats, but no outlet reports a cause beyond the poll findings themselves.
- Whether the Republican gains with Latino voters in 2024 are permanent or are being reversed. Newsweek states this as an open question rather than a resolved finding, and it is not addressed by the other documents.
- The full content of Trump's remarks about the polls at the Dayton rally. Only Fox News reports the remarks and the quoted text is cut off mid-sentence in the document.
- Full details of the polling on Democratic Party favorability. The Hill's account is the only one giving those figures, and its text is truncated at the end.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- NBC News airs a segment in which Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker says the polling shows Trump's approval at 27% among Latino voters and that support appears to be shifting back toward Democrats. [ 1 ]
- NBC News reports that Latino voters are swinging away from Trump and Republicans. [ 2 ]
- Politico reports that Trump's gains among Latino voters are slipping ahead of the midterms, citing low marks on the economy and immigration enforcement. [ 3 ]
- Newsweek reports that Latino men who backed Trump in 2024 are cooling on him and carries a White House statement in response. [ 4 ]
- CNN and Fox News publish the poll's figures, with Fox News detailing the methodology, sample dates and margin of error. [ 5 , 6 ]
- NBC News' weekend rundown notes the poll showing Latino voters dropping Trump. [ 7 ]
- Trump tells a rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday night that “these fake polls” do not account for the fact that he is out campaigning, according to Fox News. [ 6 ]
- The next day, The Hill reports the 24-point Democratic margin and adds figures on views of both parties. [ 8 ]