Jefferson City, Missouri — President Donald Trump and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe both posted negative job approval ratings in the latest Saint Louis University/YouGov poll, marking the first time either has fallen underwater in the survey series.
Among 900 likely Missouri voters surveyed in August, 47% approved of Trump’s performance while 52% disapproved. Trump’s net approval has fallen 19 points since the beginning of 2025 and 14 points since February, when he still held 52% approval and 47% disapproval.
Kehoe’s decline was steeper. His approval fell from 47% in February to 39% in August, while 49% disapproved. Earlier SLU polling had shown him remaining narrowly above water, making the new result his first negative rating since taking office.
The poll also found broad economic anxiety. About two-thirds of respondents said they were worried about affording health care, groceries and gasoline, while roughly three in five expressed concern about utility bills. Voters opposed the U.S. war in Iran by an 18-point margin.
Poll director Steve Rogers attributed some of the Republican erosion to what he called “MAGA fatigue,” though that is his interpretation rather than a finding directly established by the survey.
Other results suggest a more competitive political environment than in recent Missouri elections. Republicans led Democrats by only four points on generic U.S. House and state House ballots, while Republican State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick led Democrat Quentin Wilson 45% to 43%, within the poll’s roughly 4-point margin of error.
The survey was conducted Aug. 13-24 among 900 likely Missouri voters. SLU says its YouGov sample is weighted to reflect the state’s electorate.
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