In a striking turn for the political map of rural America, President Donald Trump’s once-stalwart support among small-town and farming communities has dipped below zero for the first time since early 2025. A new Fox News survey reveals sharp reversals in key demographics that have long fueled his electoral successes.
With voters grappling with higher costs and shrinking farm incomes, the survey’s findings raise fresh questions about rural turnout and the broader implications for upcoming midterm contests.
Key Findings from the Latest Poll
- The latest Fox News poll shows declining support across core voter groups, including Trump’s Republican base.
- Overall, just 29 percent of voters approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 71 percent disapproved, with rural Americans split 30 percent approving and 70 percent disapproving.
- Farm bankruptcies surged 46 percent in 2025, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
- Rising fertilizer and fuel costs linked to the war in Iran and global energy disruptions are squeezing farmers.
- Controversy over Chinese farmland ownership has intensified frustration in rural communities.
The survey, conducted May 15–18 among 1,002 registered voters nationwide, carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research ran the poll using live telephone interviews and online responses drawn from a national voter file, including landlines, cellphones and text-to-web surveys.
Trump’s net approval rating with rural voters plummeted from +20 in early 2025 to –14 in May 2026, while support among rural white voters dropped from +27 to –6 over the same period. His overall approval rating remained near its series low at 39 percent.
Signs of Erosion Within the GOP
Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who co-directs the survey, noted cracks even in traditionally reliable segments. “Despite consistently strong GOP support, the president’s numbers are leaking a bit,” Shaw said. “Make no mistake; it’s all about affordability. Independents jumped ship in 2025, and now non-MAGA Republicans and other core constituencies are wavering.”
Economic Strain on Farms
Rising operational expenses have weighed heavily on agriculture. Farm bankruptcies jumped 46 percent in 2025, and input costs have climbed further in 2026 amid global disruptions.
Willis Nelson, a Louisiana farmer, told MS Now, “We’re not financially able” to operate as normal, explaining that his family has had to cut back on fertilizer use because “we just don’t have the margin.” He added, “It’s tough, you know, very tough on us.”
Fred Yoder, an Ohio grower, spoke to US Farm Report about how soaring prices have strained his operation. “It’s costing us about $1,500 of cash per day to run two tractors,” he said, adding that fertilizer prices have surged dramatically. “I spent many years buying potash for $90 a ton, and now it’s $670 to $700 a ton.”
“Our big problem is the input costs. I haven’t seen anything this bad since the 1980s.”
Lower export demand and trade friction have compounded financial pressures, and recent remarks by Trump defending Chinese purchases of U.S. farmland have fueled concerns among producers already wary of foreign ownership.
Farmers’ frustration is increasingly reflected in the polling data, as economic strain begins to erode support in one of Trump’s core constituencies.