WASHINGTON: US consumer sentiment slumped further in early October as the rising cost of living because of the Middle East conflict soured households' views of the economy, more bad news for President Donald Trump ahead of the Nov 3 midterm elections.

The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers was the latest in a series of recent polls to capture the darkening mood among Americans, who are being squeezed by high inflation and borrowing costs.

Trump's approval rating is at the lowest of his political career amid angst over his handling of the economy.

The US-Israeli war has raised energy prices, fanning inflation and prompting the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in September for the first time in three years.