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President Donald Trump has dismissed polls showing his approval rating is declining ahead of November’s midterm elections, insisting that Americans should trust his claim that his support is closer to 60 percent.
In an interview with The Washington ExaminerIn Byron York, published Saturday, Trump called the poll numbers “fake” when asked about a RealClearPolitics average showing that 38.8% of Americans approved of his job performance, while 60.4% disapproved.
“That’s not true,” Trump said.
When York asked what he thought his true approval rating was, Trump dismissed the numbers and insisted his support was much higher.
“The job approval, they said it was 37, 38?” » asked Trump. “I’m not 38.”
Trump continued: “I don’t believe anyone can beat me. I think if I needed to, which I don’t, I’m thinking 60.”
Trump pointed to his strong support among Republican voters and his MAGA base as evidence of his higher approval rating. However, national polls have consistently shown a less favorable picture of the president’s situation.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted between October 16 and 19 found that 34 percent approved of his performance and 65 percent disapproved. A Pew Research Center survey conducted from September 28 to October 4 found that only 30% of Americans approved of Trump’s performance, while 68% disapproved.
A separate New York Times/Siena College, released this week, estimates his approval rating at 34 percent, which the newspaper said is the lowest for a president heading into the midterm elections since Harry Truman’s 33 percent in 1946.
Trump’s rejection of poll numbers comes amid controversy involving The New York Times and Wedgewood Research, a polling company that admitted to producing fabricated poll numbers as part of a social experiment. The newspaper said it did not use the disputed polls to calculate Trump’s approval rating.
To back up his claim that he remains popular, Trump pointed to an analysis from Harry Enten, CNN’s chief data analyst, showing that support for the president among MAGA Republicans remains close to 100 percent. Enten reported that Trump received 99 percent of the MAGA Republican vote in the 2024 election and had a 98 percent approval rating among MAGA Republicans as of September.
“I think I’d be in the 60s now. Now, in the Republican Party, I’m way up there. Show him the 99 percent. Have you seen it?” » Trump said.
However, Enten also found that Trump’s net approval rating on inflation fell from +8 points in 2024 to -45 before the midterm elections.
This week, Enten called the presidential voting situation “five Trumpster alarms” after a Reuters/Ipsos survey put Trump’s approval rating at 31 percent, the lowest recorded for him during his two presidential terms.
Despite these unfavorable numbers, Trump continued to praise Enten and CNN for their polls that reflect his support among Republican voters.
“They’ve done some good polls on me, I have to say. If CNN keeps doing these polls, I’ll appreciate them more and more,” Trump said.
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