President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday to boast about his supposedly “great” poll numbers, despite his approval rating being at rock-bottom levels.
“Great Poll Numbers. Thank You!!! President DJT,” Trump posted without specifying which poll he was referring to. That may be for good reason, as most polls show Trump’s overall approval continuing to sink to record lows.
Recent polling averages from The New York Times have Trump’s overall approval rating sitting at 38%, with 59% disapproval. An Associated Press/Norco poll from late July put his approval even lower, at 33%.
The NYT averages have Trump’s rating beginning to dip steeply since late February at the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
One of the most eye-opening polls in recent months came from CNN in late July, which showed Trump at 34% approval, matching a record low from his first term. That record low was set during his first term in office, immediately following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
While presidents have historically had low approval ratings during their second term in office, Trump is outpacing even the worst poll numbers set by his predecessors.
Joe Biden at this point in his term in 2022, with inflation from the COVID-19 pandemic still high, had a 37% overall approval rating, according to the Pew Research Center.
George W. Bush, in the throes of the Iraq War in 2006, had a 37% approval rating, according to Gallup. Bush’s ratings at that time were less than 100 days before Republicans suffered devastating midterm election losses, with Democrats gaining control of both houses of Congress.
Barack Obama at this point in his second term still remained relatively popular in comparison to Trump, Biden and Bush, sporting a 44% approval rating, according to Pew Research.