Trump Claims “Real” Polling Numbers Are Best Ever as Independent Surveys Show Record Lows

Trump insists his approval numbers are the strongest of his presidency, dismissing surveys from CNN, Quinnipiac and AP-NORC that show his rating sinking to record lows ahead of the November midterms.

First Published: August 4, 2026, 1:50 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump declared his AP proval numbers the best of his presidency, dismissing a wave of independent surveys that placed his standing at record lows ahead of the November midterm elections.

The president rejected polls from CNN,Quinnipiac University and AP-NORC that each showed his rating at or near the lowest of his career, though he offered no figures of his own to support the claim according to newsweek.com. Quinnipiac put his approval at 32 percent, its lowest point from either of his terms. A CNN survey found 34 percent, and an AP-NORC poll registered 33 percent according to newsweek.com.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “My REAL Polling Numbers, not those made up by the Fake News Media, are the best they have EVER been, and why wouldn’t they be with the biggest tax cuts and employment numbers EVER, the biggest outside Investment in America in World history, a totally secure Border, a giant Victory in Venezuela,the Denuclearization of Iran, unparalleled respect and success throughout the World, and much more? Don’t believe the Radical Left’s Fake Poll numbers. They are Crooked and Corrupt, just like the Country Destroying Dumocrats are Crooked and Corrupt. VOTE REPUBLICAN FOR GREATNESS IN AMERICA! Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT” on August 4, 2026 at 5:39 PM ET.

This is Trump’s 15th message released today, and the last post was 1 hour ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 96 of his 437 posts over the last 30 days classified as Elections posts.

Even pollsters viewed as friendlier to the president showed him underwater. A McLaughlin & Associ atessurvey affiliated with Trump found 36 percent of Ameri ca nsAPproved of both the president and his policies, down from 38 percent a year earlier according to newsweek.com. Rasmussen Reports, another firm regarded as leaning Republican, placed his job approval at 44 percent against 55 percent disapproval in its daily tracking poll according to newsweek.com.

The stakes fall heaviest on the Republican Party, which finds itself on the defensive in key House and Senate races. Democrats believe the president’s weak standing could carry them to victory in competitive contests in November, while a poor showing would cost Republicans their congressional majorities according to newsweek.com.

The economy drives much of the discontent. Inflation has remained elevated, and just 34 percent of respondents in the Quinnipiac poll AP proved of the president’s handling of the economy, down from 42 percent in January according to newsweek.com. Americans picked Democrats over Republicans as better stewards of the economy for the first time since May 2017, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll of 4,505 adults according to yahoo.com.

For the average reader, the shift shows up at the gas station. Gasoline averaged about $4.10 per gallon nationwide, nearly 40 percent higher than the $2.98 drivers paid before the conflict with Iran began, according to yahoo.com. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a major passageway for global oil supply, pushed pump prices past $4 per gallon according to newsweek.com.

This has h AP pened before. Presidents often see their approval reach its lowest point in the sixth year of their tenure, David Stebenne, a professor of history and law at Ohio State University, told Newsweek according to newsweek.com. That pattern held even given the president’s discontinuous two-term run, and his standing could tick up in 2027 or 2028 if the economy improves, he said according to newsweek.com.

The next verdict rests with voters. The midterm elections in November 2026 will decide control of the House and Senate, and no earlier decision point has been announced.

Disputes between presidents and pollsters aren’t new. In 1948, incumbent Harry Truman trailed challenger Thomas Dewey in nearly EVER y major survey, prompting the Chicago Daily Tribune to print its famous “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline before results came in according to britannica.com. Truman won 303 electoral votes to Dewey’s 189, and the polling industry spent years rebuilding its credibility after the miss according to britannica.com.