President Donald Trump has said pollsters that have shown his approval ratings sliding in recent weeks should be investigated for “election fraud.”
Trump cited recent polls from The New York Times, ABC News/The Washington Post, and Fox News, which put his approval rating on 42 percent, 39 percent, and 44 percent respectively.
Responding to the polls, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday: “They are negative criminals who apologize to their subscribers and readers after I win elections big, much bigger than their polls showed I would win, loose a lot of credibility, and then go on cheating and lying for the next cycle, only worse.”
Newsweek contacted the White House for comment on Monday outside of regular working hours.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Why It Matters
Trump has routinely attacked negative polls as rigged, while promoting those that are favorable to him. His call for an investigation into major pollsters is an escalation of his efforts to discredit institutions he perceives as hostile to his presidency.
But polling Trump’s base has often presented unique challenges to researchers, which has fueled concerns that his level of support is often underestimated. Presidential approval polls are also highly volatile and only offer a snapshot of public sentiment at a given moment.
What To Know
The ABC News/The Washington Post poll showed that Trump’s approval rating had dropped to the lowest level of any president in the last 80 years at this point in their presidencies.
The New York Times/Siena poll found that only 31 percent of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and only 43 percent approved of his handling of the economy.
Responding to the pollsters, Trump wrote: “Great pollster John McLaughlin, one of the most highly respected in the industry, has just stated that The Failing New York Times poll, and the ABC/Washington Post poll, about a person named DONALD J. TRUMP, ME, are FAKE POLLS FROM FAKE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS.
“They suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, and there is nothing that anyone, or anything, can do about it. THEY ARE SICK, almost only write negative stories about me no matter how well I am doing (99.9% at the Border, BEST NUMBER EVER!), AND ARE TRULY THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! I wish them well, but will continue to fight to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
What People Are Saying
Trump wrote in a separate post on Truth Social on Monday: “We don’t have a Free and Fair ‘Press’ in this Country anymore. We have a Press that writes BAD STORIES, and CHEATS, BIG, ON POLLS. IT IS COMPROMISED AND CORRUPT. SAD!”
John McLaughlin, Trump’s campaign pollster, told Newsweek in a statement: “When President Trump received 50 percent of the popular vote, but The New York Times includes only 37 percent of his voters in their poll and ABC/Washington Post has only 34 percent Trump supporters, it seems that they deliberately biased their polls against President Trump.”
What Happens Next
Trump’s polling is likely to continue to fluctuate in the coming weeks in response to key policy issues including tariffs.
Any sustained negative polling could affect the Republicans in the midterm elections in November 2026.
