WASHINGTON D.C. — President Trump's job approval rating has fallen to 34%, its lowest point of his second term and the lowest of any president at this stage since polling began tracking the metric, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey of 5,103 adults conducted between April 20 and 26. The White House described the poll as "extremely fake," "done by very bad people," and "probably illegal."
The findings are consistent across multiple polling organisations. Pew Research puts the number at a similar level. On the specific question of the cost of living — the issue Trump ran hardest on during the 2024 campaign, promising to bring prices down "on day one" — just 22% of voters approve of his performance. In November 2024, 51% of voters said they believed Trump "keeps his promises." That figure now stands at 38%.
The President, informed of the numbers by an aide who sources describe as "very brave," said the polls were conducted by "the same corrupt people who said I lost in 2020" and posted 14 times on Truth Social before lunch.
The White House's Alternative Framework
Press Secretary Dana Blevins, asked to respond to the polling at Thursday's briefing, offered what she described as "important context." The context was as follows: polls conducted by mainstream organisations are systematically biased against the President; the real approval rating, if measured correctly, would be "much higher, probably the highest ever"; and 34% of a country of 335 million people is "actually a lot of people, more than live in many countries."
She then said the economy was "doing fantastically" and cited a statistic that three reporters were later unable to verify.
"34% is a great number. You know who had low numbers? Lincoln. Washington. The greats always have low numbers because the fake media hates greatness. I'm in great company." — The President, apparently believing this helps
What Voters Actually Said
The Pew survey is unusually detailed on what, specifically, has driven the decline. Respondents who previously described Trump as someone who "keeps his promises" cited grocery prices, which have risen 6% since he took office despite campaign pledges to reduce them immediately; petrol prices, which have not fallen; and tariffs, which have increased the cost of imported goods in ways that were, pollsters note, "fairly predictable."
On personal traits, the share of Americans who describe Trump as "a strong leader" has fallen from 57% to 41% since his inauguration. The share who describe him as "well-informed" has dropped from 39% to 28%.
• Fake polls conducted by fake pollsters with a fake agenda.
• The Iran war, which is going very well, is being portrayed very unfairly.
• The economy is actually doing great and people just don't know it yet.
• The deep state is influencing how people answer survey questions.
• Lincoln also had low polls.
• 34% is higher than it sounds.
Independent analysts note that a 34% approval rating at this stage of a second term makes the midterm elections, due in November, "extraordinarily difficult for Republicans to defend." Several Republican senators have quietly begun describing themselves as "independent-minded" on their campaign websites. Two have started wearing different ties.
At press time, the President had posted that his "real" approval rating, as measured by "the people who actually love this country," was "probably 97%, maybe higher." He did not cite a source. The post received 310,000 likes, which the White House noted was more than 34% of the population, therefore proving something.