President Trump says recent surveys showing voters are souring on him are “fake polls from fake news organizations” that he says are “truly the enemy of the people!”
Mr. Trump targeted recent polls from The New York Times and Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos, both of which showed his approval rating is underwater and Americans are losing faith in his handling of several significant issues, including the economy, inflation, tariffs and foreign affairs.
Mr. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, stated that his pollster, John McLaughlin, says the polls undersampled Trump supporters.
“These people should be investigated for election fraud, and add in the FoxNews pollster while you’re at it,” Mr. Trump said. “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.”
“They suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, and there is nothing that anyone, or anything, can do about,” he said.
Mr. Trump and his allies have long criticized the surveys and methodologies used by pollsters, citing his surprise victories in 2016 and 2024.
Pollsters have made adjustments to their sampling methods, but they still face ongoing criticism.
For his part, Mr. Trump has made a habit of celebrating polls that put him in a favorable light and dismissing those that do not.
The recent New York Times/Siena College national poll of registered voters, which shows voters disapprove of Mr. Trump’s performance by a 42%-54% margin, was comprised of 38% of 2024 Trump supporters, 38% of Kamala Harris supporters, 16% wo did not vote, and the final 7% refused to say who they supported or voted for someone else.
The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos national survey of U.S. adults that found Mr. Trump’s approval rating underwater, with 55% disapproving to 39% approving, included an estimated 35% of 2024 Trump supporters in its sample.
A majority of adults disapproved of Mr. Trump’s handling of the economy (61%), tariffs (61%), US relations with other countries (61%), and immigration (53%).
The Post poll showed Mr. Trump’s base is still very much intact.
Among Trump 2024 voters, 89% approve of his overall job performance, 87% approve of the way he is handling the economy, 93% approve of the way he is handling immigration, 85% approve of the way he is handling relationships with other countries, and 78% approve of what he is doing with tariffs.
A similar story emerged in the New York Times poll, with 86% of Trump 2024 voters saying they are happy with his overall job performance and his handling of the economy. Meanwhile, 84% of those voters approved of his handling of foreign conflicts, 89% gave him high marks on immigration, and 85% approved of the way he is handling trade with other countries.
