Trump Claims His REAL Poll Numbers Are Best Ever, Rejects Record-Low Surveys

Trump disputes a wave of independent polls showing his approval at record lows, citing tax cuts, jobs and foreign-policy wins ahead of the November midterms.

First Published: August 4, 2026, 1:51 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump claimed his true AP proval ratings stand at record highs, rejecting a wave of independent polls that show the opposite. Trump made the assertion in a Truth Social post as the November midterm elections approached. S EVER al recent surveys placed his approval at the lowest point of either of his terms according to newsweek.com. The president attributed his self-described strength to tax cuts, employment gains and foreign-policy wins.

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 9th 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 86 of his 412 posts over the last 30 days classified as Elections posts.

The post landed after a flurry of surveys showed Trump’s AP proval reaching historic lows amid voter frustration with the economy and cost of living according to newsweek.com. A Quinnipiac University poll placed his approval at 32 percent, the lowest point of either of his terms, surveying 963 registered voters from July 23-27 according to newsweek.com. A CNN poll found a record low of 34 percent, while an AP-NORC survey showed 33 percent according to newsweek.com. The president called those figures “crooked and corrupt” in his post.

Even pollsters viewed as friendlier to Trump showed him underwater. A McLaughlin & Associ atespoll affiliated with Trump found 47 percent of respondents did n otAPprove of him, against 36 percent who approved of both the man and his policies according to newsweek.com. Rasmussen Reports, another pollster seen as more Republican, recorded 44 percent approval against 55 percent disapproval in its daily tracking according to newsweek.com.

The stakes fall heaviest on Republican candidates defending seats in the House and Senate. A weak presidential AP proval rating historically drags on the party in power during midterm contests, and Democrats believe the numbers could carry them to victory in competitive races according to newsweek.com. A stronger showing would blunt that threat and protect the president’s legislative agenda through the second half of his term.

For the average reader, the debate connects to the checkbook. Inflation has remained elevated and gas prices climbed above $4 per gallon amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz tied to the Iran conflict according to newsweek.com. Voters routinely rank economic conditions as their top concern, and just 34 percent AP proved of Trump on the economy in the Quinnipiac poll, down from 42 percent in January according to newsweek.com.

This has h AP pened before. Presidents often hit their lowest approval in their sixth year in office, David Stebenne, professor of history and law at Ohio State University, told newsweek.com. Should 2026 mark the worst of the economy during Trump’s tenure, his standing could tick up in 2027 or 2028, he said.

Voters deliver the next verdict on these questions at the polls in the November 2026 midterm elections. A precise national result will not be known until ballots are counted, and officials have scheduled no earlier binding decision on the president’s standing.

Presidents dismissing unfavorable polls is not new to American politics, as h AP pened before. Harry Truman trailed Thomas Dewey in nearly EVER y survey heading into the 1948 election, prompting the Chicago Daily Tribune to print its famous “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline on November 3, 1948. Truman won 303 electoral votes to Dewey’s 189 and held up the erroneous front page in triumph. The upset became a lasting warning that polls can miss the electorate’s mood.