Former President Donald Trump is expressing his frustration following a series of recent polls indicating a significant drop in his favorability ratings among the American public. In some instances, these ratings have dipped into the thirties. In a passionate outburst on Monday, Trump took to Truth Social to label certain pollsters as “criminals” who should be investigated for ELECTION FRAUD.
In his post, Trump wrote, “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, lose a lot of credibility, and then go on cheating and lying for the next cycle, only worse.” He continued to assert that these pollsters suffer from what he called Trump Derangement Syndrome, claiming, “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!”
Trump's ire seems to be directed at polls revealing a notable decline in his popularity just months into his second term. An Associated Press/NORC poll released over the weekend, along with a Washington Post/ABC News-Ipsos poll, indicated that Trump's approval rating has dropped to 39 percent, a significant decrease from earlier in his administration. Additional polls released last week also reflected a downturn in his ratings, with many Americans— including members of his own party— expressing concerns about his management of critical issues such as immigration and the economy.
A New York Times/Siena College poll published last week reported Trump's approval at 42 percent, while a CNN/SSRS poll placed it at 41 percent. Even Fox News has reported that the president's approval rating stands at 44 percent. Last week, Trump voiced his dissatisfaction over a Fox News poll that suggested his handling of the economy, which has been adversely affected by his unorthodox tariff policies, was not well-received among voters.
In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump expressed his anger about what he calls “FAKE POLLS FROM FAKE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS.” He claimed that the numbers released by these pollsters are “unheard of” unless they are purposely skewed to reflect negative outcomes. Trump lamented, “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!”
The former president's frustration with pollsters is not merely rhetorical. Back in December, Trump initiated a lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and renowned Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer over a poll that inaccurately forecasted a victory for Kamala Harris in Iowa ahead of the 2024 election. He has also engaged in numerous lawsuits against major media outlets, often seeking settlements that could financially benefit his companies and trusts.
Despite Trump's attempts to discredit the polling data, it is evident that a growing number of Americans believe the nation is moving in the wrong direction under his leadership. The continuous decline in his approval ratings suggests that no amount of posts on Truth Social will obscure the shifting public sentiment regarding his presidency.
