President Donald Trump lashed out at the political polling industry Monday after a series of national surveys placed his job approval rating in the low 30s, dismissing the results as inaccurate and accusing pollsters and the media of publishing “Crooked and Corrupt” numbers.
Trump, who has frequently criticized unfavorable media coverage and polling throughout his political career, responded after several major polling organizations released new surveys showing his approval rating had fallen to its lowest levels in recent weeks.
Among the latest findings was a Quinnipiac University poll released last Wednesday, which found that 32% of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing as president, while 58% disapprove. According to Quinnipiac, the survey marked the lowest approval rating the organization has recorded for Trump.
Other national polls produced similar results.
CNN’s latest approval survey found Trump with a 34% approval rating, while the most recent AP-NORC poll placed his approval at 33%.
In response, Trump took to Truth Social to reject the findings, arguing that the published surveys do not reflect his actual standing with voters.
“My REAL Polling Numbers, not those made up by the Fake News Media, are the best they have ever been,” Trump wrote.
The president went on to cite what he described as a series of accomplishments, including “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,” and “the Denuclearization of Iran.”
Trump also claimed the United States is enjoying “unparalleled respect and success throughout the World.”
He urged supporters to disregard the polling numbers, writing, “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.”
Trump concluded the post with a political message encouraging voters to “VOTE REPUBLICAN FOR GREATNESS IN AMERICA!”
The latest polling numbers also drew attention on CNN, where chief data correspondent Harry Enten examined the recent surveys and argued that the president’s approval ratings continue to trend downward.
Speaking on the network late last week, Enten said the latest numbers suggested Trump’s support had reached new lows.
“I feel like this is like one of those magician’s tricks, right? Where the floor just falls out from beneath you, and that is exactly what’s happening with President Trump,” Enten said.
He highlighted the consistency among the three major surveys, noting that CNN measured Trump’s approval at 34%, AP-NORC at 33%, and Quinnipiac at 32%.
“So you look at them and you get three different pollsters all saying that Trump is hitting term two lows this week,” Enten said.
The CNN analyst then compared Trump’s numbers with those of other presidents serving second terms in the 21st century.
According to Enten, averaging the CNN, Quinnipiac and AP-NORC surveys produces a combined approval rating of 33% for Trump at this stage of his second term.
For comparison, Enten said former President Barack Obama stood at 41% during the same point in his second term, while former President George W. Bush registered 38% despite the ongoing Iraq War during the 2006 election cycle.
Enten argued that Trump’s current approval rating is the lowest recorded at this stage of a second term among 21st-century presidents.
He added that the only lower approval rating he could identify at a comparable point in a presidency came during Richard Nixon’s second term in 1974.
“And, of course, Richard Nixon was resigning in about a few weeks at this point in 1974—not the comparison you want to be making if you’re Donald John Trump,” Enten concluded.
[READ MORE: Trump Wins Senior Division of Bedminster Club Championship]
