Trump is told his job approval rating is in the 30s. He refuses to believe that and reveals what he thinks the real number is: ‘I’m way up’

Byron York of The Washington Examiner sat down with President Donald Trump and brought up current job approval averages. York referenced a RealClearPolitics compilation that put the president at 38.8 percent approval and 60.4 percent disapproval. Trump pushed back immediately on those figures.

He told York the numbers did not reflect reality. “It’s fake,” Trump said. He then zeroed in on the New York Times and questioned its reliance on Wedgewood Polls, a firm that recently said it had generated false results as a social experiment once a report began looking into its methods. The Times stated it had not incorporated those results when determining the president’s approval rating.

Trump continued to challenge the reported levels. “The job approval, they said it’s 37, 38?” he asked. “I’m not at 38.” York pressed him on what percentage he believed was closer to accurate. Trump replied that he did not think anyone could defeat him and said, “I think that if I needed it, which I don’t, I think 60.”

Trump turns to a CNN analyst’s data and responds to other recent surveys

He then directed attention to a segment featuring CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten, a clip he has cited at previous rallies. “I think I’d be in the 60s now,” Trump said. “Now, in the Republican Party, I’m way up. Show him the 99%. Have you seen it?”

According to Mediaite, Enten’s segment displayed Trump’s standing among MAGA voters holding near 100 percent. It also tracked a sharp shift on inflation: the president’s net rating on the issue moved from plus 8 points during the 2024 election to minus 45 points as the midterms approach. Enten has also followed the trend in additional reports. Even so, some MAGA supporters are accusing Trump of sabotaging the midterms.

Earlier this week, the analyst labeled the situation “a five alarm Trumpster fire” after a Reuters/Ipsos survey registered 31 percent approval for Trump. Enten identified that result as the lowest mark recorded for the president across both of his terms in office.

Trump has still spoken favorably about the network’s work in recent days. “They did do some nice polls on me, I must say,” he said. “If CNN keeps doing those polls, I’ll like them more and more.” Those comments arrived even as he has taken steps to bar CNN from the White House.

Separately, the New York Times published a poll it conducted with Siena College that measured Trump’s approval at 34 percent. The paper observed that the result ranked as the lowest for any president this near the midterms other than Harry Truman, who stood at 33 percent ahead of the 1946 contests. The slide has fueled concern that the GOP could lose House and Senate.