President Donald Trump is again disputing public polling data, claiming his actual approval rating stands at 64 percent — a figure that sharply contradicts independent survey averages showing his support well below that mark.
In a late-night post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, the president dismissed traditional polling altogether, alleging manipulation by both pollsters and the media.
“The polls are rigged even more than the writers,” Trump wrote. “The real number is 64%, and why not, our Country is ‘hotter’ than ever before.”
He followed up by touting what he described as major policy successes, writing, “Isn’t it nice to have a STRONG BORDER, No Inflation, a powerful Military, and great Economy??? Happy New Year!”
However, aggregated data from Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) paints a different picture. According to its polling average, Trump’s approval rating currently sits at 44.1 percent — nearly 20 points lower than the number he claimed.
The president’s comments arrive at a politically sensitive moment. His administration is navigating growing public unease following a series of Democratic victories in the 2025 elections, ongoing affordability concerns, and renewed scrutiny over how federal authorities handled files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump promised sweeping changes, including aggressive price reductions, what he described as the largest deportation program in U.S. history, and a rollback of multiple initiatives introduced under the Biden administration.
Earlier this month, Trump also gave his economic performance an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus” rating, even as new data showed rising inflation and weaker-than-expected job growth. The president has largely blamed those trends on former President Joe Biden, while maintaining that his White House is actively working to reverse them.
At the same time, Trump is contending with visible fractures inside his own party. He has recently clashed publicly with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Republican lawmakers in Indiana failed to advance a GOP-backed House redistricting map — developments that underscore internal tensions.
Adding to the criticism, veteran Republican strategist Karl Rove argued this week that voters may be growing weary of Trump’s rhetoric and confrontational style.
“There are signs that the public is tiring of his hyperbole and insatiable desire for retribution. Increasingly, they may hear only the offensive or cruel things he says,” Rove wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
Rove questioned whether the president believes persuasion is no longer necessary, writing, “Has the president convinced himself that he doesn’t need to sell his policies and actions? It appears that he believes he can will people into agreeing with him by claiming his achievements are the biggest, best and most amazing in American history.”
As Trump continues to challenge conventional polling and defend his record, the gap between his own claims and independent data is likely to remain a focal point in the broader political debate heading into the next election cycle.
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