Politics

Trump Repeats Record Approval Claim Despite Low Overall Ratings

By Jake Beardslee · August 15, 2025

President Donald Trump delivers remarks before signing an executive order creating a task force for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Tuesday, August 5, 2025, in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House. The White House / Wikimedia

President Donald Trump reiterated on Wednesday that he is the “Highest polling Republican President in HISTORY,” a claim he has made before, despite recent surveys showing his approval rating below 50% in two national polls this week.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Wow! Highest polling Republican President in HISTORY! Thank you,” without specifying which polls he was referencing. One possible source is a CNN polling analysis from last month showing that 63% of Republican voters strongly approved of Trump five months into his second term—up from 53% at the same point in his first term. CNN’s Harry Enten described the figure as “history making” because it surpassed the ratings of all other Republican presidents since Ronald Reagan.

However, Trump’s overall approval remains low when Democrats and independents are included. Gallup data shows his average approval rating in both terms ranks near the bottom among all presidents since Harry Truman, tied with President Joe Biden at 42% for his second term. Recent polls reflect a mixed picture: the Economist/YouGov survey recorded a two-point uptick, while Morning Consult found a three-point drop, bringing his second-term approval back to a record low of 45% and net ratings between -12 and -6.

Trump made a similar claim in July 2018, asserting he had the “highest poll numbers in the history of the Republican Party,” though Politifact noted that presidents George H.W. Bush and Dwight Eisenhower had higher Republican approval ratings at the same stage.

A Pew Research survey from July 2023 found that 37% of Republicans and Republican-leaning adults believed Trump had done the best job as president in the past 40 years, trailing Ronald Reagan at 41%. His Republican approval has fallen from 92% in January to 83% this week, according to YouGov.

Trump began his second term with a 52% approval rating, based on Nate Silver’s polling average, but his numbers turned negative by mid-March, coinciding with backlash over his tariff policies. Although approval stabilized in early August, his overall disapproval still outweighs support at 52% to 44%.