Polls Challenge House Speaker’s Claim of Trump’s 90% Popularity
House Speaker Mike Johnson recently made bold claims about former President Donald Trump’s soaring approval ratings during a CNBC News interview.
“[Trump’s] approval ratings are skyrocketing,” Johnson asserted enthusiastically. “CNN reported just a day or two ago — he’s at a 90 percent approval rating! There’s never been a president that high,” he confidently added.
But the latest data tells a very different story. According to a CNN article published on July 17, a recent poll found that only 42% of Americans currently support Trump, with just 37% believing he has set the right goals for the country.
Supporting these findings, a separate poll by Reuters and IPSOS showed that only 41% of U.S. voters who cast ballots back Trump’s administration.
Clearly, the numbers don’t align with Johnson’s optimistic portrayal, revealing a far more divided public opinion.
More than half—55 percent—of respondents in a recent poll by The Economist expressed disapproval of former President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Rasmussen Reports, known for sometimes more favorable readings, showed that as of July 18, exactly half of Americans supported the businessman-turned-politician—marking one of the more positive surveys Trump has seen in recent years.
So, where did House Speaker Mike Johnson get the stunning figure of 90 percent approval? According to MSNBC, Johnson appears to have cherry-picked his data, focusing exclusively on Republican supporters while ignoring Democrats’ opinions.
The CNN poll Johnson referenced reveals that 88 percent of Republicans back Trump—close to 90, but Johnson seemingly rounded up without much nuance.
Despite the Trump administration’s hopes of portraying the president as one of the most popular in American history, historical comparisons tell a different story.
Bill Clinton’s approval rating peaked at 66 percent, AZ Central reports. Barack Obama’s highest rating reached 59 percent during his presidency, and Ronald Reagan hit 63 percent—comfortably above Trump’s current numbers.
On the other end of the spectrum, Richard Nixon holds the record for the lowest approval rating ever recorded at just 24 percent.
Notably, Trump’s approval during his first 100 days in office in 2017 was lower than any president in the past six decades—though Nixon’s overall ratings fluctuated dramatically.
Interestingly, the public’s view of Trump during his initial 100 days mirrors current polls: around 42 percent approval, per CNN’s latest survey.
In short, while Johnson’s “90 percent” claim makes for a catchy headline, the data paints a far more divided and complex picture of Trump’s standing among Americans.