President Donald Trump, 79, took to Truth Social on Saturday morning, Nov. 22, 2025, to claim he had achieved the highest poll numbers of his political career. The declaration came despite multiple November polls showing his approval rating at its lowest point since the start of his second term.
“I HAVE JUST GOTTEN THE HIGHEST POLL NUMBERS OF MY ‘POLITICAL CAREER,'” Trump wrote in the early morning post. The president’s assertion stands in stark contrast to recent polling data that paints a considerably different picture of public sentiment.
Recent surveys tell a more complicated story about the president’s standing with voters. An Ipsos Reuters poll showed Trump’s approval rating at negative 22, while an AP-NORC poll recorded it at negative 26. Even the president’s most favorable numbers came from the right-leaning Rasmussen Reports, which still placed him at negative four.
The president’s difficulties extend across multiple policy areas. According to CNN data analyst Harry Enten, Trump is scoring negative 34 on inflation, representing a 37-point drop from his plus three rating at the start of his second term. This decline in economic approval comes as voters continue to express concerns about the cost of living, a central issue in the November 2025 elections, where Republicans were shellacked.
Despite Trump’s claims that prices are coming down sharply, the reality differs. While specific items like eggs and gasoline have seen decreases, grocery prices have continued to rise according to PolitiFact. This disconnect between the president’s statements and consumers’ lived experiences has contributed to growing public dissatisfaction.
Trump did acknowledge in his Saturday post that his economic work has not yet been fully appreciated, writing that it will be and that things are “really Rockin’.” He claimed that stopping wars and foreign relations appeared to be a strong suit, along with border security and crime reduction. The data partially supports these assertions, with his poll numbers on these topics not as dismal, with Trump scoring negative 9.6 on foreign policy, negative 3.7 on immigration, and even on crime according to RealClearPolling aggregates.
The president’s online outburst became fodder for late-night television. ABC host Jimmy Kimmel addressed Trump’s approval ratings during his Thursday, Nov. 20 show. While discussing a Truth Social post in which Trump called him a “bum” with very poor television ratings, Kimmel responded by noting the timing of the president’s attack.
Kimmel observed that Trump posted at 12:49 a.m. Thursday, which was 11 minutes after the show ended on the East Coast, demonstrating that the president watches the program live. The late-night host used the opportunity to highlight Trump’s declining poll numbers through a montage of news anchors discussing the president’s sinking approval ratings.
A Sunday, Nov. 3 CNN poll showed 63 percent disapproval, marking the highest rate Trump has recorded during either of his terms. The survey results prompted CNN to label the period as probably the worst 10 days for the president in his entire second term. An Emerson College poll released Friday, Nov. 7, found Trump’s approval at 41 percent, representing a four-point drop since October.
The Emerson survey revealed troubling trends for the president across key demographics. Republican approval decreased 12 points to 79 percent, while disapproval among independents rose to 51 percent. The political ramifications extend beyond Trump’s personal ratings, with broader implications for the Republican Party heading into future elections.
The recent government shutdown, the longest in American history, contributed to the challenging political environment. Democrats lead the generic congressional ballot 44 to 40 percent, while Congress itself holds just a 15 percent approval rating. A Gallup poll conducted Oct. 1-16 showed Trump at 41 percent approval with 54 percent disapproval, confirming the downward trajectory across multiple polling organizations.
The GOP suffered a wipeout on Election Day in November 2025, with the contests serving as an early referendum on Trump’s second term. Democratic campaigns focused heavily on addressing affordability concerns, capitalizing on voter frustration with economic conditions. The electoral results underscored the gap between Trump’s self-assessment and public opinion.
Trump’s Saturday Truth Social post continued beyond his initial claim about poll numbers, with the president predicting that the economy would soon top his list of strengths. He pointed to what he described as the highest stock market ever and falling prices, though economists and fact-checkers have challenged these characterizations. The disconnect between the president’s portrayal of his performance and independent polling data appears likely to persist as his second term continues.
