Donald Trump has posted a series of attacks on the media, this time basing his complaints on poll data published by major outlets. Trump is threatening even more lawsuits and insists that the “real” polls show his approval ratings are much higher. He wants publications to start posting those numbers instead.
There is a way to cover Trump’s performance in a non-biased manner. Sure, there are promises he made that he ultimately didn’t keep — like his mass deportation drive supposedly only targeting criminal immigrants. But Trump’s assessment of American allies in Europe, predicting they would keep entertaining his economic ideas until it was no longer tenable, has largely proven accurate. After an entire year of upending trade principles between the EU and the US, it’s only now that European powers are reconsidering their relationship with Trump’s administration.
However, Trump’s approach to dealing with the media, immigration, and even trade has been immensely antagonistic. Even the most loyal MAGA faithfuls will usually admit that Trump either goes too far, or that his words aren’t always meant to be taken literally. As a result, Trump still loses support from his base. Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is a good example of that gradual shift. According to the American Research Group, which sampled 1,100 Americans, Trump’s disapproval rating moved from less than 10% in Feb. 2025 to almost 30% in Jan. 2026.
Trump’s first post in the polling saga went up a little before noon EST. He claimed that The New York Times has been against him since before the 2024 election and that he is now looking into legal options. In a second post, Trump called the polls “out of control,” claimed they were “fake,” and accused The New York Times of publishing them because of “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 11:53 AM EST 01.22.26 pic.twitter.com/3nf7JeB8x9
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 22, 2026
Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 12:01 PM EST 01.22.26 pic.twitter.com/ZZs1CfLiT3
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 22, 2026
The president was still bothered by the polls and posted again, saying that such polling should be a “criminal offense.” He then went on to predictably reiterate that he actually won the 2020 election, adding that “if people examined The Failing New York Times, ABC Fake News, NBC Fake News, CBS Fake News, Low Ratings CNN, or the now defunct MSDNC, Polls were all fraudulent, and bore nothing even close to the final results.” He then made a final post suggesting he should try for a fourth term — because if you count 2020, he believes he has now won three elections in a row.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 12:11 PM EST 01.22.26 pic.twitter.com/LHYXuwQUj7
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 22, 2026
That’s the disconcerting thing about Trump: you can never tell when he’s being serious and when he’s “trolling” his critics for a reaction and a much-needed distraction. But it becomes easier to judge when you dig through his past. Instantly, you can tell whether he actually believes what he’s saying. For instance, just recently, on Nov. 22, he again received low approval ratings and responded by making up his own numbers, claiming on Truth Social that his approval ratings were actually high. For MAGA loyalists, the only opinion that matters is his — and he understands that better than anyone.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 07:01 AM EST 11/22/25
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 22, 2025
President Trump credits his highest poll numbers of his political career to stopping wars, closing the border and stopping crime and predicts prices will continue to drop along with the highest stock market ever in the… pic.twitter.com/OlIsBSKhWG
In his world, only Trump decides which statistics are real.
