Trump is unpopular, polls show, and he's building an America most Americans hate
President Donald Trump, in the eyes of Donald Trump and the toadies who populate his administration, is overseeing the most successful stretch of any president in our lifetimes.
That bent-reality view of what's actually happening is, of course, pure and predictable propaganda. Even the kindest interpretation of public opinion polling on Trump and his unhinged leadership thus far tells us this: The president is wildly unpopular, and he is creating a crueler version of America that a sizable majority of voters reject.
Trump spent the weekend posting wildly on Truth Social and sharing glowing images of himself with the words '6 MONTHS OF WINNING' alongside AI-generated videos showing former President Barack Obama being arrested. You know, the kind of normal presidential stuff that self-confident, emotionally stable presidents usually post.
Trump thinks he's winning, but Americans see a big-time loser
His vampiric deputy chief of staff and most-favored henchman, Stephen Miller, posted on X: 'The most incredible opening 6 months to an American presidency in history.'
Like Miller, the architect of Trump's draconian and increasingly cruel mass deportations, numbers don't have a soul. But unlike Miller and all who've sold they're souls to work with an opportunistic bully like Trump, numbers don't lie.
Opinion: Trump keeps brutalizing immigrants because he's failing at everything else
So let's take a look at what the numbers are saying about this allegedly amazing six months of presidential winning.
Trump's approval after six months stinks, by any measure
A CBS News poll conducted July 16 through July 18 found 58% of Americans disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president. Only 42% approve, a drop of a whopping 11 percentage points since a February CBS News poll.
That's not good.
Citing Gallup polling, USA TODAY reported Trump's June approval ratings during the first year of each of his two terms 'are lower than any other modern president at the same time in their administrations.'
And polling averages from the New York Times to CNN to YouGov show Trump's approval wallowing in the low 40s.
Trump's support on immigration – his big issue – has tanked
If you're the person who is supposed to be president for all Americans, that is a far cry from 'winning.' Although if you care only about yourself and legislated cruelty, as Trump clearly does, I suppose such things don't matter.
Diving deeper into polling numbers, you can see how unpopular much of Trump's 'Golden Age' agenda is, even when it comes to issues he has long polled well on, like immigration and the economy.
The recent CBS News poll found only 44% approve of Trump's handling of immigration, down from 10 percentage points from March.
Americans disapprove of Trump's hateful immigration policies
A Gallup poll released July 11 found only 35% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of immigration, with 62% disapproving and 45% strongly disapproving. Now that Americans are seeing masked ICE agents round up hardworking migrants and shuttle them off to foreign countries or lock them in detention centers surrounded by alligators, only about 30% of Americans say immigration should be reduced – that number was at 55% last year.
And there's this from the same Gallup poll: 'a record-high 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is a good thing for the country.' Support for hiring more border agents has dropped 17 percentage points since last year, and only 38% of respondents want to see all undocumented immigrations deported.
A Pew Research Center survey last month noted: 'About a quarter of U.S. adults (23%) say they worry a lot or some that they or someone close to them could be deported.'
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Again, this is winning only if you want things your way and don't care what a majority of your fellow citizens want, which has long been a defining characteristic of the MAGA movement.
Most believe Trump's policies will hurt them, their families and their friends
A recent AP-NORC poll found that about half of Americans 'feel Trump's policies have done more to hurt them' than help them, while only a quarter of respondents said Trump's policies have helped them.
The CBS News poll found 60% of Americans oppose Trump's tariffs on imported goods, only 36% approve of his handling of inflation, and only 25% of voters believe the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' Trump recently signed will do anything to help them, while 47% think it will hurt them.
A Quinnipiac University poll released July 16 showed Trump sizably underwater on immigration, trade, the economy, deportations, foreign policy, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas war and tariffs.
On the Epstein scandal, Trump is flailing and failing
And lest we forget the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein scandal, the Quinnipiac poll found 63% of voters disapprove of the Trump Administration's handling of the case.
Your Turn: President Trump, I supported you. Release the Epstein list – or resign. | Opinion Forum
Taken in total, there's one inescapable conclusion: This has been six months of losing for President Trump and his administration, on virtually every issue. He is unpopular, the things he's doing are unpopular, and that lack of popularity isn't going to help him as the Epstein scandal continues to envelop his presidency.
Trump lies – numbers don't. Remember that next time he brags.
Trump can brag all he wants and keep declaring his own greatness, but anyone who has paid attention to him over the years knows these numbers are an assault on his fragile ego. That's why he's flailing so much right now, why his social-media account is a stream of babbling, self-congratulatory or authoritarian wish-casting nonsense.
Trump won't tell you the truth. He won't even consider the truth himself.
That should make Americans like him even less.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
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