Overview
- A New York Times/Siena College poll conducted Jan. 12–17 finds Trump at roughly 40% approval and 56–57% disapproval, with 49% saying the country is worse off than a year ago and 51% reporting his policies made life less affordable.
- Trump rejected the findings as “fake,” said he will fold the NYT/Siena survey into his existing $15 billion defamation suit against the New York Times, and his team has demanded preservation of the poll’s records.
- Other independent polling shows similar results, including YouGov/The Economist at 37% approve and 57% disapprove and American Research Group pegging approval in the mid-30s, underscoring a broad downturn.
- The NYT/Siena data point to erosion within key groups, with white voter approval at 47% versus 50% disapproval and majorities panning his handling of the economy and cost of living.
- Analysts warn of midterm headwinds for the GOP, with tracking data showing steep net negatives in battlegrounds such as Georgia (−18.6) and Maine (−18.4).