Melania Trump has again defied the odds with an approval rating that has dropped even further. According to a late March CNN/SSRS poll, no other First Lady has ever had such a low rating before. Her net favorability now stands at -12, collapsing dramatically from +3 in January 2025. It seems as if Melania has already hit her peak rating of +30, eight years ago in May 2018.
CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten broke down the numbers and explained how significantly the first lady’s popularity has fallen. According to The Mirror, he stated, “I would say that the American people really don’t care for Melania Trump.” He continued, “Historic lows for Melania Trump, these numbers are absolutely awful.” Enten emphasized that the numbers showed not only a downturn, but a record-setting survey compared to other presidents’ wives during their second term in office.
Enten then compared Melania’s current popularity with well-known First Ladies, and gave the stats to support his findings. He noted that Nancy Reagan had a popularity around +50, and similar to her Barbara Bush and Michelle Obama reached approval ratings of +46 and +42 respectively.
CNN on First Lady Melania Trump’s approval rating:
“Historic lows for Melania Trump. These numbers are absolutely awful.”
Love this for her.
— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) April 9, 2026
Even Hillary Clinton who previously scored the lowest approval for spouses during her husband’s second term, held a rating of +25. And this was when Bill Clinton was knee-deep in the scandal that nearly cost him his political career. As Enten said, ” Melania Trump breaking records in the way that you don’t want to break records. Historically awful.”
Melania’s low poll ratings are also significant because of how quickly it dropped. Within less than a decade, people’s positive perception of her has shifted to deeply negative. Analysts say that public opinion of presidents’ wives is usually shaped by their visibility, public engagement, and recent projects as shown by the media. Enten concluded, “The American people really don’t care for her.”
For Melania, one of the major factors was the documentary that reinforced the way that they perceived her and it may have alienated her even more to viewers. Donald Trump sang the movies praises and called his wife a movie star, but it flopped at the box office. Enten too had a theory about the movie, saying, “I think a lot of people saw it as political even if she didn’t want it to be.” While the film was meant to present Melania in a more real, approachable light, it seems as if it failed in its objective.
CNN released the findings of a new poll on Thursday, April 9, and the numbers make for uncomfortable reading for the First Lady. https://t.co/DOmNcPxSIA pic.twitter.com/q36MYPgwAD
— Irish Star US (@IrishStarUS) April 9, 2026
Enten laid out the statistics for the movie’s numbers, comparing its $75 million budget to the sales of just $17 million. The conclusion he reached was that the failure of Melania points directly to the “historic lack of appeal that she has for a First Lady.”
Recently, Melania sparked outrage after she answered a reporter’s question at the White House Easter Egg Roll. When asked if she had a message for the children who are living in war zones like Iran, she replied, “Well, all of this is happening for their future.” She then added, “So, they will be safe in years to come.”
Many thought that her answer was heartless and that she was not showing compassion for those who had lost loved ones in the war. As a response, netizens responded by telling her to “Send Barron” for the sake of those children’s future.
