President Donald Trump criticized major polling firms and news organizations. He called for criminal penalties over what he labeled as “fake” surveys after new national polling revealed his approval rating at a low point for his second term.
In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump accused pollsters and the media of releasing “skewed” results to hurt his presidency. “Something has to be done about Fake Polls! They are truly OUT OF CONTROL,” Trump wrote, claiming he should not be “in the low 40s.” He also suggested that “Fake and Fraudulent Polling should be, virtually, a criminal offense,” according to multiple reports on his posts.
Trump’s reaction followed the release of a national survey by The New York Times and Siena College Research Institute marking one year since his return to office. The Times/Siena poll revealed Trump’s job approval at 40% and disapproval at 56%. The same survey reported that 32% of respondents believe the country is better off than a year ago, while 49% think it is worse off.
The poll also showed that voters disapproved of Trump’s handling of several key issues, including the economy and immigration enforcement. Many believed he was focused on the wrong priorities, according to the Siena release and reports about the findings.
The president stated he would expand his existing defamation lawsuit against The New York Times to include the poll. “The Times Siena Poll … will be added to my lawsuit against The Failing New York Times,” Trump wrote, based on TRT World’s account of his posts. He also mentioned that the newspaper would “pay a price,” according to a report summarizing his remarks.
The Times defended its polling methodology, describing it as standard and based on interviews with a representative sample of voters, as reported by The Guardian. Siena’s release included methodological details and toplines for the survey.
Trump says all the polls which show him with dismal ratings across the board including the new NYT/Siena poll is fake and he is suing them. pic.twitter.com/gUMtcq6bXb
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 22, 2026
Other recent polling has similarly shown that Trump struggles with voters. A separate Economist/YouGov survey conducted from January 16 to 19 reported Trump’s approval at 37% and disapproval at 57%, based on 1,722 U.S. adult citizens, according to YouGov’s summary and the poll’s technical documentation.
The president has a long history of disputing negative surveys and promoting those that show him doing better. In Thursday’s posts, he claimed that “REAL Polls” were strong but said news organizations “refuse to print them,” according to reports on his messages. He also reiterated claims that the United States has the “Greatest Economy in the History of our Country” and the “Strongest Border in History,” arguing the polling did not reflect what he described as public sentiment.
Polling analysts generally warn that surveys can vary based on timing, question wording, and sampling. A range of results can appear across reputable pollsters. Neither the White House nor the Justice Department announced any new legal actions Thursday regarding polling firms, and Trump’s posts did not mention a specific law under which pollsters could face charges.
