A Closer Look
President Donald Trump’s approval ratings have plunged to the lowest levels of his political career, with recent national polls showing sub-45 percent support—a historic low for any president at this stage of a second term. At the same time, his recent, wide-ranging interview with TIME magazine featured a string of grandiose and demonstrably false claims—from boasting of “200 deals” yet to materialize, to alleging a non-existent phone call from Xi Jinping, to insisting grocery prices are falling—all of which have alarmed fact-checkers and shaken confidence in his policy messaging.
Plummeting Poll Numbers
Historic Low Approval
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A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted April 14–20 found Trump’s overall approval at just 42 percent, down from 47 percent immediately post-inauguration—his lowest since returning to office this January. Reuters
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An earlier Reuters/Ipsos survey from April 2 pegged his approval at 43 percent, also the weakest showing of his second term to date.
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According to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released April 27, Trump recorded the lowest 100-day job approval rating of any president in the past eighty years. ABC News
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A Pew Research Center survey published April 23 found just 40 percent of Americans approving his job performance, a seven-point drop since February and below the share at this point in his first term. Pew Research Center
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Vanity Fair notes that these ratings represent the swiftest decline in presidential favorability since World War II, underscoring widespread discontent. Vanity Fair
Deep Disapproval on Key Issues
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Trump’s handling of the economy scored even lower: only 37 percent approved in a Reuters/Ipsos poll assessing economic leadership, the lowest economic rating of his presidency.
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Majorities in multiple surveys expressed concern over his expansive use of executive power, with 59 percent believing the president must strictly follow federal court rulings.
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Disapproval cuts across party lines: independent voters, critical to Trump’s 2024 victory, now tilt against him on immigration, trade, and inflation. Reuters
The “Insane” TIME Interview
Grandiose but Groundless “200 Deals” Claim
In the April 22 interview, Trump repeatedly boasted of securing “200 deals” with foreign and domestic partners—yet provided no specifics and no formal agreements have been announced, prompting fact-checkers to label the claim “baseless.” The Daily Beast
Exaggerated Trade Deficit Loss
Trump asserted the U.S. was “losing $2 trillion a year on trade,” whereas official figures show a $917.8 billion trade deficit in 2024. TIME’s fact-checkers highlighted this exaggeration as emblematic of the interview’s broader factual inaccuracies. Time
Misleading on Grocery Prices
Asked about inflation, Trump insisted grocery prices had “gone down,” despite the Consumer Price Index showing groceries rose 2.4 percent year-over-year in March.
Fabricated Call From Xi Jinping
Trump claimed Chinese President Xi Jinping personally phoned him amid the trade war; China’s foreign ministry swiftly denied any such call ever took place, calling the story “baseless.” The Daily Beast
Unsubstantiated Prison-Emptying Allegations
He repeated a long-standing but unverified claim that foreign governments are emptying prisons, sending criminals into the U.S.—a charge with no supporting evidence according to independent analysts. The Daily Beast
Context of the TIME Interview
This wide-ranging, on-the-record interview—the fourth Trump has granted TIME—was published alongside a lightly edited transcript and in-depth fact checks, revealing a pattern of misleading statements across trade, immigration, and domestic policy.
With approval ratings at historic lows and a high-profile interview marred by a cascade of false or unsubstantiated claims, President Trump faces a dual crisis of public confidence and policy credibility. As he approaches the mid-point of his second term, both his political standing and his ability to advance his agenda hinge on rebuilding trust shaken by polling deficits and “insane” interview missteps.
