Barely a third of Americans approve of President Trump's job performance.
Posted by On with Kara Swisher, Checked
- Sources
- 2 contradict1 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 55%
On with Kara SwisherAug 10, 2026
As of August 10, 2026, the record is split by measure: the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll before that date had Trump at 35%, close to 'barely a third,' while August polling averages and several individual polls put approval around 39-41%. The claim is therefore partly supported and partly overstated depending on whether one uses a single poll or an average.
A detail. The sources confirm the gist; the verdict faults a detail such as a date, number or wording.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… You know, there's not a mystery, who would never think of themselves as Republican, but who think we need change in California. Do you think they can bifurcate on this? Because regardless of party, there's lots of people who aren't happy with the president. Barely a third of Americans approve of his job performance right now. I'd like to give one thing, Carol, and you see that in other states, actually. Um, so, for example, there are other states, Vermont, uh Maryland, either now or in the past, where you've had a strongly Democrat state that's elected a Republican governor, and …
On with Kara Swisher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. Ballotpedia's polling average put Trump at 41% approval at the end of August, with a lowest average of 39% on Aug. 25, and Marquette (40%) and Emerson (39.5%) polls were also in the high 30s to 40s, well above one-third.[2][3]
Supports. A Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed earlier in August showed Trump's approval at 35%, which is close to a third of Americans.[1]
Context. Reuters/Ipsos and Economist/YouGov polls reporting 33% came out on Aug. 11 and Aug. 17, just after the claim was made, so they do not show the state on August 10 but indicate the trend moved down shortly after.[1][3]
Context. Polls differ by methodology and population (likely voters vs. adults), so a single poll near one-third does not settle the average of Americans' approval on that date.[3][4]
Sources
4 sources: 1 fact-checker, 3 not rated
- 1EXCLUSIVE: Trump approval falls to 33%, lowest of his presidency, Reuters/Ipsos poll findsreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2Trump ends August with 41% approval rating ...news.ballotpedia.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 3Iran war is unpopular as Trump battles low approval ratings: Recent pollscourierpress.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, context
- 4Trump's approval rating stuck at record low for third week in a rowusatoday.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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