- Some news organizations selectively highlight poll data that aligns with their political perspectives, leading to contrasting headlines and narratives in the media. Left- and right-leaning media outlets are highlighting different polling data and creating contrasting points.
- Some polls highlighted by left-leaning media show President Trump’s agenda is unpopular while right-leaning media showcase polls that show Trump’s actions are overwhelmingly popular.
- Public trust in polling and media coverage remains low, with many Americans skeptical about both institutions.
Full Story
President Donald Trump has now been in office for just over a month. How do Americans feel about his performance? The answer largely depends on which poll you look at and which media outlet you follow. Left-leaning news sources have highlighted negative findings, while right-leaning outlets have focused on more favorable poll results.
How the media covered recent polls
Coverage of recent polls varies greatly depending on a media outlet’s political leanings. Here’s a look at how different news sources presented recent polls on Trump’s approval ratings.
Left-leaning headlines:
- The Washington Post: “Many of Trump’s Early Actions Are Unpopular: Post/Ipsos Poll Finds.”
- The Guardian: “Trump Begins Term with Historically Low Approval Rating – Polls Show.”
- MSNBC: “Can’t Stand Him: From Policy to Personnel, Trump Scores Historically Low Poll Numbers.”
These headlines emphasize negative findings from various polls. In contrast, right-leaning media focused on more positive poll results:
Right-leaning headlines:
- Fox News: “Trump Has Higher Approval Rating Than at Any Point During His First Term.”
- The Blaze: “Trump’s Agenda Continues to Be Popular, New Polling Shows.”
- The Washington Examiner: “Nation Happiest ‘Ever’ – Trump is ‘Best’ President: Rasmussen.”
Such contrasting headlines can be confusing for audiences trying to understand Trump’s actual approval ratings.
Dueling narratives on TV
The same division played out on television networks. Left-leaning outlets such as CNN and MSNBC focused on negative polling data:
“It’s now been a month since President Trump’s return to the White House. New polling shows he may be losing some of the voter enthusiasm he started with.”
Jessica Dean, CNN Host
“Negative, negative, negative. He is underwater in all these polls. He’s like the Little Mermaid—underwater.”
Harry Enten, CNN Analyst
“What the data says broadly is that the country kind of hates this guy. I shouldn’t say hate—maybe they just can’t stand him.”
Rachel Maddow, MSNBC Host
Meanwhile, right-leaning networks like Fox News presented more positive findings:
“A majority of Americans trust Donald Trump and Elon Musk to rein in the federal government. Trump has been regularly polling in the mid-50s, and for good reason.”
Sean Hannity, Fox News Host
“Democrats have willful blindness. Has Hakeem Jeffries not seen Trump’s approval numbers?”
Laura Ingraham, Fox News Host
“Doing the opposite of what Biden did is now the most popular thing in the country. Voters by wide margins support deportations, tariffs, closing the border, and ending DEI.”
Jesse Watters, Fox News Host
Cherry-picking data is form of media bias
News organizations often select polls that support their preferred political perspective. The reports may be factually accurate but are framed in ways that emphasize specific data points. This can be portrayed as a form of media bias identified by media watchdog organization AllSides as “slant.”
Here is what AllSides says about “slant.”
Slant is a type of media bias that describes when journalists tell only part of a story, or when they highlight, focus on, or play up one particular angle or piece of information. It can include cherry-picking information or data to support one side, or ignoring another perspective. Slant prevents readers from getting the full story, and narrows the scope of our understanding.
AllSides: How to Spot 16 Types of Media Bias
Pollster Frank Luntz told CNN both political sides are use polling data to bolster their arguments:
“Support for Trump has fallen significantly, but agreement with his general direction remains strong,” Luntz said. “Democrats highlight his drop below 50% approval, while Republicans emphasize that he is more popular now than at any point in his first term. Democrats argue that the intensity of support has dropped, but Republicans counter that approval for cutting wasteful spending and dealing with border issues is just as strong, if not stronger.”
The data behind the headlines
Left and right leaning coverage also varied when it came to favorability on key issues.
The Washington Post, which leans left, cited a Post-Ipsos poll of 2,600 U.S. adults and reported the following:
- “A majority disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy (53% vs. 45% approval). Similar disapproval exists for his handling of the federal government (54%). On immigration, opinions are closely divided.”
- “The president’s least popular action is pardoning those convicted in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack—over 80% oppose pardons for violent offenders.”
- Conclusion: “Many of Trump’s early actions are unpopular.”
In contrast, TheBlaze, a right-leaning outlet, cited a Harvard/Harris poll of 2,443 registered voters and reported the following:
- “Trump’s approval rating is at 52%. Americans favor many aspects of his agenda: deporting illegal immigrants who committed crimes (81%), eliminating government waste (76%), closing the border (76%), and banning men from women’s sports (69%).”
- Conclusion: “Trump’s agenda continues to be popular.”
Both reports are factually accurate but draw different conclusions based on which data they emphasize.
Another example of selective reporting
Selective reporting also exists when looking at favorability ratings.
The Guardian, a left-leaning outlet, cited a Gallup poll with a sample size of 1,001 adults and reported the following:
- “Donald Trump is still historically unpopular compared with other new US presidents, a new poll showed. At 47%, President Donald Trump’s initial job approval rating for his second term is similar to the inaugural 45% reading during his first term, again placing him below all other elected presidents dating back to 1953.”
- Conclusion: “Trump remains historically unpopular.”
Fox News, which leans right, cited a CNN poll with a sample size of 1,200 U.S. adults and reported the following:
- “Trump’s approval rating is 47%, higher than at any point during his first term. The Thursday poll shows Trump at 47% approval rating with 52% disapproval. The poll found that a plurality of Americans, 28%, say Trump’s “single most significant” action has been securing the border.”
- Conclusion: “Trump’s approval rating is at an all-time high.”
Both polls are of real data, yet their findings serve different narratives.
Public trust in polling and the media
Polling itself has lost credibility among many Americans.
“If you took a public opinion poll about polls, the majority would offer an unfavorable view,” the Brookings Institution said.
According to a YouGov survey highlighted in media reports during the week of Feb. 25, more than two-thirds of Americans also don’t trust the media to cover Trump’s second term accurately and fairly. That leaves a lot of people in search for trustworthy journalism. SAN is glad you found us. To learn more about our mission, click here.