Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ ↗
IsThis

POLITICS

The Claim

Donald Trump is the least popular president in United States history based on approval ratings.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

The claim that Trump is the least popular president in U.S. history based on approval ratings is false. Gallup and academic records show Truman hit 22% approval (1952), Nixon 24% (1974), and Carter 28% (1979) — all significantly lower than Trump's recorded low of 29–34%. On career-average approval, Trump's ~40% is tied with Biden, not uniquely the lowest. No standard approval metric supports the "least popular in history" superlative.

Caveats

  • Multiple presidents — Truman (22%), Nixon (24%), and Carter (28%) — recorded lower single-poll approval ratings than Trump's lowest recorded figure of 29–34%.
  • On career/term average approval, Trump is tied with Biden at approximately 40%, not uniquely the least popular.
  • The claim conflates different approval rating metrics without specifying which one, and Trump does not hold the record on any standard measure.

The Receipts

  1. Presidential Approval Ratings — Donald Trump - Gallup News

    Gallup News

  2. Final Presidential Job Approval Ratings

    The American Presidency Project (UC Santa Barbara)

  3. Who Had the Lowest Gallup Presidential Job Approval Rating?

    Gallup

  4. Presidential Approval Ratings | Gallup Historical Statistics and Trends

    Gallup

  5. Trump has lowest 100-day approval rating in 80 years: POLL

    ABC News

  6. US presidents ranked by their approval ratings when they left office - Business Insider

    Business Insider

  7. Which Presidents Had the Lowest and Highest Approval?

    YouTube (Mr. Beat)

  8. Chart: 100 Days in Office: Biden Beats Trump | Statista

    Statista

  9. Presidential Approval Highs & Lows - Roper Center for Public Opinion Research

    Roper Center for Public Opinion Research

  10. Trump's Approval Rating Compared To Past Presidents Revealed | WBZ NewsRadio 1030

    WBZ NewsRadio 1030

Filed Under

Donald TrumpUnited States presidents

More Fact Checks