Trump misuses Congo’s photo to claim murder of white people in South Africa
President Donald Trump misquoted Congolese Reuters video as evidence of “white genocide” during his meeting with the South African president.
President Donald Trump’s average approval rate has remained stable for most of this week, with the votes putting him in the water from three to five points.
On Friday, May 23rd, the average of a recent poll from the New York Times gave the second-term president a 45% approval rate, with 51% disapproving his performance. The average outlet approval rating has been stable between 44% and 45% over the past 30 days, but has shown a downward trend since early March.
Pollster Nate Silver’s “Silver Bulletin” newsletter showed the president reached his highest approval amount since early April this week, calming down on May 23 with 46% approval and 50% disapproval. The average RealPolitics calculated was 47.7% approvals and 49.3% approvals.
According to Gallup, Trump began his term with a 47% approval rating, and his popularity took office on his 100th day when he reached his historic lows not seen by other presidents over the past decades. His lowest average approvals have sank to the low 40s, but Republican leaders have seen a slight increase in approval ratings since late April. According to Gallup’s analysis, his highest average is 49%, making him shy about his benchmark.
Historical analysis by Gallup shows that Trump’s approval ratings for April 2017 and April 2025 mark his first 100 days in the office – reaching lows not seen by other modern presidents.
Trump News Summary
Last week, Trump told Walmart to “eat tariffs” after telling him to raise prices due to the president’s higher import duties. He signed a law aimed at fighting vengeance porn and deepfakes. Republican leaders also presented disinformation to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to promote a right-wing plot that the country is committing genocide against white farmers, and the US House of Representatives dubbed “big beautiful bills” for independent priorities the president has supported its representatives.
Here is the latest poll on Trump’s approval ratings:
Yougov poll
- 43% will approve
- 51% disapproved
A survey of 1,710 US adults was conducted between May 16th and 20th with an error of ±3.2 percentage points.
Morning polls
- 48% will approve
- 50% disapproved
The survey of 2,208 registered voters was conducted between May 16th and 19th with an error of ±2 percent points.
Gallup vote
- 43% will approve
- 53% disapproved
A survey of 1,003 US adults was conducted between May 1 and 18th with an error of ±4 percentage points.
Reuters/Ipsos polls
- 42% will approve
- 52% disapproved
A survey of 1,024 US adults was conducted between May 16th and 18th with an error of ±3.3 percentage points.
Marquette Law School’s polls
- 46% will approve
- 54% disapproved
A survey of 1,004 US adults was conducted between May 5 and 15, with an error of ±3.6 percentage points.
Kathryn Palmer is a trending news reporter for USA Today. You can contact her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and x @kathrynplmr.
