Gallup, the public opinion polling agency, will stop tracking presidential approval ratings after almost nine decades, a spokesperson confirmed.
As Donald Trump continues to closely scrutinize polling of his popularity, and publicly lambast media companies that report on unfavorable numbers, Gallup insisted its decision was “solely based on Gallup’s research goals and priorities”.
The company said on Wednesday that it would stop measuring the favorability rating of individual political figures, which “reflects an evolution in how Gallup focuses its public research and thought leadership”, after 88 years.
“Our commitment is to long-term, methodologically sound research on issues and conditions that shape people’s lives,” a spokesperson for the agency told multiple media outlets. “That work will continue through the Gallup Poll Social Series, the Gallup Quarterly Business Review, the World Poll, and our portfolio of US and global research.”
The Gallup Presidential Approval Rating is one of the most cited barometers of public opinion on the president’s performance, and has been in use since Harry Truman was in office. The polling provides a snapshot of American history through its data, including a whopping 90% approval rating for George W Bush in the days following the 9/11 attacks.
Trump’s second-term approval rating fell to 36% in December, which is among the lowest ever recorded by the company. The US president started his second term with an approval rating of 47%.
Trump has been dogged in his pursuit against polling organizations and media companies that portray him negatively. In January, after the New York Times released a new poll finding the president’s approval rating was 40%, falling three percentage points since September 2025, he threatened to expand his pre-existing lawsuit for defamation.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “The Times Siena Poll, which is always tremendously negative to me, especially just before the Election of 2024, where I won in a Landslide, will be added to my lawsuit against The Failing New York Times.”
The New York Times defended its polling methodology and said it had been widely cited for its rigor. In a statement posted on X, spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander said: “President Trump likes polls that appear favorable to him and dislikes polls that do not. But whether a poll is good or bad for the president has no bearing on our methodology.”
