Trump appears to make up job approval number in late-night tweet

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

last updated 27 August 2018

On Sunday night, President Trump tweeted out his own attaboy.

Some polls have shown Trump with 90 percent approval among Republicans — which isn't a record, and 28 percent of voters identify as Republicans, according to Gallup — but the 52 percent approval rating baffled poll watchers. The RealClearPolitics average of polls has Trump at 43.6 percent approval, 52.7 percent disapproval, and none of the polls show his approval rating higher than 46 percent (Rasmussen). It's possible Trump meant to type 42 percent, but the prevalent theory is that he looked at the recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, which shows him with a 52 percent disapproval rating.

So, are Fake Polls a thing?

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.