Trump gets help ignoring public opinion -- voters should worry

Trump gets help ignoring public opinion — voters should worry
Gallup's decision to stop tracking approval ratings could make it easier for Trump to shrug off public discontent

By Chauncey DeVega
Senior Writer
Published February 14, 2026 9:00AM (EST)


(Salon) On Wednesday, Gallup announced that after 88 years, it will no longer be tracking presidential approval ratings. The organization that began asking Americans a simple question in 1938 — ”Do you approve or disapprove today of Franklin Roosevelt’s job as President?” — now believes the very premise of the poll and the results it provided “no longer represent an area where Gallup can make its most distinctive contribution.”

A spokesperson for the organization characterized the decision as “part of a broader, ongoing effort to align all of Gallup’s public work with its mission” and denied that it came in response to pressure from the Trump administration. But the sudden change, coming at a time when reports have circulated about Donald Trump’s anger at his historically-low approval ratings, is suspect. In a recent video, Democratic strategist James Carville suggested that Gallup’s move was “a strategic decision.”

“I’m going to tell you right now, Gallup, I don’t believe you,” he said. “I believe you were pressured. I believe this story needs to be explored, because the surrender and capitulation we are seeing at a time of need for the United States is unbelievable.”

Multiple polls have captured an undeniable truth: Trump’s approval ratings are weak. Two months ago, a Gallup poll showed that Trump had a 36% approval rating, which is a low point for his second term — and is among the lowest approval ratings recorded for a president at this stage of a term.

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When leading institutions surrender to an autocrat, it normalizes the behavior and sets a precedent that others will follow. This is especially true of a highly-respected organization such as Gallup, which has, for almost nine decades, occupied an outsized role in American political life. .....................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/02/14/trump-gets-help-ignoring-public-opinion-voters-should-worry/