Trump says New York Times will face consequences over poll showing 40% approval

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Thursday, January 22, attacked The New York Times after the newspaper and Siena University released a poll showing that just 40% of registered voters approved of his performance.

In an analysis accompanying the survey, The New York Times’ Chief Political Analyst Nate Cohn wrote that demographic patterns had largely reverted to those seen before Trump’s 2020 defeat.

According to Cohn, young and non-white voters were even more likely to disapprove of Trump than they were four years ago, while the president continued to draw most of his support from older and white voters.

Cohn also noted that voters expressed unfavorable views of Trump across nearly every issue tested, including immigration, the economy, and his handling of foreign policy, such as relations with Russia and Israel.

Trump threatens lawsuit over 'radical left lies'

Trump responded angrily on Truth Social, accusing The New York Times of publishing biased and fraudulent polling and vowing to expand an existing lawsuit against the newspaper.

“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,” Trump wrote.

He claimed the poll was “heavily skewed toward Democrats” and said that his lawyers had demanded the outlet preserve all records detailing how the results were calculated.

“They will be held fully responsible for all of their Radical Left lies and wrongdoing!” Trump added.

Trump brands 'fake polling' a criminal act

In subsequent posts, Trump escalated his rhetoric further, suggesting that publishing unfavorable polling should amount to a crime.

“Something has to be done about Fake Polls! They are truly OUT OF CONTROL,” Trump wrote, asserting that his administration has delivered the “greatest economy” and the “strongest border” in US history despite what he called “fake low numbers.”

He accused the Times and other major media outlets of knowingly publishing false surveys to influence elections and described what he called “Trump Derangement Syndrome” among journalists.

In another post, Trump argued that “fake and fraudulent polling should be, virtually, a criminal offense,” broadening his criticism to include outlets such as ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and even Fox News and The Wall Street Journal for past polling he said was inaccurate.

Trump attacks the media and polling industry

Trump concluded by portraying unfavorable polling as part of a broader media conspiracy, claiming that reputable pollsters who accurately predicted elections are ignored by mainstream outlets.

“Isn’t it sad what has happened to American journalism,” he wrote, pledging to do “everything possible” to stop what he described as a “polling scam.”