AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
President Donald Trump on Thursday broke from his long-standing pattern of dismissing unfavorable polling, openly acknowledging that surveys do not reflect the economic narrative he has promoted during the first year of his second term.
The remark, posted on Truth Social, drew attention from political analysts, who noted that Trump rarely concedes any gap between his claims and public sentiment.
“When will I get credit for having created, with No Inflation, perhaps the Greatest Economy in the History of our Country?” Trump wrote. “When will people understand what is happening? When will Polls reflect the Greatness of America at this point in time, and how bad it was just one year ago?”
His full post:
I inherited a MESS from the Biden Administration — The Worst Inflation in History, and the Highest Prices our Country has ever seen. In other words, Affordability, just 13 months ago, was a DISASTER for the American People, but now, it’s totally different! Prices are coming down FAST, Energy, Oil and Gasoline, are hitting five year lows, and the Stock Market today just hit an All Time High. Tariffs are bringing in Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we are respected as a Nation again. When will I get credit for having created, with No Inflation, perhaps the Greatest Economy in the History of our Country? When will people understand what is happening? When will Polls reflect the Greatness of America at this point in time, and how bad it was just one year ago?
The post highlights a central challenge for the administration: despite some modest positive headline indicators, public approval of Trump’s economic stewardship remains low. The White House has spent recent weeks promoting declining energy prices, stock-market gains, and tariff revenues, but polling consistently shows voters more focused on stubbornly high costs for housing, groceries, and other essentials.
Seen through a communications lens, the president’s question underscores the administration’s difficulty translating its preferred economic message into public support. Even as Trump outlines conditions he describes as a historic turnaround, the polling he referenced suggests voters have not internalized that assessment, creating a disconnect that his advisers have struggled to close.
The acknowledgment was striking in part because Trump typically responds to negative polling by attacking its credibility, not questioning why it fails to validate his claims. Thursday’s comment marked a rare moment in which he appeared to accept the numbers as real — and to express frustration that they are not moving in his favor.
The timing also carries political weight. Presidents approaching the one-year mark of a term often face hardening public perceptions that become increasingly difficult to shift. Trump’s remark suggested an awareness that his economic argument has not yet resonated with voters, even as he nears the point in his second term when approval trajectories historically settle into durable patterns.
Whether the comment signals a strategic recalibration or simply a moment of candor remains unclear, but it offered an uncommon glimpse into Trump’s view of his own political standing.
