Trump claims his approval rating is the ‘highest it’s ever been’: Numbers tell a different story

There’s a simmering civil war between MAGA factions over Donald Trump’s position on possible U.S. involvement in Iran-Israel tensions, but the president claimed he’s doing better than ever with Americans.

The isolationist wing of MAGA, such as Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and commentator Tucker Carlson, wants the United States to stay out of the conflict while more traditional conservative MAGA members, like Sens. Lindsey Graham of Georgia and Ted Cruz of Texas, want the U.S. to support Israel’s strikes in Iran.

“Very simply: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon … they would use it on us, they would use it on other people and they would be a terror all over the world,” Trump told reporters Wednesday at the White House while erecting two U.S. flag poles on the South Lawn.

That’s when Trump referenced polling to claim his numbers are the “highest it’s ever been.”

“So, I may have some people that are a little bit unhappy now. But I have some people that are very happy … and there was a poll that just came out today and my approval rating’s the highest it’s ever been,” Trump said.

But is that true? Does Trump have the highest approval rating since he’s been president?

Trump appeared to have been referencing an InsiderAdvantage poll showing his approval rating at 54%.

The survey, conducted June 15 through June 16, showed Trump’s disapproval at 44%, making the president’s net favorability rating at +10 percentage points.

InsiderAdvantage’s chairman and co-founder is Matt Towery, a former Georgia Republican state lawmaker.

The poll has historically been favorable to Trump.

Trump’s +10 rating with the poll is an outlier.

The RealClearPolitics polling average since May 28 shows Trump with a -4.2 net approval rating.

Only InsiderAdvantage and the Trump-friendly Rasmussen, Trafalgar and RMG Research polls show the president’s approval above water.

But if the InsiderAdvantage poll is accurate, it wouldn’t be the highest approval rating since Trump became president in 2017.

After a contentious campaign against ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Trump began his first term flying high in a Rasmussen poll.

The survey, conducted between Jan. 22, 2017 and Jan. 24, 2017, showed Trump with a 57% approval rating and a 43% disapproval rating for a +14 net approval rating — the highest since he’s been president.

Another recent poll, the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Research Poll, found that six in 10 respondents say they disapprove of how Trump is handling his job — the highest mark of any poll of Trump’s second term.

Just 39% said they approve of how Trump is doing his job.