President Donald Trump attacked the press again this week as Americans continue to give him poor marks in major polls.
In an Oct. 5 Truth Social post, Trump bashed New York Times coverage of his Oct. 3 Vandalia, Ohio rally, calling for the journalists involved to be arrested.
Trump is polling poorly, his disapproval rating climbing as high as 65% in a Sept. 30 to Oct. 5 Reuters/Ipsos poll. A Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 CBS News poll gave Trump a 61% disapproval rating and an Oct. 5 Civiqs poll a 60% disapproval rating.
Real Clear Politics, which aggregates data from numerous polls, shows Trump's average approval rating as of Oct. 6 was 38.5% — 20.9 percentage points below his average disapproval rating of 59.3%.
A newstate-by-state tracker from Civiqs shows
Trump with positive net approval ratings in just 11 states, all of which have backed him in the last three presidential elections, USA TODAY reported.
According to the tracker, the 11 states that still back the president are Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming, all of which voted for Trump in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.
Here's what to know about Trump's approval ratings.
Trump calls to arrest journalists over media coverage
Trump sharply criticized news coverage of his Oct. 3 Vandalia, Ohio rally by the New York Times in an Oct. 5 Truth Social post, calling for the journalists to be arrested.
"The Ohio Arena was already full to the brim — And yet these people were still trying to get in. The New York Times said, 'There were empty seats' when, in fact, there were none, and thousands of people had to be turned away. The New York Times, and many other Artificial Media Outlets, should be arrested for their dishonesty and disservice to our Country. When Bernie Sanders has 500 to 1,000 people, they make it sound like it’s the biggest event that ever took place. When PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP has 50,000 people, they make it sound like nobody showed up! President DONALD J. TRUMP," the post read.
How did the Reuters/Ipsos poll rank Trump?
Reuters/Ipsos:
- 65% disapprove of Trump's job performance, while 32% approve — just 12% "strongly" approve of Trump's performance.
- The survey of 4,506 U.S. adults was conducted Sept. 30 to Oct. 5, 2026 and has a margin of error of ±1.5 percentage points.
How did the Rasmussen Reports poll rank Trump?
Rasmussen Reports:
- 56% disapprove of Trump, while 44% approve, among Trump's best poll results.
- The poll results are from Oct. 6, 2026.
The Rasmussen Reports survey did not break down party affiliation of respondents or Trump's approval ratings on policy issues.
How did the CBS News poll rank Trump?
CBS News:
- 61% disapprove of Trump's job performance, while 39% approve.
- 70% in the poll said Trump's policies are making groceries cost more.
- 56% said Trump's policies are responsible for prices rising, 20% blamed Joe Biden.
- The survey of 2,166 U.S. adults was conducted Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, 2026 and has a margin of error of ±2.5 percentage points.
How did the Civiqs poll rank Trump?
Civiqs:
- Nationwide and in Michigan, 60% disapprove of Trump's job performance, while 34% approve
- The online survey was compiled Oct. 5, 2026
How did Economist/YouGov rate Trump?
Economist/YouGov:
- Trump received 38% approval ratings and 60% disapproved among likely voters.
- On the economy, 31% approved and on inflation 31% approved.
- 23% rated the economy as good or excellent.
- 60% said the economy is getting worse.
- The survey of 1,381 registered voters was completed Oct. 2-5, 2026 and has a margin of error of ±3.4 percentage points.
How did Morning Consult rate Trump?
Morning Consult:
- 43% approve of Trump's job while 54% disapprove.
- The poll was conducted Oct. 4-5, 2026 and has a margin of error of ±2 percentage points.
USA TODAY contributed.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: As Trump threatens reporters, polls show poor approval ratings
