President Donald Trump lied to congressional Republicans on Tuesday night, falsely claiming his approval ratings have increased since his administration’s failure to release government files on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. In reality, Trump’s ratings have tumbled since the scandal heated up last week.
“I have the best numbers I’ve ever had,” Trump said during a White House reception for Republicans. “You know, it’s amazing I watch people on television: ‘Well, what about Donald Trump’s polling numbers?’ Yeah, they’re the best numbers I’ve ever had.
“And with this made-up hoax they’re talking about, my numbers have gone up 4 and 5 points—they want to do anything to get us off the subject of making America great again, and we’re not going to put up with it,” he continued.
It isn’t true. Polling has shown a noticeable Epstein-related dip for Trump and his handling of the story.
In 15 of the most recent public opinion polls collected by The New York Times, Trump has a net-negative approval rating in 14 of the polls, with most showing a double-digit disapproval rating on net.
For instance, in a CBS News/YouGov poll released on Sunday, Trump had his lowest approval rating since being sworn in in January—42%. That is 11 percentage points lower than his rating in early February in that same poll.
The same poll also showed significant public disapproval of how Trump has handled the Epstein case. Eighty-nine percent of Americans said the Department of Justice should release all of its information, a stance opposed by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
An overwhelming majority of independents (83%) and Democrats (92%) were dissatisfied with how the administration has handled the Epstein case. Meanwhile, Republicans were almost evenly split: 50% were satisfied with the administration’s handling of the case, while 49% weren’t.
The Trump administration is also over 30 points underwater on its handling of the Epstein investigations, according to an Economist/YouGov poll released on Tuesday. That finding was corroborated by a Quinnipiac University poll released on July 16, in which 63% of voters disapproved of his administration’s handling of the case.
Trump’s lie highlights his desperation to blunt criticism on his ties to Epstein and his handling of the case, controversy that has ensnared his presidency for weeks. Congressional Republicans, who shut down Congress instead of facing Epstein-related votes, are also feeling the fallout from the story, while Democrats continue to push for further disclosures.
Trump has now resorted to throwing out multiple distractions—conspiracies about former President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for instance—in an attempt to drown out Epstein-related headlines.
But it isn’t working, and his approval is nowhere near “the best numbers” he’s ever had.