As Trump’s ratings sink, Gallup kills presidential approval poll after 88 years. Journalists are upset

Gallup announced it will stop tracking presidential approval ratings after President Donald Trump's numbers slipped to a second-term low of 36 percent.

Why is Gallup ditching the presidential approval poll?

In a statement to The Hill, Gallup confirmed that it will not be polling for presidential approval numbers after 2026, citing "an evolution in how Gallup focuses its public research and thought leadership."

"Our commitment is to long-term, methodologically sound research on issues and conditions that shape people’s lives," a spokesperson said.

Many feel that the president of the United States does indeed shape their lives. Critics have accused him of influencing how news outlets report on his actions via his lawsuit threats.

Just last month, Trump threatened to sue the New York Times after it found his presidential approval to be just 34 percent. This is as low as Gallup ever found him, just after Jan. 6, 2021. Gallup polled him at 36 points in December 2025.

Still, the spokesperson claimed that this move is merely "a strategic shift solely based on Gallup’s research goals and priorities."

"This change is part of a broader, ongoing effort to align all of Gallup’s public work with its mission," they said. "We look forward to continuing to offer independent research that adheres to the highest standards of social science."

Journalists mourn the loss of a historic benchmark

Gallup has long been a trusted source of data, often considered unbiased and reliable among all but the most extreme politicians and pundits. Journalists and data aficionados are already mourning.

"This is a huge loss for journalists and others who follow politics. @Gallup
has been the top source for presidential approval since FDR and particularly valuable because of that historical context with apples-to-apples numbers that allow us to make comparisons and see patterns," said New York Times Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker on X.

"Extremely disappointing," wrote Vox senior editor @BenjySarlin. "No one poll is gospel, and Gallup got out of horserace polling earlier, but having quality datasets from a very strong pollster going back so far was an incredible service."

Harvard political science lecturer Pippa Norris called it "sheer historical vandalism."