Here’s a fun exercise in propaganda: When your guy’s approval rating is in the toilet, simply argue that he’s too successful for people to appreciate him.
That’s the actual argument Fox News contributor Kaylee McGhee White made on “The Five” this Friday, attempting to explain why Donald Trump’s approval rating has cratered to just 36% among U.S. adults, according to a recent Gallup poll.
WHAT’S GOING ON: White acknowledged that Trump has an 87% approval rating among Republicans before pivoting to address those pesky overall numbers.
Her explanation?
“I think in some ways Trump is a victim of his own success, in that voters expect a lot from him because they know that he can deliver on it.”
She then rattled off what she called Trump’s “biggest policy achievements” — eliminating Iran’s nuclear capacities, cracking down on illegal immigration, keeping “women’s spaces for women” — claiming these issues have 80-90% support among Americans.
BUT BUT BUT: Let’s be clear about what’s actually happening.
Trump won the 2024 election by promising to fix the economy after inflation under Biden.
Instead, inflation has persisted, and his tariffs have increased costs for everyday Americans. Even former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly warned the administration back in November that they “better get something going” on affordability or risk losing the 2026 midterms.
Trump’s response? Days later, he crowned himself “THE AFFORDABILITY PRESIDENT” on social media. Problem solved, apparently.
Just days after that, of course, he would go on to call affordability a Democrat scam.
OF COURSE: This is classic state media behavior. When reality doesn’t match the narrative, simply invent a new one.
Trump’s approval isn’t low because of his unpopular policies, his lies about the economy, or the fact that Americans are paying more for goods thanks to his tariffs. No, it’s because he’s just so good that we’ve all become spoiled.
BOTTOM LINE: A 36% approval rating — Trump’s near-lowest ever, matched only by his post-January 6th numbers — isn’t a sign of success by any metric.
But when your job is to manufacture consent for an authoritarian administration, you’ll say anything with a straight face. And Fox News will give you the platform to do it.