“Donald Trump’s approval rating is 99 percent and it is the highest approval rating ever recorded for any public figure.” — Donald Trump. Our verdict: False.
Donald Trump made the claim during a Fox & Friends interview, reported by Us Weekly on 4 November 2026, and repeated a similar version in a phone interview covered by TMZ the day before.
Our verdict
False
Donald Trump's claim that his approval rating is 99 per cent, and that this is the highest ever recorded for any public figure, is false. Polls from 2026 put his approval among the American public at roughly 30 to 38 per cent, and the highest recorded US presidential approval is 92 per cent.
What we found
We found no evidence to support the claim, and plenty to contradict it. Multiple polling trackers reported in late October 2026 that Donald Trump's approval rating in the United States was between 33 per cent and 38.4 per cent, according to Newsweek. A report in The Independent said the 99 per cent figure actually refers to a narrower group — MAGA Republicans — rather than the public as a whole. Historical records from the Roper Center show that no US president has come close to 99 per cent approval; the highest on record is George W. Bush at 92 per cent. On the second part of the claim, Statista's comparison of 24 world leaders in April 2026 found the highest approval rating well below 99 per cent. Trump did say the words attributed to him, but the numbers behind them do not hold up.
The numbers
Approval ratings of US Presidents and groups
Donald Trump's 99 per cent approval claim refers to a specific subgroup, while his general public approval is significantly lower and below the historical record set by George W. Bush.
The evidence
4 of 6 sources contradict the claim; none support it.
- Background
Us Weekly reported that Donald Trump said his approval rating was 99 per cent and that it was the highest in history. [1]
- Contradicts the claim
The Roper Center's records of presidential approval highs and lows show the highest ever reached by a US president was 92 per cent, by George W. Bush — far below 99 per cent. [2]
- Contradicts the claim
The Independent reported that the 99 per cent figure applies to MAGA Republicans as a group, not to the general public. [3]
- Contradicts the claim
Newsweek reported that several polling trackers put Donald Trump's US approval rating between 33 per cent and 38.4 per cent in late October 2026. [4]
- Contradicts the claim
Statista's comparison of 24 world leaders in April 2026 found the highest approval rating was well below 99 per cent. [5]
- Background
TMZ reported that Donald Trump claimed a 99 per cent approval rating in Israel and called it the highest of any public figure in history. [6]
What we could not confirm
- No polling was carried out on the exact date of the claim, 4 November 2026; the closest surveys are from July to October 2026.
- The claim refers to 'any public figure', which cannot be checked exhaustively, since approval ratings for celebrities or historical figures are not systematically tracked.
- We could not find any poll measuring Donald Trump's approval rating in Israel, so that part of the claim rests on the absence of supporting data rather than a direct measurement.
How we checked
We looked at polling trackers and news reports from 2026 covering Donald Trump's approval rating, historical records of US presidential approval from the Roper Center, and an international comparison of world leader ratings. We also checked the original interview reports where the claim was made. We reviewed 7 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]www.usmagazine.com · Donald Trump Says Republicans ‘Would Have Won in a Landslide’ if He Were on the 2026 Midterms Ballot · November 4, 2026
- [2]ropercenter.cornell.edu · Roper Center Presidential Highs & Lows
- [3]the-independent.com · Trump dismisses polls, insists his approval rating is 60%
- [4]newsweek.com · How Trump’s approval rating has changed before midterms
- [5]statista.com · World leaders approval ratings 2026 | Statista · June 6, 2026
- [6]tmz.com · Trump Says He Will Move to Israel to Become Prime Minister If U.S. Turns on Him · November 3, 2026
- [7]Photo: Daniel Torok / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
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