US President Donald Trump declared today his intention to litigate against The New York Times on an unfavorable opinion poll and proposed that what he termed “fake” surveys should be deemed criminal.
Trump reacted vehemently to the release of a New York Times/Siena University poll indicating a mere 40 percent approval rating for the 79-year-old Republican, consistent with several other polls reflecting diminishing support a year into his second term, according to AFP.
“The Times Siena Poll will be incorporated into my lawsuit against The Failing New York Times,” Trump stated on his Truth Social platform. “They shall be held entirely accountable for all of their Radical Left falsehoods and misconduct!”
Elaborating on the menace, Trump asserted that “Fake and Fraudulent Polling ought to be, essentially, a criminal offense.”
Trump has initiated several defamation lawsuits against media organizations, including the BBC, CNN, Wall Street Journal, CBS, and ABC. Several have concluded with multi-million-dollar settlements.
In September 2025, he initiated a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the Times, alleging that the prominent US newspaper published bogus narratives to damage his 2024 presidential campaign and image. A federal judge dismissed the complaint, which was then refiled in revised form in October.
The Times characterized the latest action as “an attempt to suppress independent reporting” and “intimidation.”
The recent Times/Siena poll indicates that Trump’s popularity is declining due to his management of the economy and a militaristic approach to illegal immigration.
Times/Siena is regarded as one of the most precise and prominent political surveys in the United States. The recent findings were particularly significant for delineating what the Times referred to as the disintegration of Trump’s victorious 2024 alliance.
According to the study, young and non-white voters who supported Trump in the race against Democrat Kamala Harris have since abandoned him, resulting in his retention of only his original core demographic of older and white supporters.
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