In one moment, embattled Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was touting polls that reflected poorly on President Donald Trump. In another, he was dismissing a survey that showed a grim approval rating for himself.
The inconsistent commentary on the significance of bad poll numbers, first highlighted on X by NBC’s Frank Thorp V, happened Tuesday as Schumer and other Senate Democrats held a press conference to highlight “100 days of chaos” during Trump’s second term.
In his introductory remarks, Schumer said, “The polls this week show Trump has the lowest 100-day approval rating since they started polling 80 years ago. The lowest! Even worse, 72% of Americans think it’s likely that Trump’s handling of the economy will walk us directly into a recession.”
Less than 20 minutes later, during the same event, CNN’s Manu Raju asked Schumer about his own dismal approval ratings.
“There’s a poll out today that has your approval ratings lower than any other congressional leader at 17%. Are you concerned that you may be a liability for your party?” Raju asked.
“Polls come and go,” Schumer replied. “Our party is united. We’re on our front foot. We’re stepping forward, going after Trump and having real success.”
Schumer has faced a crisis of confidence in his leadership among some Democrats ever since he refused to vote in favor of blocking a GOP stopgap bill to avert a partial government shutdown earlier this year.
The New York Democrat told CNN over the weekend that he was “staying put” after Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), the second-ranked Democrat in the Senate, announced last week, “In my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch,” revealing that he would not seek re-election in 2026.
“I’m fighting the fight every day, as is our caucus, in a united and successful way, as you have seen by your poll and other polls,” Schumer said. “We’re showing America how bad Trump is, and showing that Republicans who embrace Trump do so at their peril.”
Just before he reached the 100-day milestone of his second term, Trump also disregarded the polls in a post to his social media platform on Monday.
“The Polls from the Fake News are, like the News itself, FAKE! We are doing GREAT, better than ever before,” he said on Truth Social.
