First lady Melania Trump’s public standing has fallen to its lowest point on record, according to new polling data highlighted on CNN.
CNN senior data analyst Harry Enten said on X that Trump’s net favorability rating is now the worst ever recorded for a modern first lady at this point in a presidency, describing the numbers as “absolutely awful.”
Why It Matters
First ladies typically maintain higher favorability ratings than their spouses, even during polarized presidencies. Enten’s analysis suggests that Trump has broken that pattern and that could reflect larger American frustration with her husband, President Donald Trump’s administration.
What To Know
Enten shared a chart tracking Melania Trump’s net favorability over time, using CNN/SSRS polling data. The chart shows her rating has dropped to 12 points underwater, meaning unfavorable views now outpace favorable ones by double digits.
According to Enten, this marks the lowest net favorability rating ever recorded for a first lady and the worst showing at this stage of a second presidential term, compared with other modern first ladies.
Enten contrasted Trump’s numbers with those of past first ladies at comparable moments in their husbands’ presidencies, all of whom remained well above water in net favorability, based on the same polling source.
The poll data also shows a sharp reversal from Trump’s earlier public image. Enten noted that she was roughly 30 points above water during her husband’s first term, later narrowing to just slightly positive, before sinking into negative territory in the most recent measurements.
“The America people really don’t care for Melania Trump,” Enten said in a post on X accompanying his analysis of the data, emphasizing that no other first lady in the modern polling era has posted comparable numbers this far into a term.
“And despite a strong open, her doc was a bomb unless Amazon makes up a lot in streaming,” Enten wrote.
The data Enten analyzed shows Trump below every other modern first lady included for comparison, including Nancy Reagan, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama. All of them registered strongly positive net favorability ratings at the same stage of their time in the White House, according to the CNN/SSRS historical data.
Trump’s low approval ratings mirror those of her husband, which have also fallen to notably low levels in recent weeks amid the Iran war.
A recent survey by Issues & Insights/Tipp Poll, conducted between March 31 and April 2, revealed that only 39 percent of respondents viewed Donald Trump favorably, 53 percent unfavorably, and 8 percent were undecided.
What People Are Saying
CNN senior data analyst Harry Enten said: “Melania Trump breaking records in the way that you don’t want to break records—historically awful. The American people really don’t care for her.”
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle previously told Newsweek in a statement: “No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more. The President has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect.”
What Happens Next
Without a consistent upward trend, the latest data could reflect larger public perceptions of the Trump administration during its second term.
As the United States approaches the midterm elections, low approval ratings for both the president and first lady could reflect obstacles ahead for the GOP as it fights to maintain seats in Congress.
