Donald Trump Got Roasted Online After Bragging About a Fake 99% Approval Rating

President Donald Trump faced criticism online after claiming a 99% approval rating among Republicans and declaring that his midterm-election rallies were attracting record crowds.

His remarks on Truth Social drew challenges over both the polling figure and his account of rally attendance.

Trump also promoted a rally scheduled for later that Thursday in South Carolina for Darline Graham, who is running in the state and is Senator Lindsey Graham's sister. Lindsey Graham is a Republican senator from South Carolina.

'She is fantastic. Lindsey is watching, and very proud of her!!!' Trump wrote about Darline Graham.

The criticism included an anti-Trump Republican strategist, a group opposed to the president, and an influencer's account that usually leans toward him.

Trump's 99% Approval Rating Claim Meets a Polling Challenge

'My Approval Rating in the Republican Party is now at 99%. Thank you, such an honour!!!' Trump wrote.

Republicans Against Trump disputed his assertion, citing a Fox News poll that it described as being from the previous week. The group placed Republican approval at 76%, challenging the near-unanimous support Trump claimed.

'Trump holds rallies in small arenas, and even then, plenty of seats are empty,' the group wrote. 'A Fox News poll from last week puts Trump's approval rating among Republicans at just 76%, nowhere near the 99% he claims.'

A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll put Trump's overall approval among registered voters at 33%. That figure concerns a different group from the Republican approval rating cited in the Fox News poll.

The distinction matters when comparing the numbers. Trump's 99% assertion referred specifically to Republicans, as did the 76% figure cited by Republicans Against Trump. The 33% figure measures approval among registered voters overall, rather than Republican support alone.

Trump's Crowd Boast Draws a Separate Challenge

Trump's attendance claim was similarly emphatic. He presented his rallies as drawing audiences far larger than those seen previously during midterm elections.

'We are drawing the BIGGEST CROWDS at Trump Rallies in the history of Midterm Elections, by a factor of five times. There has never been anything like it!' he wrote.

Republicans Against Trump countered that description with its claim about small arenas and empty seats. Reuters has also reported rows of empty seats at some of Trump's rallies.

Those accounts concern attendance, a separate question from the approval ratings Trump highlighted. His critics challenged his portrayal of the crowds as well as his claim about support within the Republican Party.

Trump Faces Online Criticism Over His Priorities

Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark and a longtime anti-Trump Republican strategist, responded in capital letters.

'Someone put him in a home and feed him pudding.' Her response was a personal rebuke, in contrast to Republicans Against Trump's challenge over the numbers. Both came from critics identified with opposition to Trump.

The account of influencer Mario Nawfal, which usually leans friendly towards Trump, also criticised the posts. Its response focused on crowd sizes and approval ratings, contrasting these subjects with the cost of food and fuel.

'Do you think he'll one day realise that no one gives two s---- about his crowd sizes or approval rating?' the post read. 'We can't afford food or gas, but congrats on the crowds!'