Trump’s brand is tanking

In the wake of the longest government shutdown in US history, an ongoing self-inflicted tariff war, and his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, President Donald Trump’s approval rating has cratered to 36 percent, the lowest of his second term. Gallup, which conducted its latest poll between November 2 and 25, reports that disapproval of Trump’s performance climbed to 60 percent—including his ratings from Republicans and Independents, which dropped significantly.

The dismal numbers follow a Politico poll that appeared to show cracks emerging within Trump’s MAGA base.

But it isn’t just Trump’s approval ratings that are taking a heavy hit these days. The Wall Street Journal reports that stocks tied to the president and his family, including $MELANIA and $TRUMP, two “meme coins” launched just days before Trump returned to office in January, have plummeted by as much as 86 and 99 percent. It’s unclear if the staggering losses reflect Trump’s dismal approval ratings; the notoriously volatile industry is experiencing a wider rout that has lost more than $1 trillion in recent weeks. But Trump’s free-falling assets also reflect something directly related to the president’s own policies: investor shakiness over his tariff policies. From the Journal:

Trump stocks benefited from expectations that the incoming administration would usher in an era of deregulation, tax cuts and supportive crypto policies—and that assets tied directly to Trump and his family would continue to rally. With the president’s return to the White House, though, his policies on global trade have upended some of those bets now that investors are paying more attention to the performance of those companies than to his political future. 

Despite months of market volatility and economic warning signs, Trump remains steadfast in his commitment to his trade war. As he declared on Truth Social on Saturday: “Tariffs have made our Country Rich, Strong, Powerful, and Safe. They have been successfully used by other Countries against us for Decades, but when it comes to Tariffs, and because of what I have set in place, WE HAVE ALL THE CARDS, and with a smart President, we always will!”

He also urged the Supreme Court, which expressed rare skepticism about the president’s sweeping tariffs, to uphold his policy. “Pray to God that our Nine Justices will show great wisdom, and do the right thing for America!” A ruling is expected by the end of this year.