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Recent polls show Trump’s approval at record lows ahead of the midterms

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all left-leaning.

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

The Daily Beast, The Independent and HuffPost report that recent polls show President Donald Trump’s approval at record lows ahead of the November midterm elections. They cite a Reuters/Ipsos survey with 31 percent approval and a net approval of minus 35, and a New York Times/Siena University poll with 36 percent approval and 59 percent disapproval. CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten called the numbers a “five-alarm Trumpster fire.” According to the outlets, Enten said Truman in 1946 and George W. Bush in 2006 were the only other presidents with net approval below minus 15 going into a midterm, and that their parties lost both chambers of Congress. HuffPost reports that he said the history points to Democrats retaking the House and Senate.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Reuters/Ipsos polling put Trump’s net approval at minus 35, his weakest in that survey’s history.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Independent

  2. The Reuters/Ipsos survey put Trump’s approval at 31 percent, the lowest across either of his terms.

    One outletThe Independent· Left

  3. A New York Times/Siena University poll put Trump’s approval at 36 percent and disapproval at 59 percent.

    One outletThe Independent· Left

  4. A CNN poll put Trump’s approval at 32 percent and disapproval at 67 percent.

    One outletHuffPost· Far Left

  5. Among independents, Trump’s net approval was minus 54 in the Reuters/Ipsos survey.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Independent

  6. Harry Enten said Truman in 1946 and George W. Bush in 2006 were the only other presidents with net approval below minus 15 going into a midterm, and that their parties lost both chambers.

    One outletHuffPost· Far Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

The outlets stress CNN analyst Harry Enten’s mocking “five-alarm Trumpster fire” remark and his historical comparisons pointing to Democratic gains in the midterms, alongside record-low poll figures.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Headlines centre on Trump’s falling poll numbers and CNN analyst Harry Enten’s reaction; the Daily Beast and HuffPost lead with his mocking phrase, and HuffPost’s headline is addressed to readers who dislike Trump, while The Independent stays with the poll news.

    Trump polling continues to reach new lows just two weeks ahead of midterms
    The IndependentLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left5

    Revealswas left stunnedstunneddismal approval rating

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    RevealsMore neutral: Says

    Reveals presents an analyst’s opinion as a discovery.

    CNN Data Guru Reveals President’s ‘Five-Alarm Trumpster Fire’

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    was left stunnedMore neutral: reacted

    Stunned adds emotional drama to the analyst’s reaction.

    CNN’s Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten was left stunned Tuesday by President Donald Trump's tumbling approval rating ahead of the…

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    stunnedMore neutral: reacted to

    Stunned characterizes the analyst’s reaction in the outlet’s own voice.

    Trump’s tumbling poll numbers leave CNN data guru stunned

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Sensational language

    dismal approval ratingMore neutral: low approval rating

    Dismal is a judgement on the approval rating in the outlet’s own voice.

    CNN data analyst Harry Enten said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s dismal approval rating means Democrats will retake the House and Senate ― if history is any…

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    Trump HatersMore neutral: readers critical of Trump

    Trump Haters labels readers who oppose the president with a term that presumes hostility.

    Trump Haters Are Gonna Love Harry Enten's History Lesson On 1 Very Specific Stat

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    Five-Alarm Trumpster FireMore neutral: a critical assessment

    A mocking nickname for the president’s ratings, used in an analyst’s quoted remark.

    CNN Data Guru Reveals President’s ‘Five-Alarm Trumpster Fire’

    Quoted byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)The Independent (Left)

    These are Harry Enten’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • record-low approval ratings
  • CNN analyst’s mocking remark
  • midterm election outlook
  • historical comparisons with past presidents
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • HuffPostFar Left

    Loaded modifier“Trump Haters”Trump Haters labels readers who oppose the president with a term that presumes hostility.More neutral: readers critical of TrumpDisagree with this highlight? Are Gonna Love Harry Enten's History Lesson On 1 Very Specific Stat

    CNN’s data dude looked back in the past to forecast the near future.

    Read at HuffPost (opens in a new tab)
  • The IndependentLeft

    Trump polling continues to reach new lows just two weeks ahead of midterms

    ‘I mean this is a Sensational language“five-alarm Trumpster fire”A mocking nickname for the president’s ratings, used in an analyst’s quoted remark.More neutral: a critical assessmentThese are Harry Enten’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?,’ CNN’s chief data analyst said when reacting to a new poll this week

    Read at The Independent (opens in a new tab)
    1 more from The Independent
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    CNN Data Guru Loaded verb“Reveals”Reveals presents an analyst’s opinion as a discovery.More neutral: SaysDisagree with this highlight? President’s ‘Sensational language“Five-Alarm Trumpster Fire”A mocking nickname for the president’s ratings, used in an analyst’s quoted remark.More neutral: a critical assessmentThese are Harry Enten’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?’

    CNN data guru Harry Enten has declared a “five-alarm Trumpster fire” as President Donald Trump’s net approval rating plunges to a record low. Trump’s net approval rating has collapsed from +6 points in January 2025 to -35, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    The Daily Beast, Oct 20, 11:59 AM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 20, 11:59 AM EDT
  2. The IndependentLeftOct 20, 3:36 PM EDT
  3. HuffPostFar LeftOct 22, 8:33 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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