Fox News guest slammed for defending Trump's measly approval ratings

 

Donald Trump’s approval ratings are sinking again and even Fox News is struggling to explain why.

After a string of weak national polls showing Donald Trump hovering in the mid-to-high 30s, Fox News commentator Kaylee McGhee White attempted to put a positive spin on the numbers. The result? Viewers weren’t buying it.

During a December 26 episode of The Five, White argued that Trump’s poor approval ratings weren’t a sign of failure, but rather proof that voters expect too much from him. According to her, Trump is essentially a “victim of his own success.”

Yes, that was the argument.

White pointed out that Trump still polls extremely well among Republicans, citing an 87% approval rating within his own party. But that statistic only highlights the real problem: Trump’s appeal collapses the moment you look outside the MAGA base.

Nationally, multiple recent polls place Trump’s approval rating between 35% and 40%, with one survey showing him at 38%, the lowest point of his second term so far. Another poll put him at 36%, barely above where he stood after January 6, 2021 hardly a reassuring benchmark.

Instead of addressing why independents and swing voters are rejecting him, White claimed Democrats are simply “coping” because they lack a vision or a next-generation leader. That framing ignores the obvious reality: Trump’s approval problem isn’t Democratic messaging it’s Trump himself.

White went on to argue that voters hold Trump to a higher standard than other presidents because “they know he can deliver.” She even claimed that Trump’s major policy positions enjoy support from 80% to 90% of Americans a statement that clashes sharply with virtually every credible national poll.

Fox News viewers quickly pushed back.

On X, one user summed it up bluntly: calling Trump a “victim of his own success” ignores the chaos, erratic leadership, and broken promises that have defined his presidency. Another commenter noted that excusing falling approval ratings while dismissing public opinion isn’t analysis it’s denial.

Others were even harsher, calling the defense one of the weakest excuses yet for Trump’s declining popularity. Several viewers mocked the segment as pure spin, arguing that no amount of talking points can disguise the numbers.

And the numbers matter.

Trump’s approval ratings aren’t dipping because Americans expect too much they’re dropping because many voters are exhausted by the instability, the grievances, and the lack of results that were promised on the campaign trail. Independent voters, in particular, continue to drift away, a trend that has serious implications for upcoming elections.

In the end, the Fox News defense highlighted something revealing: when approval ratings fall this low, even friendly media outlets struggle to explain them away. Blaming voters for having “high expectations” doesn’t change the reality that a majority of Americans remain unconvinced.

If anything, the backlash to White’s comments shows that public patience with excuses from politicians *and* pundits is wearing thin.