FIRST LADY LAST

CNN Data Guru Stunned as Melania Trump Smashes Record for Worst Approval Rating

The collapse puts Melania Trump well below other modern first ladies at a similar point in their husbands’ presidencies.

Melania Trump’s public standing has cratered to a level never before seen for a modern first lady, plunging so far underwater that CNN’s Harry Enten called the numbers “absolutely awful” and historically unprecedented.

Enten pointed to the dramatic slide in Melania’s approval rating over time, noting that she stood at +30 in May 2018, fell to +3 in January 2025, and has now plunged to -12 in the latest March 26-30 CNN/SSRS survey.

“So at this point, historic lows for Melania Trump,” Enten said. “These numbers are absolutely awful.”

The collapse puts Melania well below other modern first ladies at a similar point in their husbands’ presidencies. According to CNN/SSRS data cited by Enten, Nancy Reagan stood at +50, Hillary Clinton at +25, Laura Bush at +46, and Michelle Obama at +42.

“If we look at this historically, the worst ever, the worst ever at this point in term number two,” Enten said.

He added that even former first lady Jill Biden, despite being measured during a first term rather than a second, still outperformed Melania.

“And I even looked at Jill Biden’s numbers at this point. And that presidency, of course, that was term one. She was above water as well,” Enten said. “So this is the worst at this point in a presidency as well.”

Enten also argued that Melania’s poor standing reflects a broader disconnect with the public, reviving one of the most controversial episodes of her time in the White House.

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“I would say that the American people really don’t care for Melania Trump,” Enten said, referencing the jacket the first lady wore during a visit to a migrant detention facility in the first Trump administration that read: “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?”

For Enten, the latest poll leaves little room for ambiguity.

“Melania Trump breaking records in the way that you don’t want to break records—historically awful,” he concluded, before reiterating: “The American people really don’t care for her.”

The first lady’s approval ratings mirror those of her husband, whose numbers have also reached record lows in recent weeks amid his deeply unpopular war in Iran and concerns about the economy.

A CNN/SSRS poll conducted last week found that approval of Trump’s handling of the economy is the lowest it has been in either of his terms, with just 31 percent approving.

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