Donald Trump is facing a reality he has spent his entire political life trying to outrun — and the data is no longer cooperating. Poll after poll shows his approval ratings collapsing across virtually every demographic in the country. Age groups, races, genders, independents, swing voters — all underwater. Even on the economy, once his strongest talking point, the numbers are sliding fast. And this time, Trump didn’t blame the pollsters.

He blamed the people.

According to recent polling, Trump’s approval rating on economic handling has dipped so low that even Republican support is cracking. Only about two-thirds of Republicans approve of his economic leadership — a historic low compared to every Republican president over the past four decades. That erosion matters, because it signals something deeper: even parts of his own base are starting to feel the consequences in their daily lives.

Prices are still high. Bills are heavier. Paychecks feel thinner. And voters are noticing.

Normally, Trump’s response to bad polling is predictable. He calls the numbers fake. He accuses the pollsters of bias. He insists he has “the highest ratings ever.” This time, something changed. Instead of attacking the messengers, Trump went after the audience.

On Truth Social, he unleashed a post that read less like reassurance and more like scolding. Trump claimed he inherited “the worst inflation in history,” insisted prices were now “coming down fast,” bragged about energy costs hitting five-year lows, declared tariffs a massive success, and announced that America was once again “respected.” He ended by asking when people would finally understand how great things supposedly are.

The subtext was unmistakable: if you don’t see it, you’re the problem.

There was just one issue. Nearly every factual claim in the post fell apart under scrutiny. Inflation was not the worst in history. Prices are not universally dropping. Energy costs have been climbing again. Inflation has ticked upward month after month since the spring. These aren’t opinions or partisan spin — they’re documented statistics. Numbers don’t take sides.

Yet Trump’s message to voters was blunt. If your grocery bill is higher, you’re wrong. If your rent hurts, you’re being fooled. If your bank account feels tighter, that pain isn’t real — it’s a hoax pushed by Democrats. According to Trump, lived experience means nothing if it contradicts his narrative.

That posture may explain why his numbers continue to sink.

What makes this moment different isn’t just denial — it’s the scale of it. Trump isn’t merely disputing criticism. He’s dismissing the collective judgment of millions of Americans, including many who once supported him. Rather than acknowledging dissatisfaction, he’s reframing it as ignorance. The country isn’t unhappy, he suggests. The country just doesn’t understand him.

Economists, however, don’t operate on loyalty. They operate on data. Inflation trends, energy prices, consumer spending, and tariff impacts are measurable. And many analysts point to Trump’s tariff policies as a major driver of rising costs — policies enacted largely through executive authority. While Republicans in Congress share some responsibility, much of the economic pain can be traced directly back to unilateral decisions.

That reality creates a political paradox Trump seems unable to escape. The more people feel economic pressure, the louder he insists everything is perfect. The wider the gap between rhetoric and reality grows, the less persuasive his claims become. At some point, voters stop listening.

This is why the polls matter. They aren’t abstract numbers. They’re snapshots of trust. And right now, that trust is eroding fast.

Trump’s response — telling Americans they’re too stupid to recognize success — may energize a shrinking circle of loyalists. But to everyone else, it reads as contempt. And contempt rarely wins elections.

In the end, Trump isn’t fighting pollsters, economists, or critics. He’s fighting arithmetic — and arithmetic always wins.