Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has earned a reputation for not suffering fools gladly since being elected in the 2022 midterm election.
So when Tennessee MAGA Republican Representative Tim Burchett spouted misinformation in a meeting of the House DOGE Subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee—chaired by Georgia MAGA Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene—Representative Crockett quickly corrected him.
Representative Crockett had used her five minutes plus a few, much to Greene's consternation, to call out the GOP for their unwavering devotion to MAGA Republican President Donald Trump instead of their constituents.
The Texas Democrat stated:
"Maybe we need to start leading with the people at the middle of what it is that is guiding us, instead of following one person."
"The reason that people like me say things like y'all are in a cult is because somehow people are abdicating their duties and abdicating the very people that put them into office."
In response, Burchett began his five minutes by praising Trump, falsely claiming:
"I would remind members of both sides of the aisle that President Trump's approval rating is soaring and, last I checked, congressional approval is not."
How Burchett lying about his favorite President's popularity somehow disputed Representative Crockett's accusation of cult-like behavior within the GOP is unclear. Reminding everyone that a Republican controlled Congress is incredibly unpopular with voters was also an odd strategy.
Unwilling to allow misinformation to remain in the Congressional Record—the official, daily account of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress—Representative Crockett shared several sources that directly refuted Burchett's claim.
You can watch the moment here:
Reading from her phone, Representative Crockett shared news headlines all sharing the latest poll data on Trump's approval rating.
She said:
"This is just from a couple of hours ago, 'Trump pivots to distractions as polls show collapsing support for his agenda.' The next one is 'Donald Trump's approval rating plunges in multiple polls'."
Representative Crockett paused and turned to see if Burchett might have an objection after each contradicting source she cited.
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"The next one, 'Donald Trump's approval rating, new polls show shakeup over Iran bombing... the next one, 'Trump's approval rating drops to term low amid Israel-Iran war'."
After DOGE Subcommittee Chair MTG accused Representative Crockett of just citing multiple news reports about a single poll, the Texas Democrat tried to correct the record, offering to provide each separate source.
In response, MTG—without a hint of self-awareness—told her interrupting was rude.
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People appreciated Representative Crockett keeping them honest.
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But whose information is accurate?
MAGA minions on X also claimed Burchett was correct and brought their own receipts for Trump's soaring poll numbers, citing a Newsmax screenshot hailing a 56% approval rating from Rasmussen Reports.
Except...
Their rebuttal was from six months ago.
Here's the latest numbers from a variety of polling organizations:
- Ipsos/Reuters — 41% approve, 57% disapprove
- American Research Group — 38% approve, 59% disapprove
- Morning Consult — 45% approve, 53% disapprove
- Gallup — 40% approve, 57% disapprove
- YouGov/Economist – 40% approve, 54% disapprove
- Bullfinch Group – 41% approve, 54% disapprove
The Economist/YouGov
More significant is that the poll shows no demographic giving Trump even a 50% approval rating, with the biggest popularity plunge among people age 18-29.
As for conservative leaning Rasmussen Reports—the only polling organization to show Trump hitting a 50% approval rating during his first term—there's no evidence of soaring there either.
Rasmussen—which consistently differs from other major polls on right-wing issues and politicians—offers M-F daily analysis. Today their Trump approval rating is 52% (47% disapprove), with 39% strongly disapproving of Trump and only 35% strongly approving.
After a one-time post-inauguration high of 56% on January 23, Trump's approval rating on Rasmussen has hovered around 50%.
There was another highpoint of two days in February at 54%, but six days in April hit 47%. For the entire month of April, Rasmussen showed Trump cracking 50% only three times.
That hardly looks like "soaring."
Perhaps "plummeting" is the word Burchett was looking for.
Or, if he only consults Rasmussen Reports, maybe he meant "stagnating."
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