President Donald Trump raged on Monday that political ads by his opponents should be outlawed.
In a Truth Social post, the 79-year-old president boasted of sky-high polls, “ending 8 wars in eight months,” and “rapidly” falling energy prices—claims all disputed by data and reporting.
It is unclear what sparked the outrage against opposing views, but Trump has been furious about a commercial from Canada. Many of the claims in his Truth Social post do not add up.
Stating he had won “THREE Elections, BY A LOT”—continuing to refer to the “stolen” 2020 presidential election—Trump wrote, “I am now getting the best Polling Numbers that I have ever received.
“People see how strong the Economy is, the Trillions of Dollars of Investment pouring into our Country, the Record Setting Strong Border (After years of millions of criminals pouring through it, totally unvetted and unchecked!), ending 8 wars in eight months, no men playing in women’s sports, no transgender for everyone, rapidly falling Energy prices, and much more!”
He added, “Despite all of this, the Radical Left Losers are taking fake ads, not showing REAL Polls, but rather saying that I’m Polling at low levels. These are the people that I’ve been beating for years, and am continuing to do so, but by even bigger margins. These ads should not be allowed to run because they are FAKE!”
Opinion polls do not support his swagger. Gallup’s tracker put Trump’s job approval at 41 percent for Oct. 1–16, with his second-term average hovering around 40 percent—near historical lows for a modern president, while multiple surveys show souring public views of his economy.
Trump’s “8 wars” line has also been repeatedly debunked. As for his immigration policies, polls suggest that the way in which his crackdown is being conducted is not popular with the majority of the electorate.
Gas prices have slid but are not “rapidly falling” in the way Trump suggests. AAA data show the national average has bounced around the $3.05–$3.16 range this month, ticking up a couple of cents last week to $3.07. Oil has slipped year over year, but prices at the pump have dipped only modestly. Electric bills have risen.
Beyond threatening to muzzle political ads, Trump has revived a civil-service purge to fire tens of thousands of career officials; opened the door to deploying the Insurrection Act, edging toward martial-law-style powers; vowed reprisals against “Democrat agencies” under a Project 2025-style blueprint; pressured loyalists to prosecute political enemies; and threatened to yank broadcast licenses from critical networks.
Trump is in Tokyo on the second leg of a five-day Asia swing aimed at trade, security, and diplomacy. He arrived for meetings with Emperor Naruhito and new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first female premier, before a bilateral summit focused on investment, supply chains, and defense ties.
He received a ceremonial welcome in Japan as negotiators worked on a framework to cool the U.S.–China trade fight.
The official visit runs until Wednesday, and is intended to “further strengthen the Japan-U.S. Alliance.” The trip follows Trump’s stop in Malaysia for an ASEAN gathering, where he touted preliminary deals with Southeast Asian partners.
Trump is preparing for a face-to-face with China’s President Xi Jinping later this week, with advisers signaling hopes for a tariff pause and progress on thorny issues like rare-earth minerals and market access.
It will be the first time the two leaders have met during Trump’s second term.
Trump’s trip comes amid a grinding U.S. government shutdown. This week, federal employees face their first missed whole paycheck, flight schedules are wobbling as unpaid air-traffic controllers stretch thin, and states are bracing for federal food aid to stall. With Republicans balking at Democrats’ health-care funding demands, the stalemate shows no sign of breaking.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
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