President Donald Trump will never show it, but he lost a little wind in his sail this week after an appeals court knocked down his tariff agenda, inflation increased, and conservatives whacked his plan for the government to buy a stake in Intel and defense firms.
Some polls showed the impact, dropping his approval rating into the upper 30s, though Rasmussen Reports, which conducts daily surveys, showed he was sustaining an approval rating in the high 40s.
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The administration said it hoped that the U.S. Supreme Court would keep his tariff agenda on course, and the appeals decision allowed the tariffs to stay in place as the case continues.
Conservative grader Jed Babbin dished a weak “C-minus,” and highlighted problems with the president’s Intel buy and challenge to flag burning, a sensible order to most but unconstitutional according to the Supremes. Democratic pollster John Zogby graded the week with an “F,” coming down hard on the president’s diplomacy.
But at least the president remains healthy, seen today golfing at his Virginia resort after Democratic TDS sites noted his public absence later in the week. Sites like the Drudge Report have been making a big deal of bruises on Trump’s hands, but a simple Google search found that it is a typical condition in older people and could be caused by handshaking and even golf.
???? JUST IN: Liberals are down bad this morning upon seeing 47 up and well in good shape, heading out onto the golf course. They speculated he was ill. He’s not. They lied, but are we surprised? pic.twitter.com/VZV3qLZXPX
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 30, 2025
Jed Babbin
Grade: C-
This was not a great week for President Donald Trump with his assault on flag burning, a judge’s order to close the Alligator Alcatraz, and his “investment” in Intel, of which the government will now own a large chunk.
Trump’s “order” that flag burning be punished makes a lot of sense. Desecration of our flag ought to be a crime. But there’s a very big bar to punishing it: the Supreme Court ruled years ago that flag burning is protected under the Constitution’s First Amendment and its free speech clause. There’s nothing more to say about it, though Trump may want to.
A big blow to conservative economics was made when Trump “invested” public funds (those spent under the Biden electronic chip act) to buy a 10% ownership of Intel. There’s nothing right about it. With government stock purchase will come government demands for “better” performance as the government sees it, vastly more government control. What could possibly go wrong? Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has hinted that there may be other “purchases” of stock in defense companies. The government has a monopsony (only customer) over the defense industries already. Let’s be perfectly clear: as inefficient as defense contractors may be, absolutely nothing will be improved by further government control.
The judge who ordered the closure of the Alligator Alcatraz prison, in which illegal aliens were to be confined before deportation, is way off base. The ruling was based on environmental concerns which are usually comprehensively fictional. Perhaps the alligators were suffering indigestion because of their new diet.
In one good move, Trump ended collective bargaining agreements with unions that have members whose jobs defend national security. It’s a step that should have been taken long ago.
John Zogby
Grade: F
Just a terrible week for President Donald Trump. Evidence is starting to roll in that inflation is rearing its ugly head as his tariffs were just beginning to be implemented. His imposed quotas on ICE agents to bring in new emigres daily are causing fatigue and anxiety among the troops. His brazen effort to take over the Federal Reserve by removing a governor who has not been fully investigated nor charged with any crime is unprecedented and has congressional Republicans worried about overreach. His federalizing of National Guard units has brought stasis to criminal justice in the District because judges and juries are not likely to indict or set trials because of questionable constitutionality.
What’s more, he has unilaterally cancelled $4.9 in foreign aid, cancelled tax exemptions for shipments of $800 or less, and cancelled visas to Palestinian leaders to attend United Nations General Assembly meetings in September. His overall strategy of dominating the airwaves to divert attention away from Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein is not really working, as Trump’s overall approval has sunk to the high 30s and 40s.
And it is easy to report on the diplomatic front because there has been no diplomacy. The U.S. Ambassador to France has been summoned by President Emmanuel Macron; the ambassador to Denmark has been summoned to the Danish foreign ministry. And the special envoy to the Middle East has seen it fit to insult the Lebanese press, president, and the people. Note to the most powerful leader on Earth: don’t ever ’diss the grader’s peeps. I am not woke, just sensitive! I am dropping him a whole letter grade for not summoning him.
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Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on X @jedbabbin.
John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His latest book is Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should. His podcast with son and managing partner and pollster Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on X @ZogbyStrategies.