Fact check: How did the 2025 impeachment vote affect Trump's approval ratings?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, there is no direct evidence showing how the 2025 impeachment vote specifically affected Trump's approval ratings. The sources provide general approval rating data but fail to establish a causal relationship between the impeachment proceedings and rating changes.

Current approval rating data shows:

• Trump's net approval rating hit a new low with 40% approval and 54% disapproval according to the latest Economist/YouGov poll ^[1]
• Various polls show Trump's approval ratings ranging between 37% and 46% over the past year ^[2]
• Other sources report his approval rating at 44% ^{[3] [4]}
• Some polls show ratings as high as 51% ^[5]

Public opinion on impeachment reveals:

• 52% of likely voters somewhat or strongly support impeaching Trump a third time ^[6]
• Americans remain divided, with 42% thinking Trump should be convicted and removed, while the same percentage oppose conviction ^[4]
• 52% of Americans favor convicting Trump in his second impeachment trial ^[3]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question assumes that a 2025 impeachment vote occurred and had measurable effects on Trump's approval ratings, but the analyses reveal several critical gaps:

Missing procedural context:

• The House actually shelved efforts to impeach Trump over Iran strikes ^[7]
• There was a bipartisan vote to quash a bid to impeach President Trump ^[8]
• This suggests the impeachment may not have proceeded as the question implies

Historical precedent ignored:

• Previous impeachment processes showed that Trump's overall job rating held fairly steady throughout the impeachment process ^[4]
• There is a low probability of a major shift in his approval ratings going forward based on historical patterns ^[2]

Beneficiaries of different narratives:

• Democratic politicians and anti-Trump organizations would benefit from narratives showing impeachment negatively affecting Trump's ratings
• Republican politicians and pro-Trump media would benefit from narratives showing impeachment having minimal impact or even boosting his support
• Polling organizations and media outlets benefit from dramatic narratives about rating shifts, as they drive engagement and readership

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains several problematic assumptions:

Presumption of causation: The question assumes that the 2025 impeachment vote definitively affected Trump's approval ratings, when the analyses show no clear causal relationship has been established between impeachment proceedings and rating changes.

Assumption of occurrence: The question presupposes that a consequential 2025 impeachment vote took place, but evidence suggests that impeachment efforts were blocked or shelved ^{[7] [8]}, making the premise potentially false.

Oversimplification of complex dynamics: The question implies a direct, measurable impact when historical data suggests that approval ratings tend to remain stable during impeachment processes ^[4], indicating that any effects may be minimal or within normal polling variation.

Temporal bias: Without specific dates for when these polls were conducted relative to any impeachment proceedings, it's impossible to establish whether observed approval ratings represent changes due to impeachment or other factors affecting Trump's presidency.