Six months after his second presidential inaugural, Donald Trump seemed eager to put aside his historically low approval rating and to pretend instead that his second term has already been a great success.

In an item published to his social media platform, for example, the Republican claimed he was responsible for “ending numerous wars of Countries not related to us” — a highly dubious claim. He added, “One year ago our Country was DEAD, with almost no hope of revival. Today the USA is the ‘hottest’ and most respected Country anywhere in the World.”

All of this was in quotes (I’m not sure why, since he appeared to be quoting himself), and it was completely wrong. A year ago, the economy was stronger than it is now; job growth was better than it is now; and the United States’ international standing was vastly better than it is now.

Trump, in other words, was desperate to take a victory lap, but in order to do so, he had to turn reality on its head.

But it was a related item that Trump also published online that stood out for me. After writing that he and his team “have fulfilled so many of our promises,” the president listed six legislative successes from recent months:

• One Big Beautiful Bill
• Laken Riley Act
• TAKE IT DOWN Act
• Rescissions Act of 2025
• HALT Fentanyl Act
• GENIUS Act

To be sure, if the Republican wants to brag about signing these bills into law, that’s hardly unreasonable.

But to put them in the “promises made, promises kept” category isn’t just wrong, it’s also a reflection of why the incumbent president is so unpopular.

Recommended

Maddowblog

Resignations and a ‘dissent’ letter suggest Trump has put NASA’s future in doubt

Steve Benen

Maddowblog

Trump flubs the details of his own dubious boast about ending ‘wars’

Steve Benen

The GOP’s unpopular, right-wing megabill, for example, was a major legislative breakthrough for the president and his party, but it’s plainly not an example of a promise he kept. At no point during his two-year national campaign did the Republican ever tell the electorate, “Vote for me and I’ll deliver massive tax breaks for the wealthy, paid for in part with the largest cuts to federal health care spending in American history.”

Similarly, Trump might be excited about the White House rescissions package overcoming bipartisan opposition and reaching his desk, but the president never told the public, “In my second term, I’ll refuse to spend money allocated by Congress for USAID, indifferent to the consequences for those desperate for that aid.”

Yes, the president signed these six bills, but none of them was a key part of his campaign message, and none of them was integral to his successful campaign.

The New York Times has a frequently updated graph, reflecting polling averages, and it currently shows 54% of the public disapproves of the president, while 44% approve. That 10-point gap is the worst of Trump’s second term. If he has any questions as to why his support is faltering, he might consider that he’s simply not delivering what voters thought they were getting, his misguided claims about promises fulfilled notwithstanding.