President Donald Trump has dropped below Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a ranking of the most popular U.S. politicians.
According to YouGov, Trump is the 13th most popular politician in the U.S., while the New York Democrat is in sixth place. In a previous ranking, Trump was ahead of Ocasio-Cortez.
Newsweek contacted Trump and Ocasio-Cortez for comment by email outside of normal working hours.
Why It Matters
Ocasio-Cortez has become an increasingly powerful force in the Democratic Party, but is seen as a polarizing figure. She has drawn backlash from both moderate Democrats and Republicans since she surged onto the national stage after her upset primary victory against a powerful incumbent Democrat in 2018.
The New York progressive has embraced the Democratic socialist label, despite pushback from within her own party. She has also has traveled around the country this year to hold major rallies with progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, with the duo turning out thousands—including in conservative districts and states.
What To Know
The YouGov rankings revealed that 43 percent of people have a positive opinion of Ocasio-Cortez, while 35 percent viewed Trump positively.
In previous rankings released at the end of the second quarter of 2025, Trump was the 17th most popular politician, while Ocasio-Cortez was ranked in 18th position. Then, 37 percent of people viewed Trump positively, while 36 percent had a positive opinion of the Democrat.
While Trump has risen four places in the rankings, his popularity has declined by two percentage points. In contrast, Ocasio-Cortez has risen 12 places, and her popularity has increased by seven percentage points.
The rankings come as Trump has been hit with negative approval ratings in some recent polls. An Echelon Insights survey, conducted between September 18 and 22, showed that Trump’s disapproval rating had jumped from 51 percent to 53 percent since August, while his approval rating was down two points to 45 percent. Overall, his net approval dropped by four points.
What People Are Saying
Mark Shanahan, who teaches American politics at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, told Newsweek that Trump’s drop in popularity in the YouGov rankings was “not a surprise.”
“We’re in an age where politics has become celebritized and politicians are ranked on their media image rather than their effectiveness in delivering policy. Trump is the ultimate rankings president – a highly performative delivery of massive inconsistency driven by whatever’s featured in the last news cycle. He remains hugely recognizable and his core MAGA vote is hard-welded to him whatever he does. But his policies are divisive and aren’t delivering up to the promise levels set during his 2024 campaign yet, so it’s not a surprise he has drifted a little,” he said.
“AOC is smart and an excellent media player. But she’s in a legislative minority so can’t be held to account in the same way Republicans currently can. She’s gaining plenty of publicity at present, but that needs to be turned into a policy portfolio the public outside her District can buy into if she is thinking of running for national office in 2028.”
Trump told Fox News in September about Ocasio-Cortez: “Her philosophy’s so bad; she’s got a little spunk. She’s got a little something that’s good.”
Ocasio-Cortez said in a CNN town hall meeting last week: “Trump believes that if you don’t vote for him, he doesn’t have to be your leader. That if you didn’t vote for him, that you don’t deserve good things to happen to you.”
What Happens Next
Ocasio-Cortez’s future political moves remain uncertain. Most candidates do not announce their presidential campaigns until after the midterm elections, and she has not yet announced whether she intends to run.
