Trump Touts CNN Ranking as Most Admired President Among Republicans

Trump shares a post claiming CNN ranks him first among Republicans as the president they most admire, citing figures above Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln.

First Published: August 26, 2026, 10:22 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump posted a claim that a CNN measure ranks him first among the presidents Republicans most admire, ahead of Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln. The post, which reproduced a message from the account “johnny maga,” said the figure was “nearly triple” the responses Reagan received and six times that of Lincoln. Trump framed the claim as evidence that he had reshaped the Republican Party. The post did not identify the specific CNN poll, its date, or its sample.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “CNN: Trump ranks first in terms of the President Republicans most admire, receiving ”nearly triple” the responses Ronald Reagan received, and six times that of Abraham Lincoln. He fundamentally transformed the GOP for generations.” on August 26, 2026 at 10:09 PM ET.

This is Trump’s 30th message released today, and the last post was 38 minutes ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 35 of his 600 posts over the last 30 days classified as personal praise, greetings and tributes posts.

Ronald Reagan served as the 40th president of the United States and remains a frequent benchmark for Republican comparisons. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, is named in the post as the other point of reference for the admiration claim.

The post attributes the ranking to CNN, but the image Trump shared is a screenshot of a third-party social media account rather than an official CNN report. It does not include a link to a poll, an article, or an original source. The specific survey behind the claim was not shown.