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** OPINION
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** Stop us if you heard this one before: Trump threatens The New York Times
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President Donald Trump, speaking at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland earlier this week. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

With Donald Trump finishing up his first year as president for the second time, there’s a new New York Times/Siena poll ([link removed]) about his job performance.

Two things about it are not surprising.

One, his approval rating is not good. And, two, Trump is mad as hell about it.

The poll revealed a job approval rating of only 40%, while 56% disapprove. Only 32% — that’s less than a third — believe the country is better off since he became president again.

In practically every area — managing the federal government, the economy, Venezuela, immigration, relationships with other countries, wars in Ukraine and Gaza and more — Trump has support from less than half the country. The lone area where he has a slight approval (50% to 46%) is his handling of the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

But, overall, these poll numbers paint a dismal picture of the president.

In analysis for the Times ([link removed]) , Nate Cohn wrote, “The major demographic shifts of the last election have snapped back. In today’s poll, Mr. Trump’s approval rating by demographic group looks almost exactly as it did in Times/Siena polling in the run-up to his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. If anything, young and nonwhite voters are even likelier to disapprove of Mr. Trump than they were then, while he retains most of his support among older and white voters.”

Again, Trump’s unpopular numbers should not be a surprise.

Also unsurprising? Trump’s reaction.

And what does Trump do when he is angry at a news outlet? He threatens them.

He went on a rather long rant on Truth Social in three posts: here ([link removed]) , here ([link removed]) and here ([link removed]) . In the first post, he wrote:

“The Times Siena Poll, which is always tremendously negative to me, especially just before the Election of 2024, where I won in a Landslide, will be added to my lawsuit against The Failing New York Times. Our lawyers have demanded that they keep all Records, and how they ‘computed’ these fake results — Not just the fact that it was heavily skewed toward Democrats. They will be held fully responsible for all of their Radical Left lies and wrongdoing!”

Of course, the Times/Siena poll is a trusted one. This particular poll surveyed 1,625 registered voters nationwide from Jan. 12 to Jan. 17.

Trump continued his fit in the two other posts.

He wrote, “Something has to be done about Fake Polls! They are truly OUT OF CONTROL.” He then bragged about the U.S. having the greatest economy in the world, complained about the Democrats destroying health care among other grievances and then wrote, “The REAL Polls have been GREAT, but they refuse to print them.”

He then took aim again at the Times, writing, “The New York Times, and so many others, print Polls that are knowingly false. They have become deranged, and sick. They suffer from a major case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME (TDS). Their 2024 Election coverage was so bad, and so wrong, and yet they never get called out for it — But I am calling them out with the lawsuit that I have filed which is making its way through the Courts. They have to pay a price for FAKE AND FRAUDULENT NEWS and, hopefully, in the not too distant future, they will!”

He wasn’t done. He also wrote, “Fake and Fraudulent Polling should be, virtually, a criminal offense.” He would later complain about, “The Failing New York Times, ABC Fake News, NBC Fake News, CBS Fake News, Low Ratings CNN, or the now defunct MSDNC.”

Trump even complained about Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, saying their polls over the years have been “terrible.”

Trump’s playbook when he gets news that he doesn’t like or sees coverage that paints him in a poor light is consistent: he insults and threatens to sue.

As Trump mentioned in his Thursday Truth Social post, he is already suing the Times. After his initial suit was tossed out, Trump refiled it, claiming the Times, three of its reporters and Penguin Random House defamed him over the course of two articles and a book published in 2024. The alleged defamatory statements concern Trump’s rise to power and include reporting about his time on the TV show, “The Apprentice,” his family’s acquisition of wealth and his education. Both the Times and Penguin Random House have called the lawsuit meritless.

But that, of course, doesn’t stop Trump.

A MESSAGE FROM POYNTER


** Early bird discount ending soon!
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Save $10 per entry for the 2026 Poynter Journalism Prizes if you enter by the early bird deadline of Jan. 31. The Prizes honor the best in U.S. journalism from 2025 in 12 categories, including new prizes for reporting on climate change and poverty. Entry fees rise to $85 after Jan. 31. The final contest deadline is Feb. 13.

Enter now ([link removed])


** TikTok agreement is reached
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TikTok is here to stay — here being the United States.

On Thursday, after six long years of legal wrangling, TikTok announced that ByteDance, its Chinese owner, has struck a deal to spin TikTok off to a group of non-Chinese investors to create a new US TikTok.

The New York Times’ David McCabe and Emmett Lindner report ([link removed]) , “Investors including the software giant Oracle; MGX, an Emirati investment firm; and Silver Lake, another investment firm, will own more than 80 percent of the new venture. That list also includes the personal investment entity for Michael Dell, the tech billionaire behind Dell Technologies, and other firms, TikTok said. Adam Presser, TikTok’s operations head, will be the chief executive for the U.S. TikTok.”

For some time, ByteDance faced an ultimatum: either divest the platform’s American business or be shut down. That’s because of the U.S. government’s fears about ByteDance sharing Americans’ personal data with the Chinese government — something ByteDance said it would never do. The deadline for ByteDance to make a deal kept getting pushed back by President Donald Trump, who wanted to keep TikTok in business in the U.S.

Now that will happen, much to the delight of some 170 million U.S. users of the app, particularly young people.

The Washington Post’s Eva Dou has more with “TikTok says U.S. spinoff is finalized.” ([link removed])


** Media news, tidbits and interesting links for your weekend review
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* Academy Award nominations were announced Thursday with “Sinners” garnering a record 16 nominations. “One Battle After Another” picked up 13 nominations. Among the big names getting acting nods include Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Hudson, Emma Stone and Sean Penn. Here’s the full list of nominations ([link removed]) from The Hollywood Reporter. The Academy Award ceremony will be March 15 on ABC.
* There were some surprises about who wasn’t nominated. “Wicked: For Good” was shut out, including no acting nominations for stars Arianna Grande and Cynthia Erivo. It didn’t get a song nomination either. Here’s The Washington Post’s Sonia Rao and Jada Yuan with “The biggest Oscar nominations snubs and surprises in 2026.” ([link removed])
* And one more good piece, this one from The Ringer’s Miles Surrey: “The Winners and Losers of the 2026 Oscar Nominations.” ([link removed])
* The Washington Post’s Kelly Kasulis Cho and Scott Nover with “FCC targets talk shows by revisiting ‘equal time’ rule for political candidates.” ([link removed])
* Variety’s Todd Spangler with “Warner Bros. Discovery Says Over 93% of Shareholders Have ‘Rejected Paramount’s Inferior Scheme’ in Favor of Netflix Deal.” ([link removed])
* The New York Times’ Cade Metz, Kalley Huang and Mike Isaac with “The A.I. Start-Up Soap Opera Riveting Silicon Valley.” ([link removed])
* Writing for Poynter, Dan Kennedy with “Even amid setbacks, public funding for local news is expanding at the state level.” ([link removed])
* Mediaite’s Colby Hall with “NY Times Publisher: AI Is Using Our Facts Without Paying For Them.” ([link removed])
* ABC News’ Katie Kindelan with “Prince Harry gets emotional, invokes Princess Diana in testimony against UK tabloids.” ([link removed])
* For Nieman Lab, Neel Dhanesha with “Substack’s pivot to video is now on your TV.” ([link removed])
* The Wall Street Journal’s Dawn Gilbertson and Allison Pohle with “The Best and Worst Airlines of 2025.” ([link removed])
* What a difference a season makes. Fox Sports’ Tom Brady has transformed from a decent NFL broadcaster as a rookie to one of the best in the business this year. The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand talks to the NFL’s greatest quarterback ever in “Tom Brady knew he needed to improve on TV. So he channeled his ‘quarterback’ days.” ([link removed])
* Speaking of sports broadcasters, the legendary Bob Costas has been named pregame host ([link removed]) for NBC’s “Sunday Night Baseball.” It’s something of a homecoming for Costas, who spent the bulk of distinguished broadcasting career at NBC. In a statement, Costas said, “As appreciative as I am of other aspects of my career, especially HBO and the MLB Network, for 40 years, my true broadcasting home was NBC. So many great moments, memories, and friendships.”


** More resources for journalists
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* Deadline day: Amplify your managerial strengths, navigate ethical decision-making and strategize ahead of difficult conversations. Apply by Jan. 23 ([link removed]) .
* Learn to communicate like a boss. Join us for a free LinkedIn Live ([link removed]) at 12:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
* Join a foundational career and leadership development 101 course — fully virtual for ambitious media professionals without direct reports. Apply now ([link removed]) .

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
The Poynter Report is your daily dive into the world of media, packed with the latest news and insights. Get it delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday by signing up here ([link removed]) . And don’t forget to tune into our biweekly podcast ([link removed]) for even more.
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