President Trump has some of the worst approval ratings of any president in modern history, second only to Richard Nixon the week before he resigned. On this week’s On the Media, what the polls say about Americans’ perceptions of Trump and his policies. Plus, a look at the polarized propaganda being beamed into Iran. 
[01:00] Brooke Gladstone interviews G. Elliott Morris, journalist, statistician, and author of the data-driven news website <a href="https://www.gelliottmorris.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strength In Numbers</a>, about public perceptions of President Trump and his policies, and what Trump’s historic unpopularity could mean for the upcoming midterm elections. 
[19:14] Micah Loewinger speaks with <a href="https://www.nancyscola.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nancy Scola</a>, a reporter covering tech, policy, and politics, about her recent profile of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, tracing his trajectory from “spectrum nerd,” to MAGA insider. 
[36:23]  Micah sits down with <a href="https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/mes/faculty/ns34682" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nahid Siamdoust</a>, an assistant professor of media and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Texas at Austin, to discuss the state of the Iranian media landscape, and how a newer anti-regime channel, Iran International, is contributing to intense polarization among Iranians around the world. 
Further reading / watching:
<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/2026-08-04-trump-squeezed-from-both-ends" rel="noopener noreferrer">“What's behind Donald Trump's record-low approval rating?”</a> By G. Elliott Morris</li>
 <li><a href="https://washingtonian.com/2026/07/30/how-brendan-carr-became-magas-media-watchdog/" rel="noopener noreferrer">“How Brendan Carr Became MAGA’s Media Watchdog,”</a> by Nancy Scola</li>
 <li><a href="https://www.nybooks.com/online/2026/07/11/spreading-static-iranian-media/" rel="noopener noreferrer">“Spreading Static,”</a> by Nahid Siamdoust</li>
</ul>
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