Donald Trump’s propensity for polling denialism took a disturbing turn Monday morning, in the wake of a new CNN survey highlighting the new president’s record-setting unpopularity. In the past, Trump has railed against individual polls, or the polling industry in general, when things weren’t going his way on the campaign trail, dismissing any unflattering reports as “rigged.” In the weeks after the election, he continued to question the final results, suggesting the popular vote, which he lost, was tainted by millions of fraudulent votes. Now, the president of the United States is suggesting that “any negative polls are fake news,” a stunning pronouncement designed to discredit, and pre-empt, any unfavorable news coverage.

Trump’s tweet came a half hour after CNN reported the results of a new poll that found 53 percent of Americans disapprove of the way the president is handling the job, and 43 percent “strongly” disapprove of his progress thus far. No U.S. president in modern history has begun his administration in lower standing. Overall, CNN found that only 44 percent of respondents approved of Trump, a drop from his previous low of 51 percent. At the same point in their presidencies, President George W. Bush had 58 percent approval, and President Barack Obama had a whopping 76 percent.

While Trump entered office historically unpopular, the former real-estate mogul has suffered a series of missteps since his inauguration on January 20. A hastily signed immigration ban targeting mostly Muslim countries sparked nationwide protests, prompted multiple lawsuits, and was suspended after two federal courts ruled against it. He generated days of negative headlines after a series of provocative calls with U.S. allies including the president of Mexico, who canceled a diplomatic meeting with Trump over his insistence that Mexico pay for a border wall, and the prime minister of Australia, whom Trump reportedly berated in a testy phone conversation. The Trump White House itself has been riven by infighting and backstabbing, resulting in dozens of high-profile leaks and scathing news stories.

Trump’s signature policy proposals, despite his insistence, are also unpopular with the majority of Americans. While Trump tweeted that “people want border security and extreme vetting,” CNN found that 53 percent of respondents were opposed to his travel ban. Sixty percent said they were not in favor of Trump’s plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and majorities also said they were opposed to his handling of immigration (56 percent), foreign affairs (55 percent), and terrorism (53 percent).