President Trump is facing his most challenging political moment of his second term, with rough poll numbers and growing furor over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Trump saw some of his lowest approval ratings of his second term over the past week, with his net approval in the Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) average falling to more than 9 points underwater. He’s seen declines, in particular, among independents and on his handling of certain key issues like immigration.

At the same time, he’s trying to tame an ongoing headache stemming from the controversial case of the financier and convicted sex offender.

While his numbers certainly haven’t bottomed out, they indicate to a tough moment for Trump after a series of major victories in recent months.

Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist University Institute for Public Opinion, said Trump’s quickly shifting political fortunes are part of his skill at “keeping the focus moving all the time,” which requires redirecting people’s attention to his benefit.

“But you do take a cost that your victories are short-lived, and the net effect is there's still an awful lot that people feel has not been accomplished and that he hasn't fulfilled a lot of campaign promises, even though some of it clearly was written and spoken of during the campaign,” he added.

Just a few weeks ago, Trump was in a considerably stronger place politically. His “big, beautiful bill” was able to overcome a number of congressional roadblocks, and he signed it into law on July 4, his previously stated goal.

In June, the Supreme Court didn’t settle the legal scrutiny around Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, but it handed him a win by stopping lower-court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions.

That same month, the number........

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