TAIPEI (TVBS News) — President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) approval rating has tumbled to a record low 31%, according to polling data released Friday (Aug. 29) by Formosa Publishing (美麗島文化事業股份有限公司), a local polling firm. The 3.6 percentage point monthly decline represents the steepest drop since Lai assumed Taiwan's presidency. Public trust in the president has simultaneously fallen to 36%, while distrust has climbed to 55.1%.
Veteran media analyst Huang Wei-han (黃暐瀚) warns that Lai's political standing faces further deterioration without immediate corrective measures. Huang suggests that approval ratings below 30% could trigger questions about Lai's viability for the 2028 presidential election. The analyst criticized Lai's response to August 23 recall efforts, arguing that delayed medical attention and inadequate cabinet restructuring prolonged public suffering and failed to address political divisions.
Huang emphasizes that effective political leadership requires persuasion, dialogue, and compromise as essential tools for governance. The analyst urges President Lai to demonstrate greater adaptability in his approach to public concerns and political challenges. Failure to embrace these strategic adjustments could accelerate the erosion of Lai's public standing and seriously compromise his future electoral viability. ◼