President Trump lashes out at mainstream media outlets over recent polling data showing declining approval ratings, calling for investigations into what he describes as deliberately biased reporting designed to undermine his administration.
At a Glance
- Trump has labeled recent polls by the New York Times and ABC/Washington Post as “fake news” that deliberately misrepresent his approval ratings
- The president cited pollster John McLaughlin who allegedly confirmed these polls used unbalanced sampling methods
- According to Trump, the polls deliberately oversampled Democrat voters while including only 34-37% Trump voters
- Trump has called for investigations into these media organizations for what he terms “election fraud”
- The criticized polls showed Trump with historically low approval ratings for the first 100 days of a presidency
Trump Challenges Major Media Polls
President Donald Trump has forcefully rejected recent polling data from major media outlets that show his administration with historically low approval ratings. In a pointed response on social media, Trump characterized both the New York Times poll and the ABC/Washington Post poll as “fake polls from fake news organizations,” questioning their methodology and calling for investigations into what he sees as deliberate manipulation of data. The New York Times poll indicated Trump’s approval rating at 42%, while the ABC/Washington Post poll suggested he had the lowest ratings for any president’s first 100 days since World War II.
Trump defended his position by referencing “Great Pollster John McLaughlin,” whom he described as “one of the most highly respected in the industry.” According to Trump, McLaughlin confirmed that these polls were designed to produce negative results by using unbalanced sampling methods that significantly underrepresented his supporters. The president specifically claimed that the New York Times poll included only 37% Trump voters from the 2024 election, while the ABC/Washington Post poll included just 34% – figures he characterized as “unheard of numbers unless looking for a negative result.”
Accusations of Media Bias and Manipulation
The president has taken his criticism beyond merely questioning poll methodology, suggesting that these organizations should face consequences for what he views as deliberate misinformation. “These people should be investigated for ELECTION FRAUD, and add in the Fox News Pollster while you’re at it,” Trump stated in his social media post. He characterized the media outlets as “Negative Criminals” who apologize to their subscribers after he wins elections “much bigger than their polls showed,” only to continue what he called “cheating and lying” in subsequent election cycles.
“Great Pollster John McLaughin, one of the most highly respected in the industry, has just stated that The Failing New York Times Poll, and the ABC/Washington Post Poll, about a person named DONALD J. Trump, ME, are FAKE POLLS FROM FAKE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS,” Trump stated in a Monday Truth Social post.
The controversy over these polls comes amid what appears to be a broader tension between the Trump administration and mainstream media. Trump has maintained that these polls represent not merely statistical errors but rather a pattern of intentional misrepresentation designed to damage his standing with the American public. This position aligns with his long-standing criticism of major news organizations, which he has frequently characterized as biased against his administration and policies.
Trump’s Broader Media Criticisms
In his response to the polls, Trump employed language that echoes his previous characterizations of the media. He accused news organizations of suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and described them as “TRULY THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!” The president suggested that regardless of his administration’s accomplishments, these outlets “almost only write negative stories” about him, citing what he described as significant progress on border security issues, which he claimed represented “99.9% at the Border, BEST NUMBER EVER!”
The conflict highlights ongoing tensions between the administration and major media outlets, with Trump suggesting that the United States no longer has a “Free and Fair” press. While media organizations stand by their polling methodologies as scientifically sound, the president’s supporters have often echoed his skepticism of mainstream polling, pointing to past instances where polls appeared to underestimate Trump’s electoral performance. The dispute over these recent approval ratings appears likely to further entrench positions on both sides of this contentious relationship.