President Trump is challenging mainstream media polls that show declining approval ratings, calling them “FAKE POLLS FROM FAKE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS” and demanding investigations into potential polling manipulation.
Key Insights
- Trump claims recent polls from the New York Times and ABC/Washington Post deliberately oversampled Democrat voters to create artificially negative approval ratings.
- According to Trump, pollster John McLaughlin indicates these polls included only 37% and 34% of Trump 2024 voters respectively, creating skewed results.
- The Washington Post/ABC poll reportedly showed Trump with the lowest approval ratings for the first 100 days of any president since World War II.
- Trump has labeled media organizations as “the enemy of the people” suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Trump’s “Fake News” Allegations
President Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack on major media outlets following recent polls showing his approval ratings well below those of previous administrations. The New York Times poll indicated a 42% approval rating, while the ABC/Washington Post poll suggested Trump has the lowest ratings for a president’s first 100 days since World War II. Rather than accepting these figures, Trump has forcefully rejected them, claiming they represent deliberate manipulation by biased media organizations attempting to undermine his administration’s accomplishments.
In a Truth Social post that reflected his typical unfiltered communication style, Trump invoked the authority of pollster John McLaughlin, describing him as “one of the most highly respected in the industry.” According to Trump, McLaughlin confirmed these polls were fraudulent due to their sampling methodology. The president’s assertions highlight his longstanding contentious relationship with mainstream media outlets that began during his first presidential campaign and has intensified throughout both of his administrations.
Sampling Bias Claims
At the heart of Trump’s criticism is his allegation of deliberate sampling bias in the polls. He specifically claimed that “The New York Times has only 37% Trump 2024 voters, and the ABC/Washington Post Poll has only 34% Trump Voters, unheard of numbers unless looking for a negative result, which they are.” This accusation suggests that pollsters intentionally oversampled Democrat voters to produce results that would paint his administration in a negative light, regardless of actual public sentiment.
“The New York Times has only 37% Trump 2024 voters, and the ABC/Washington Post Poll has only 34% Trump Voters, unheard of numbers unless looking for a negative result, which they are. These people should be investigated for ELECTION FRAUD, and add in the Fox News Pollster while you’re at it. They are Negative Criminals who apologize to their subscribers and readers after I WIN ELECTIONS BIG, much bigger than their polls showed I would win, loose a lot of credibility, and then go on cheating and lying for the next cycle, only worse,” he continued.” – Source
Trump didn’t stop at merely criticizing the methodology. He escalated his rhetoric by suggesting that these media organizations should face investigation for “ELECTION FRAUD,” demonstrating how seriously he takes these polling discrepancies. This also reflects his broader stance that media bias represents not just an annoyance but a genuine threat to democratic processes and fair representation of public opinion in America.
“Enemy of the People” Rhetoric
The president’s criticism went beyond methodological complaints to characterize the media as fundamentally hostile to both him and the American people. His declaration that mainstream news outlets suffer from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” continues a narrative he has cultivated since his first campaign—that traditional media organizations are incapable of covering him fairly due to institutional bias and personal antipathy toward his leadership style and policies.
“They suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, and there is nothing that anyone, or anything, can do about it. THEY ARE SICK, almost only write negative stories about me no matter how well I am doing (99.9% at the Border, BEST NUMBER EVER!), AND ARE TRULY THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! I wish them well, but will continue to fight to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” – Source
While critics view such language as dangerous rhetoric targeting journalists, Trump’s supporters see his comments as a necessary challenge to media establishments they believe have abandoned objectivity in favor of partisan opposition. This divide highlights the growing polarization in how Americans perceive media credibility, with polling sources increasingly viewed through partisan lenses rather than as neutral arbiters of public opinion.
Border Accomplishments Versus Media Portrayal
In his critique, Trump specifically highlighted border security achievements that he believes the media has deliberately downplayed or ignored. His claim of “99.9% at the Border, BEST NUMBER EVER!” suggests he sees a stark disconnect between his administration’s policy successes and how they’re portrayed in mainstream reporting. This continues a pattern from his first term, where Trump frequently asserted that significant accomplishments were being deliberately minimized by hostile press coverage.
The polling controversy underscores a continuing challenge for the American public: determining which information sources can be trusted in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. As Trump continues to question the legitimacy of unfavorable polling data, many of his supporters remain convinced that mainstream reporting fails to accurately represent reality. This fundamental disconnect in how different segments of the population perceive basic facts represents one of the most significant challenges to political discourse in modern America.
Sources:
- Trump has used government powers to target more than 100 perceived enemies
- Trump Blasts ‘Fake News’ Approval Polls: ‘Truly The Enemy Of The People’
