Donald Trump Says Television Ratings Are ‘The Real Polls’
In a series of Twitter messages posted on Saturday, President Donald Trump dismissed opinion polling, stating that television ratings are “the real polls,” The Hill reported.
“Do not believe the Fake News Media. Oklahoma speech had the highest Saturday television ratings in @FoxNews history. @seanhannity dominated T.V. with my interview on Thursday night, more than @CNN & MSDNC COMBINED,” the president began.
“These are the real polls, the Silent Majority, not FAKE POLLS!”
In a follow-up tweet, Trump vowed to defeat the Democratic Party and move forward with implementing the Republican agenda.
“We will win the Election against Corrupt Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Schumer. We will save the Supreme Court, your 2nd Amendment, permanent damage from the ridiculous Green New Deal, and you from massive Tax Hikes. Also, our Heritage, History and LAW & ORDER!” the commander-in-chief wrote.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma — which aired during Watters’ World and Justice With Judge Jeanine — averaged 7.654 million viewers, giving Fox News the largest Saturday night audience in its history.
Per Nielsen, Trump’s Thursday town hall with anchor Sean Hannity drew 5.1 million viewers, besting CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time and MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show. Cuomo’s show attracted 1.8 million viewers, while 3.1 million watched Maddow.
As The Hill noted, Trump’s tweets come as most opinion polling shows him trailing the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Biden is ahead of Trump nationwide and in critical swing states.
A New York Times-Siena College poll released earlier this week put Biden 14 percentage points ahead of Trump nationwide, while a Fox News survey gave the Democrat a 12-point advantage. Similarly, Harvard-Harris showed that Biden is ahead by 12 points and an NPR–PBS NewsHour-Marist poll suggested that the president’s disapproval ratings have reached an all-time high.
Moreover, a series of Fox News surveys released earlier this week showed that Biden has gained ground in the states of Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas.
According to former President George W. Bush’s deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove, this should be a red flag for Trump and the GOP. In an interview on Friday, Rove warned that Trump is “behind” Biden, advising the president to launch more aggressive attacks on his Democratic opponent.
Some prominent Trump supporters are reportedly concerned about the president’s political standing and believe that his reelection campaign is in need of a shake-up.
According to Ed Rollins, the chairman of the Great America PAC, Trump’s team needs to change strategy in order to woo independents and women.
