Trump says ‘polls are fake’ before bragging about poll showing his popularity
President Trump declared during a rally in Florida on Tuesday night that “polls are fake” before bragging about a poll that he claims found he is the most popular Republican president since Abraham Lincoln.
Trump at the campaign-style rally first accused the news media of suppressing polls that indicate positive numbers about his presidency.
“Polls are fake, just like everything else,” Trump declared during the rally in Tampa, echoing his attacks on “fake news.”
He said if the “fake news” did a poll, they would report only 25 percent of Americans have 401(k) accounts, though the correct number is around 44 percent.
He paused, then launched into a tirade about the poll that he says indicates his popularity as a Republican president.
“They just came out with a poll – the most popular person in the history of the Republican Party is Trump! Can you believe that?” he said.
“So I said, does that include Honest Abe Lincoln? He was pretty good, huh?” he continued.
It is unclear which poll Trump is referring to for his claim, which he has repeated several times in recent weeks.
While Trump’s overall approval has remained well below his predecessors, a Gallup poll released in July found that 90 percent of Republicans approved of Trump, which would make him one of the most popular modern presidents with his own party during his first term.
Still, former President George W. Bush had a higher approval rating among Republicans after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, according to the poll, which stretches back to the Eisenhower administration.
[The Hill]
Media
Trump indicates he still hasn't figured out that polling didn't even exist during Abe Lincoln's lifetime. He then mocks other presidents for acting "presidential." pic.twitter.com/BeL1CrnCY1
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 31, 2018