Karl Rove swats down idea that Donald Trump's terrible poll numbers are skewed

Karl Rove isn&#039;t into skewing polls this year

(Image credit: Fox News/YouTube)

published 5 August 2016

Add Karl Rove to the list of Republicans and political strategists who are baffled at Donald Trump's terrible two weeks of self-inflicted wounds. Greta Van Susteren asked George W. Bush's chief strategist on Thursday night's On the Record a "two-part question: Can Donald Trump get back on track, and second is, Will he do that?" "Well, the answer to the first is, yes he can," Rove said. "And the answer to the second is, we don't know." After Rove listed Trump's self-immolating focus on small perceived slights and grudges, rather than Hillary Clinton's faults and missteps, Van Susteren suggested that perhaps the polls were undercounting Trump's support.

"I'm not sure how accurate these polls are," she said. "How many people, when they go behind that closed curtain, are they going to vote for Trump?" Rove, like many pollsters, did not put much stock in a "shy Trump voter" phenomenon. "Well, look, what you are suggesting, and look, I'm not saying it's not worth considering this, but you're assuming that, first of all, the polls are not reliable — all of them — and second of all, that a better test of this is the size of the crowds that he gets at his rallies, which are big and enthusiastic." Walter Mondale, Bob Dole, George McGovern, and William Jennings Bryan all drew large enthusiastic crowds in the final stages of their presidential bids, Rove said, and they all lost.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.