Trump campaign reportedly dropped 3 pollsters, including firm started by Kellyanne Conway, after leaked polls
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
President Trump's re-election campaign is cutting ties with three of its pollsters, several news organizations reported Sunday, the apparent cause being leaked internal poll numbers that showed Trump losing to former Vice President Joe Biden in 15 of the 17 states polled. Those poll numbers have been trickling out for two months, and ABC News and NBC News obtained the full top-line results over the weekend. "While the campaign tested other Democratic presidential candidates against Trump," NBC News reports, "Biden polled the best of the group."
The numbers do look very bad, but Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale called them "ancient" and outdated, repeating Trump's claim that newer polls show him winning everywhere — at least against "defined" Democrats, meaning the pollsters gave respondents their own political descriptions of the Democrats' policies. Trump, who reportedly ordered aides to bury the terrible numbers, told ABC News "those polls don't exist."
The Trump campaign is retaining Tony Fabrizio — the pollster who conducted the leaked March 15-28 poll, and also calls the leaked numbers misleading — and John McLaughlin, Politico reports, and it is getting rid of Brett Lloyd, Mike Baselice, and Adam Geller.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Lloyd heads up the Polling Company, "a firm started by Kellyanne Conway in 1995," Politico notes. "Conway is now a senior White House adviser to Trump and is no longer formally connected to the company." Geller is founder and CEO of National Research Inc. and Baselice founded Baselice & Associates. "There is widespread speculation within the re-election campaign that Geller and Baselice, who still enjoy the confidence of top Trump aides, will join the pro-Trump super PAC," Politico adds.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
The ‘ravenous’ demand for Cornish mineralsUnder the Radar Growing need for critical minerals to power tech has intensified ‘appetite’ for lithium, which could be a ‘huge boon’ for local economy
-
Why are election experts taking Trump’s midterm threats seriously?IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the president muses about polling place deployments and a centralized electoral system aimed at one-party control, lawmakers are taking this administration at its word
-
‘Restaurateurs have become millionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
