As the 2024 presidential race tightens, Donald Trump and his supporters are grappling with a series of unfavorable poll numbers, leading them to double down on claims of rigged polling. New data from Decision Desk HQ and other firms suggest Vice President Kamala Harris holds a 56% chance of victory, with even Fox News showing her ahead of Trump in key Sun Belt states like Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada. Despite this, Trump dismissed the numbers at a Michigan rally, asserting that the polls are manipulated against him, echoing familiar complaints from his 2020 loss.
Trump’s skepticism of polls is nothing new. Even during his successful 2016 campaign, he frequently accused pollsters of bias when the numbers didn’t favor him. More recently, in March, Trump alleged that polls are rigged unless he’s winning, a sentiment he shared with his audience during a Georgia rally. This rhetoric extends to his supporters, including Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who has amplified claims that the polls are part of a broader “propaganda campaign” designed to undermine Trump’s base, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
These unfounded accusations have become a hallmark of Trump’s political strategy, particularly when faced with adverse outcomes. Whether it’s alleging that elections are rigged or inventing favorable polls, Trump’s narrative seeks to discredit any reality that contradicts his claims. His insistence on this narrative underscores a broader unwillingness within the MAGA movement to engage with facts, instead opting for a world where unfavorable truths are dismissed as conspiracies.
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