President Donald Trump has taken issue with Fox News, criticizing its recent polling data that suggests over half of Americans believe the economy has declined under his leadership.
On September 18, Trump participated in an interview with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, describing the network’s polling results as ‘the worst polling I’ve ever had’.
The 79-year-old’s approval ratings have also been struggling, with a negative view of his presidency reported by citizens across 24 states.
When compared to past presidents, Trump’s approval rankings appear quite grim, placing him at the lower end. Despite this, Trump remains optimistic, telling MacCallum that he had ‘inherited the worst inflation ever’.
“We now have very low inflation, we have great production, and when these factories that are being built all over the country start opening up, we’re gonna have numbers like no one has ever seen before – including jobs,” he stated.
MacCallum, however, pressed further on the issue.
She inquired: “We do see polling that doesn’t poll well in the economy. The recent Fox polling said 52 percent say the economy is worse under this administration. We’ve got unemployment at the highest rate in four years. Groceries made a big jump in the last term.
“You’re looking forward with these plans that you just talked about, when will people feel that, President Trump?
Trump, undeterred, maintained that the US’s economic recovery is imminent, responding: “Well, when the factories start opening. I mean, right now, we’re building them, you know, Fox polling, I have to tell you – I’ve told you before – it’s the worst polling I’ve ever had.”
He continued to claim that, during the 2024 election, they predicted him ‘winning by a little bit and not a massive amount’, stating: “I told Rupert Murdoch, go get yourself a new pollster because he stinks.”
This is not the first instance of Trump expressing dissatisfaction with Fox’s polls. In April, he posted on Truth Social that Murdoch had allegedly ‘told me for years that he is going to get rid of his FoxNews, Trump-hating, Fake Pollster, but he has never done so’.
Variety reports that there is no evidence Murdoch ever communicated this to Trump.
During the interview, Trump also shifted the focus to tariffs, claiming they were responsible for a supposed industrial revival, asserting that car manufacturers relocating to Mexico, Canada, China, Japan, and Germany are ‘all coming back now’.
“Without the tariffs, a different story, but they’re coming back because of the tariffs, and you’re gonna see that kick in probably in the year or so,” he stated.
Fox News has been contacted for comment.