Trump Calls on FCC to Punish News Orgs That Publish His Bad Polling Numbers
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In Truth Social posts on Sunday, President Donald Trump threatened to use the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to target broadcasters and journalists whose reporting on him he dislikes.
In one of his posts, Trump suggested that news agencies should face repercussions for publishing polling data showing that he has a low approval rating.
“THE FAKE POLLS USED BY OUR CROOKED MEDIA ARE OUT OF CONTROL, AND SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT IT,” Trump wrote. “FCC TO THE RESCUE!”
Trump’s post made no references to “real” polls he thinks accurately portray his current approval ratings. An average of polling data compiled by RealClearPolling shows that, as of Sunday evening, Trump averages near 39.9 percent approval, while 56.7 percent of the U.S. public disapproves of him. Other surveys have demonstrated a consistently lower mark, with a recent Economist/YouGov poll showing his approval rating at just 36 percent, a CNN/SSRS poll from late last month demonstrating 34 percent approval, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll from last week finding just 33 percent approval.
Trump has repeatedly disputed his low polling numbers without offering evidence to support his claims. On August 8, for example, Trump merely posted that he had “great poll numbers,” but didn’t provide a link or the name of any poll.
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In another post, Trump directly attacked Kristen Welker, host of NBC News’s “Meet the Press”........
