Fox News doctored a graphic to make it appear as if Trump had a 55% approval rating when in reality it was his disapproval rating at 55%
Trump’s fake 55% approval rating
Trump tweeted:
Great news! #MAGA pic.twitter.com/haZ1HbVpNu
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2019
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The graphic that was shown on Fox Business makes it appear as if Trump has a 55% approval rating. The graphic cites a poll from Georgetown politics. However, an examination of the poll finds that Trump’s approval rating is not 55%. Fox News made up an approval rating that would make Trump happy.
The real poll shows Trump’s disapproval at 55%
The data from the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service “Battleground Poll†of the 2020 cycle paints a much darker picture for Trump:
– 59% of voters are worried about an economic downturn.
– Trump’s disapproval rating has held at a steady 55%.
– 57% of voters believe that the country is on the wrong track.
It is true that 58% approve of Trump’s performance on the economy, but the rest of polling is all bad news for the president, and nowhere does it say that Donald Trump has an overall 55% approval rating.
The doctored poll is the Trump/Fox News echo chamber
Fox News creates some fake good news to make Trump feel good. Trump retweets that fake good news to give it legitimacy with the nation at large. Fox News and Trump have a symbiotic relationship where they push each other’s false claims to give both the network and the president credibility.
The Fox News audience is shrinking fast. The network’s primetime viewership is 2.4 million, which equals 0.7% of the US population. Fox News is a niche, but Trump depends on that niche as both his source of information and encouragement.
Fox News has created a Trump bubble of feel-good false information that is deluding their viewers, including Trump, into believing that everything is fine. When the bubble bursts, possibly on election day 2020, it is going to be a hard crash into reality for people and a president who have spent more than four years pushing, believing, and creating false information.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association