On Friday night’s broadcast of Hannity on Fox News, Trafalgar Group pollster Robert Cahaly criticized what he called “fake polls” designed to mislead the public and manipulate congressional Republicans into distancing themselves from President Donald Trump and his political agenda.
In a segment alongside host Sean Hannity, Cahaly alleged that certain polls are being strategically deployed not to measure public opinion, but to shape it — specifically to create the impression that Trump’s popularity is waning and that supporting him could be politically costly for Republicans in Congress.
“They realize that, you know, Washington is full of political animals, and if they can convince the people in Congress that Trump is somehow becoming more toxic, then they can damage his agenda,” Cahaly said. “But the fact is, the people in Congress are smart. They know what a real poll is. They know what a fake poll is.”
Cahaly argued that many lawmakers and political insiders can distinguish between credible surveys and those that are intentionally skewed or poorly conducted. He likened unreliable polling to a sports commentator who repeatedly predicts the wrong outcome: “You don’t listen to what they say in the regular season.”
The discussion followed Hannity’s reference to a Van Jones-led CNN focus group, which showed that voters who supported Trump in the previous election did not regret their decision. Hannity and Cahaly used the segment to highlight a disconnect between media narratives and actual voter sentiment.
“This talk that people regret their votes for Trump — the Van Jones focus group showed it, the Frank Luntz focus group showed it — they’re not backing off their decisions,” Cahaly said. “Even though they’re being flooded with people telling them they made the wrong decision… they still aren’t backing off.”
Cahaly suggested that despite relentless criticism and media pressure, Trump remains resilient in public opinion, noting that the president is outperforming many past presidents in terms of approval metrics.
This isn’t the first time Cahaly has questioned mainstream polling. As head of the Trafalgar Group, he gained prominence in 2016 and 2020 for using unconventional methods and claiming to capture “shy” Trump voters whom he says traditional pollsters miss. His firm’s polling has been both praised and scrutinized, with critics questioning the methodology and defenders pointing to accurate predictions in key races.
The segment underscores a broader skepticism among conservative media and figures about the reliability and intent of political polling, especially in an era when public opinion surveys are frequently used as barometers for electability and momentum.
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The MSM have been lying to the public with fake polls since the Clinton years. Nothing new to see here.
Push polls, which are designed to shape public opinion (or the policies of political figures) are nothing new. Rush was explaining this tactic years ago.