Staff Reports
In a recent twist fit for a political thriller, President-elect Donald Trump has taken aim at a last-minute Iowa poll suggesting he was losing to Kamala Harris, a development that is raising eyebrows faster than an Iowa corn stalk in July. The poll by J. Ann Selzer had Trump trailing by three points, which would be confusing enough if one forgot that he had won the state by a whopping thirteen points just a while back. With such a contradictory result, it’s hard not to suspect that there’s more cooking in the polling kitchen than just a little data error.
The Des Moines Register, known for its liberal tilt, touted Selzer’s poll as evidence that Harris had “leapfrogged” past Trump in a race that many perceived to be tight, instead of the cakewalk it turned out to be. Clearly, someone had their figures scrambled like a cheap diner breakfast.
Meanwhile, Trump wasted no time in taking to Truth Social, where he called for an investigation into what he characterized as potential election fraud, focusing directly on Selzer and her apparently wonky methodology.
🚨 Trump calls for an Investigation into Ann Selzer’s Des Moines Register poll — which had him losing to Kamala by 3 points.
He ended up winning Iowa by over 13 points.
“She knew exactly what she was doing.” pic.twitter.com/iTIFiYeX9O
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) November 18, 2024
Trump didn’t mince words, blasting the poll as a “totally fake poll” that bred unnecessary doubt at a crucial moment. He implied that Selzer wasn’t just making mistakes but was actively leading the public astray for Harris’ benefit. It seems the only thing “hopping” in this scenario was Selzer’s credibility, which took quite a dive after these results went public. With Iowa firmly in Trump’s corner, he felt vindicated enough to express gratitude to the “GREAT PEOPLE OF IOWA” for their support, making it clear that such deceptive polling practices wouldn’t go unchecked.
Trump’s representative, Steven Cheung, made it plain that the call for an investigation wasn’t just hot air. By suggesting that Selzer had “beclowned herself,” he hit a comedic note that’s bound to resonate with the gaggle of Trump supporters who find a chuckle in the political drama. However, the dramatic stakes are higher than they seem, as this saga underscores widespread concerns regarding election integrity, especially with those pesky polls that often seem to favor candidates of a certain political shade.
In an unexpected plot twist, Selzer announced that she would be hanging up her polling boots for good. She expressed regrets about how her career in polling had collided with the reality of electoral results. While she presented a lengthy analysis of her errors, it’s hard not to feel that her decision seemed more like a graceful exit after a slapstick performance than the result of genuine reflection. In a fittingly ironic turn, she closed her open letter by reminding everyone of her “history of accuracy,” leaving the audience to wonder how she missed the most significant election in years.
Even amidst the drama, the real losers here are the pollsters themselves, who have taken a hit to their reputations yet again. With Trump’s recent Election Day results — which sent Selzer’s polling doom spiraling — Iowans have spoken loud and clear: they stand with their standing president. While pollsters like Selzer take a step back from the game, Trump continues to play the media like a well-tuned fiddle. After all, when it comes to capturing the mood of the nation, sometimes the data just can’t keep up with the reality on the ground.
