'He stinks': Trump slams Fox pollster over survey highlighting economic shortcomings

LONDON, ENGLAND: President Donald Trump turned on Fox News mid-interview, telling the network it should fire its pollster, saying he "stinks," during a one-on-one conversation with Martha MacCallum in the United Kingdom on Thursday, September 18. 

The clash happened when MacCallum interrupted Trump, presenting survey results showing his administration’s perceived economic shortcomings, including bringing back manufacturing jobs, to ask when Americans will begin to enjoy the benefits of the so-called booming economy. 

Critical question from Martha MacCallum that irked Trump

"When do you think people are going to feel that?" Martha MacCallum asked, citing Fox’s own poll, which showed that 52 percent of Americans think that the economy has gotten worse under Donald Trump.

She highlighted the unemployment rate, which is the highest in four years, and grocery prices have gone up in a short period of time. 

Trump responded, “Well, when the factories start opening. I mean, right now we’re building them.”

Trump goes off on Fox polling

Donald Trump then targeted the network's polling, saying, “Fox polling, I have to tell you, I’ve told you before, the worst polling I’ve ever had, it’s always — I mean, during the election, they had me winning by a little bit, not by a massive amount.”

“And Fox polling, I’ve told [Fox Corporation owner] Rupert Murdoch, go get yourself a new pollster, because he stinks — and this is for years now.”

MacCullum neither addressed this dig nor did she push back on the president's claim that he has already secured $17 trillion for investment for the country this year. 

He asserted that this is 68 times more than the $250 billion brought by former President Joe Biden during his tenure in the last four years. “That’s a big number, huge number,” MacCullum replied to this claim.

Citing heavy tariffs, Trump further said that his economic plans will likely show results in a year or so.

The survey that contradicts Trump's claims

But the latest numbers say otherwise. According to a recent jobs report, in August alone, the manufacturing sector lost 12,000 jobs, which means the industry has lost 38,000 jobs this year. 

Other industries are also struggling because of the tariffs, and healthcare and social work are the only sectors with job growth. 

The Fox News national survey, which was conducted from September 6 to September 9, found that only 30 percent think that the economy has improved under this administration, while 18 percent showed no difference. 

For 37 percent of the respondents, the economy is the most pressing concern and the most important issue the country is facing. 

Immigration and border security come second, according to 13 percent of the voters, while healthcare and political division got 11 percent. 

The survey was conducted under the direction of Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research, which included answers from 1,004 registered voters, chosen randomly from the national voters' list.