'The polls are fake': Trump challenges Iowa midterm polling as Republicans face closer races

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump dismissed Iowa polling as “fake” when asked why Republicans were facing closer Senate and House races despite his 13-point victory in the state.

He argued that Republican candidates should be performing closer to his own results and singled out Senate candidate Ashley Hinson for praise.

Trump made the remarks on Monday, September 28, during an Oval Office event announcing a $15 billion steel plant in eastern Iowa, where he answered questions from reporters.

Trump predicts Ashley Hinson will win her Senate race

Trump said he was surprised by the polling, arguing that his strong performance in Iowa should translate into stronger numbers for Republican candidates.

He also predicted Hinson would win her Senate race.

“First of all, the polls are fake,” Trump said, before pointing to Hinson as a candidate he expects to represent Iowa in the Senate.

He described Hinson as “one of the greatest politicians” and said she would be “highly respected.”

Trump also predicted she would bring federal money back to the state.

“She’s going to bring a lot of goodies back to Iowa, which Iowa needs,” he said.

Trump argued that Iowa voters value federal funding and claimed Republican candidates would help secure money for the state, including support for ethanol and other areas.

“If you put these people in there, you’re not going to bring back any money,” he said, referring to Democrats.

The president did not identify specific polling figures or surveys when dismissing the numbers. Instead, he questioned why the candidates were not performing closer to his own results, saying he had won Iowa by a wide margin.

President Trump blames Democrats for affordability concerns

Asked why Republicans were working hard to hold on to Senate and House seats, Trump shifted to economic issues and blamed Democrats for high prices.

He said Democrats were responsible for the affordability problem, while claiming his administration had reduced prices.

“They’re the ones that caused the affordability problem,” Trump said. “They’re the ones that caused all of these problems.”

Trump also cited border security and his administration’s handling of Iran as reasons voters should support Republicans.

He claimed the border had no people entering the country and said the United States would soon win the war with Iran.

He further argued that Democrats had been unwilling to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while claiming his administration had prevented that outcome.

“We have stopped them from having it,” he said.

Trump did not provide further details about the polling or explain which specific races he was referring to beyond the Senate and House contests in Iowa.

Economic record and federal investment feature in Trump's remarks

Earlier in the exchange, Trump promoted his economic record while outlining his message to voters ahead of the midterm elections.

He described the country as having the “best economy” and claimed that it had attracted $21 trillion in investment.

He connected the investment figure to new manufacturing projects, including the Iowa steel plant announced at the event.

Trump said domestic steel production was essential to national security because the military needs the material for equipment such as aircraft and tanks.

“We can’t call up another nation saying we want to build 2,000 army tanks, and we have no steel,” he said.

Trump also pointed to pharmaceutical companies including Eli Lilly, Merck and Pfizer, saying they were bringing manufacturing back to the United States.

The president said his administration had learned during the Covid-19 pandemic that the country needed to make more products domestically.

“We didn’t make anything. Now we’re making it all,” he said.

Trump also praised his recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, describing it as “a 12” on a scale of zero to 10.

He said the meeting had been respectful and productive, while emphasizing the importance of producing steel and other materials domestically.