Trump claims poll numbers showed he could beat Washington and Lincoln before the Covid outbreak
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump claimed he was told shortly before the Covid-19 outbreak that his poll numbers were so strong he could beat two past presidents — George Washington and Abraham Lincoln — by a wide margin.
Speaking at the Kennedy Center, Trump revisited a conversation he said took place with his pollsters right before he learned about the virus spreading overseas. According to him, they assured him he was positioned for a near-certain victory in the 2020 election before the pandemic reshaped the political landscape.
A clip shared by The Bulwark captured Trump recounting the moment. “I met with pollsters the day before I got the news about Covid,” he said. “They said, ‘Sir, if George Washington and Abraham Lincoln came back from the dead, and they aligned and they went for the president, vice president as a combination, you’d be beating them by 25 points.’”
Trump: “I met with pollsters the day before I got the news about COVID…They said, ‘Sir, if George Washington and Abraham Lincoln came back from the dead, and they aligned and they went for the president, vice president as a combination. You'd be beating them by 25 points.’” pic.twitter.com/HMTEYDhr8B
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) November 19, 2025
Donald Trump recalls Covid impact on 2020 campaign
Addressing the audience on Wednesday, November 19, Trump reflected on what he described as the global upheaval caused by the pandemic. He referenced what he called a productive meeting with his campaign team that took place hours before he was informed about troubling reports of a deadly outbreak abroad.
Looking back, Trump said, “We did a great job with Covid, but that was a horrible thing for the whole world. The whole world suffered. Your countries suffered. Everybody suffered.”
He noted that the crisis changed everything, both politically and globally, and suggested his administration’s handling of the situation deserved more credit
Donald Trump cites pollsters predicting win over Washington and Lincoln
Trump tied the pollsters’ claim to what he said had been a strong economy and a confident campaign heading into 2020. He repeated that the pollsters stressed how dominant his position appeared before the virus arrived.
“I’ll never forget,” he said. “I met with pollsters the day before I got the news about Covid. They said, sir, if George Washington and Abraham Lincoln came back from the dead and they aligned, and they went for the president, vice president as a combination, you’d be beating them by 25 points.”
He said the next day he was told of unusual reports from overseas. “There’s a lot of death being reported in a certain country. I won’t tell you which one because that country is well represented here. But you know which one,” he said. “Thousands and thousands of people are dying. And I said, that’s strange. What would that be? And it turned out to be a disaster for the world.”
Donald Trump repeats earlier claim of wider margin
Trump has continued to insist that Joe Biden’s 2020 victory resulted from fraud, although no evidence supports that claim. He has used the Washington-Lincoln comparison before, though he has cited different margins.
At the Hispanic Leadership Conference in 2022, Trump said pollster John McLaughlin told him he would beat Washington and Lincoln by 40 percent if they ran as a ticket.
