Trump Spooked By Polls? President Demands Retraction Of CNN Survey Showing Joe Biden In The Lead

President Trump’s 2020 campaign on Wednesday has taken the bizarre tactic of demanding a retraction of a poll. The poll, which was released by CNN on Monday and compiled by SSRS, showed Trump trailing presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden by a considerable 14 points.

In a letter sent to CNN President Jeffrey Zucker, the campaign accused the poll of utilizing skewed sampling and questions to create a poll that would intentionally present a negative image of Trump heading into the general election. The letter was signed by Trump’s senior legal advisor Jenna Ellis and chief operating officer Michael Glassner.

“It's a stunt and a phony poll to cause voter suppression, stifle momentum and enthusiasm for the President, and present a false view generally of the actual support across America for the President,” the letter claimed.

The poll also notably found Trump’s approval rating to be at a dire 38%, comparable to other one-term presidents prior to the defeat, with a similarly poor disapproval rating of 57%.

The campaign goes on to demand a complete retraction and apology for the poll. CNN, in response, has rejected the allegations fully and will stand by the poll.

Official response from CNN General Counsel to @TeamTrump‘s letter demanding CNN apologize for a poll that shows @JoeBiden leading. pic.twitter.com/pQaGPxsA0y
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) June 10, 2020

“To my knowledge, this is the first time in its 40-year history that CNN had been threatened with legal action because an American politician or campaign did not like CNN's polling results,” David Vigilante, CNN’s executive vice president, said in response to the demand. “To the extent we have received legal threats from political leaders in the past, they have typically come from countries like Venezuela or other regimes where there is little or no respect for a free and independent media.”

CNN's polls were similar to other recent polls. A Politico/Morning Consult poll released this week showed Trump with 39% approval rating and a 58% disapproval rating. A Gallup poll released Wednesday also showed Trump had a 39% approval rating and with a disapproval rating of 57%.

Polls continue to show Biden with a big lead on Trump, according to RealClearPolitics.com.