Trump says he doesn’t “believe” in polls and questions how often pollsters “interview” voters

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Former President Donald Trump told podcast host Joe Rogan on Friday that he doesn’t have “a lot of faith” in polls, questioning how often pollsters actually “survey” voters.

Trump gave a three-hour interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience” on Friday, less than two weeks before Election Day. Although numerous recent polls Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are believed to be locked in a tight race for the White House, with the former president expressing disbelief in the polling data.

Do you know how surveys are conducted? “Oh, I’m going to get in trouble,” Trump said. “So I don’t really have too much faith in them.”

Rogan quickly interjected, saying the 2016 presidential election proved polling was “ineffective,” citing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s lead over Trump in most polls near the end of that race. Trump agreed that polling that year was “very ineffective,” pointing to the size of his rallies compared to Clinton’s.

“You know, I have a theory: These pollsters charge you a lot of money too… and they survey about 251 people,” the former president said. “I don’t think they interview them in many cases.”

I am a very sensible person. I think they probably don’t always do polls, and some of them probably never do polls,” he continued. “I don’t know a single person in my entire life who has ever received a call from a sociologist.”

The New York Times and Siena College Research Institute released a poll Friday showing Trump and Harris received support from 48% of voters surveyed. The pollsters also asked respondents questions about a variety of political topics, such as immigration and reproductive rights. The poll showed Trump leading Harris by 11 points on who voters trust most on immigration, while the vice president leads Harris by 16 points on defending abortion access.

Trump also during Friday’s interview remembered his first day in the White House in January 2017. He told Rogan the experience was “surreal,” adding that “the love was so crazy” as he and his family drove down Pennsylvania Avenue after his inauguration.