The Media Manipulated How Popular Donald Trump's Speech Actually Was

It is important to read between the lines and do your own research

Over the past twelve hours following Donald Trump’s first joint address to Congress, media organizations like CBS News released polls claiming to show how the general public viewed the speech. However, a closer look at CBS’s methodology reveals a misleading narrative—one that selectively presents data while omitting crucial context. Before I continue, if you want to support my independent media work, which will not mislead you from the truth, consider becoming a paid subscriber today:

Late last night, CBS reported that 76% of Americans who watched Trump’s speech found it favorable. At first glance, this statistic seems to indicate broad public approval. But the key phrase here is who watched the speech.

The poll’s sample was composed of 51% Republicans, 27% independents, and 20% Democrats. That’s a heavily skewed sample compared to the actual political composition of the U.S., where party identification splits roughly as follows: 28% Democrat, 28% Republican, and 43% independent. With leaners included, the numbers sit at 46% Republican and 45% Democrat.

This disparity in the sample raises an important question: Why didn’t CBS mention the difference between its polling sample and the general public when discussing the poll results? The reality is that many Democrats and independents likely opted out of watching Trump’s address, which naturally inflated the percentage of favorable responses among those polled. Yet CBS and other news organizations framed the results as if they reflected the views of the broader American public.

If this kind of selective sampling were a neutral practice, we’d expect consistency in how the media presents such data. But here’s where CBS’s approach becomes even more questionable: The same CBS polling methodology was used to gauge public reaction to Joe Biden’s first joint address, where a staggering 85% of viewers approved and only 15% disapproved. But, you will never hear that from CBS.

This selective framing is a classic example of how mainstream media shapes public perception through omission. By not making it clear that Trump’s support was inflated due to the makeup of the audience, CBS allowed misleading narratives to take root. Meanwhile, the same polling strategy was used to boost Biden’s perceived popularity without the necessary caveats.

The takeaway? Always scrutinize the methodology behind media-reported polls. Numbers alone can be deceiving when presented without context. Whether it’s Trump, Biden, or any other politician, a critical media consumer should question how data is framed, who was polled, and—perhaps most importantly—who wasn’t.

Let me know what you think in the comments.