Reuters
- Trump has parted ways with leading internal pollsters after leaked data showed him trailing Democrat Joe Biden in several swing states.
- According to the data commissioned by the president’s re-election campaign in March, Trump trails Biden by double digits in Florida, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
- Trump has dismissed the polling as "incorrect" in an interview with Fox News.
- The president will formally launch his reelection campaign at a rally in Florida on Tuesday.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
President Donald Trump has cut ties with several pollsters after leaked internal data showed the president trailing Democrat Joe Biden in several states key to his chances of victory in 2020, according to multiple reports.
Extensive polling commissioned by Trump’s 2020 campaign in March was recently leaked to the media, reportedly infuriating the president as he prepares to officially launch his re-election bid in Florida on Tuesday.
According to NBC News, which first reported the story, the data shows the president trailing Joe Biden, the Democratic front-runner and former vice president, by double digits in swing states that were key to his shock victory in 2016 — including Pennsylvania, Florida and Wisconsin.
It also shows him trailing Biden in Iowa by seven points, North Carolina by eight points, and holding a narrow two point lead in the the traditionally red state of Texas.
The purge of pollsters was confirmed by outlets including CNN and Politico.
Trump’s 2020 campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Charlie Neibergall/AP Images
The worrying figures for the Trump campaign had first been reported first by NBC News several weeks ago, then a fuller picture emerged in the New York Times earlier in June, which reported Trump had ordered aides to deny the polling data.
The president has himself denied the accuracy of the polling in an interview with Fox News.
"It’s incorrect polling. Yes, it’s incorrect," he said.
"We’re winning that by a lot. And every poll that I see and every poll that we have, I’m winning by — we’re doing well," said Trump.
Politico identified the pollsters let go as Brett Lloyd, Mike Baselice and Adam Geller.
The data paints a picture of the daunting electoral landscape facing the Trump campaign as it prepares for the 2020 election.
Trump claimed victory in 2016 with a series of shock victories in traditionally Democratic Rust Belt states, pledging to wage trade war on China and halt the the decline of traditional industries.
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- Republican Rep. Justin Amash steps down from the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus after calling for Trump’s impeachment
Source: Business Insider – tporter@businessinsider.com (Tom Porter)