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Baier confronts Trump over Fox polling after Democrats win both chambers
Bret Baier challenged President Donald Trump on air after Trump criticised Fox News’s midterm polling, which had forecast Democratic gains. Baier said the results were close to the network’s predictions; Democrats took control of the House and Senate, while also winning races in Republican strongholds.
Trump continued to dispute the polls, saying Fox had misjudged his popularity for years. He stood by his support for Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton, who lost to Democrat James Talarico, and also discussed South Carolina candidate Darlene Graham’s defeat. Trump said he was open to working with Democrats, while blaming his February invasion of Iran for the Republican losses and defending the decision to launch it.
In short
- Baier said Fox’s midterm forecasts were close to the results.
- Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress.
- Trump said he was open to working with Democrats.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Baier’s challenge can be seen as a legitimate effort to hold the president accountable for publicly disputing polling that broadly matched the election outcome. Accurate polling helps voters understand public opinion, and a news interviewer serves the public by asking a leader to address evidence that conflicts with his claims.
The case against
Trump’s criticism can be seen as a fair challenge to a network whose polls, in his view, have repeatedly underestimated his popularity; polling remains an imperfect measure and can be wrong about political support. He could also reasonably argue that election results have several causes, so polls alone do not settle why Republicans lost, while defending his past endorsements and policy choices as matters of principle.
Explained simply
Bret Baier is a Fox News presenter who interviews politicians and discusses elections. Fox News also publishes opinion polls, which estimate how people may vote; they are not results and can differ from the final count.
In US elections, the House of Representatives and the Senate are the two chambers of Congress, which makes federal laws and scrutinises the president. Control of each chamber affects which legislation can pass and how readily Congress can challenge the president.
Donald Trump is a Republican president, and Ken Paxton and James Talarico are politicians from Texas. Disputes over polling, candidate endorsements and the effects of foreign policy can shape debate within a party and relations between the White House and Congress.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Fox News host Bret Baier scolds Trump live on air after president claimed network’s polls were ‘terrible’, as humbled commander-in-chief says he’s opened to working with Dems”.