Trump insists polls trashing his travel ban are 'fake news' as he claims to have 'data' backing up his decision 

  • President Donald Trump claims 'fake news' polls are missing public support for his travel ban order
  • Said on Twitter that his decisions are made on the basis of 'accumulated data'
  • Recent CNN and CBS polls, conducted with live callers, show a majority of Americans reject his plan
  • But polls conducted anonymously online tell a different story, with most on Trump's side 

By David Martosko, Us Political Editor For Dailymail.com

Published: 08:00 EST, 6 February 2017 | Updated: 08:58 EST, 6 February 2017

Donald Trump said Monday that polls showing Americans are divided over his controversial travel ban executive order are 'fake news.'

The president claimed to have 'data' backing up his policy that restricted international arrivals in the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries linked to Islamic terrorism.

'Any negative polls are fake news, just like the CNN, ABC, NBC polls in the election. Sorry, people want border security and extreme vetting,' Trump wrote on Twitter.

'I call my own shots, largely based on an accumulation of data, and everyone knows it. Some FAKE NEWS media, in order to marginalize, lies!'

President Donald Trump, shown with White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (left) during his Super Bowl party on Sunday, tweeted disbelief on Monday about polls showing a lack of public support for his temporary travel ban order

President Donald Trump, shown with White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (left) during his Super Bowl party on Sunday, tweeted disbelief on Monday about polls showing a lack of public support for his temporary travel ban order

Trump blasted 'fake news' polls on Monday, claiming to have unspecified 'accumulated data' to back up his contention

Trump blasted 'fake news' polls on Monday, claiming to have unspecified 'accumulated data' to back up his contention

Trump did not say what that data consists of.

A CNN/ORC poll released Friday showed that 53 per cent of Americans oppose the president's plan, which also suspended America's refugee program for 120 days. the US refugee program for 120 days.

Hours earlier a CBS News poll found 51 per cent don't like Trump's approach.

The president frequently bashed pollsters during his White House campaign, saying – correctly – that their methods were flawed and missed a 'silent majority' of his supporters. 

Ultimately Trump prevailed in the Electoral College by winning 'swing' states where opinion surveys showed him trailing in the lead-up to Election Day.

Part of that phenomenon reflected a difference between results of live-caller polls and online surveys that provide the same sort of anonymity as the voting booth.

The Trump campaign contended that Americans were more likely to support him when they didn't have to tell another person that they would vote for the unconventional Republican.

The same anomaly could be at work in polls about Trump's temporary travel ban.

The CNN and CBS polls surveyed Americans in phone calls, as did a Gallup poll. All three showed majorities opposing the policy.

But four online polls have found majorities or pluralities of Americans support the president. Those include surveys from Reuters/Ipsos, Rasmussen Reports, Public Policy Polling and YouGov/Huffington Post.

The Rasmussen poll, which was limited to likely voters, showed a 52-43 gap in Trump's favor.

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