Trump Flails After Conservative CNBC Host Fact-Checks His Poll Numbers Boast During Live Interview

President Donald Trump sputtered unintelligibly during a live TV phone interview with CNBC host Joe Kernen after Kernen tried to push back on his claim that he has "the best poll numbers I've ever had."

Trump bragged that Americans nationwide are pleased that "foreign countries aren't ripping us off," only to sputter when Kernen pointed out that his poll numbers are in fact down with just about everyone except most Republicans.

Trump said:

"I have poll numbers where I'm 71 percent. I have the best poll numbers. ... Among Republicans I'm at 94 and 95 percent, I'm telling you about generally. Let me put it this way: There was a gentleman on CNN and he went crazy over how well Trump was doing."

"You don't put that on because CBS, I think CNN is a shade better than NBC. I think NBC is the worst of them all. But if you watch CNN tomorrow, watch [CNN host Harry Enten] and you'll see about the numbers but that's okay, we have to defend ourselves."

After Kernen noted that "your haters cite polls that have you down in the 30s," Trump responded:

"Yeah, but they're fake polls, Joe. A lot of fake polls. You also have me in the 70s. I have fake polls."

"Fox gives me terrible polls all the time. I never have a good poll with Fox and then I win an election and then I go through the roof. I won every swing state, did I not? I won every swing state. I won the popular vote by millions of votes."

"Even though they tried like hell to cheat, I won by millions of votes. I won the counties, all of the counties. I won 7,000... no, I won 2,750 to 502 and I won the election in a landslide. Obviously we're only six months in but my poll numbers are better now, much better."

You can watch their interaction in the video below.

It's unclear where Trump got the idea that he enjoys a 70+ percent approval rating with the general public other than thin air, but the numbers aren't anything like what he claims.

Trump’s approval rating has dropped six points since April, according to a new poll from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The poll, conducted July 25–30 among 1,000 adults, shows the president with a 38 percent approval rating and 58 percent disapproval—down from 44 percent approval and 51 percent disapproval in April. The margin of error is 3.5 percent

Trump also scored poorly on major policy areas like immigration and civil rights, while his ratings on jobs and inflation dipped slightly but remained within the margin of error.

A separate Gallup poll recently recorded Trump’s approval at 37 percent, his lowest of his second term and nearing the 34 percent rating he held just before leaving office in January 2021 after the January 6 insurrection.

Trump was mocked profusely.

At no point during the interview did Trump address the Epstein files, which are said to contain detailed lists of some of the late financier, pedophile, and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's most high-profile clients and enablers.

Trump has refused to release the files despite campaigning on a pledge to do so. Additionally, his attorney general, Pam Bondi, has come under fire for walking back promises to release the files despite stoking conspiracy theories surrounding them for months.

Polls show that the majority of voters on both sides of the aisle believe Trump's administration is hiding information about the case, dealing another blow to the image he attempts to project.