President-elect Donald Trump has called for a formal investigation into the last-minute poll conducted by J. Ann Selzer that inaccurately predicted Iowa would swing in favor of Kamala Harris. The poll, published by the Des Moines Register shortly before Election Day, suggested Harris was leading Trump by three percentage points. However, Trump went on to win the state by a commanding 13 points.
In his Truth Social post, Trump denounced the poll as “totally Fake” and criticized it for spreading doubt and confusion during such a critical period in the election. He accused Selzer of intentionally misguiding the public to benefit Harris and called for a full investigation into her actions. “She knew exactly what she was doing,” Trump asserted, alluding to what he believes was a deliberate effort to undermine his campaign in Iowa.
🚨 BREAKING: Trump calls for investigation into disgraced Iowa pollster Ann Selzer – who released a poll showing Harris winning the state by 3 points just before Election Day.
She was wrong by 16 – and is now "moving on" to other ventures.
TRUMP: "She knew exactly what she was… pic.twitter.com/FlQNIHrF0v
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 17, 2024
Despite the misleading poll, Trump expressed his gratitude to the people of Iowa for delivering a record-breaking victory. He also suggested that “possible election fraud” was tied to the flawed polling results and the Des Moines Register, a paper that had published Selzer’s poll. Trump’s comments reflect his ongoing concerns about the integrity of the election process, particularly in the media and polling sectors.
Selzer, for her part, expressed regret over the results of the poll in an Op-Ed published on Sunday. She admitted to being surprised by the outcome, acknowledging that polling can be an imprecise science. “I am humbled, yet always willing to learn from unexpected findings,” Selzer wrote, as she announced she would no longer conduct election polling in the future.
Trump slams pollster whose ‘totally fake poll’ showed Harris winning Iowa, calls for probe https://t.co/ns9tLcaJqQ pic.twitter.com/GWU7dh6sFT
— New York Post (@nypost) November 18, 2024
In a follow-up statement, Selzer released a detailed analysis to explain where she may have gone wrong in her predictions. However, Trump’s campaign is not satisfied with her explanation, and they continue to call for further scrutiny of the polling process and its potential impact on the election.
