Fox News host and Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson says President Trump told him that television programming is a more accurate reflection of the public’s beliefs than polling is.
“I know that he watches a lot of television. I know because I’ve talked to him about it at length, that he’s really interested in television, both the mechanics of it — he knows a lot about ratings and lighting, and producing and guest booking,” Carlson said on “The Jamie Weinstein Show.”
Trump was the executive producer and star of the highly rated reality show “The Apprentice,” and has tweeted about cable news throughout his campaign and presidency. However, Trump claimed in a July tweet, “I have very little time for watching T.V.”
Carlson told Weinstein that Trump “believes that television is a pretty clear window into what people care about.”
“He believes that television producers, especially of highly rated shows, understand what the public is interested in — what it fears, what it wants, what it loves. And so TV programming in some ways is a more accurate reflection of the public mood than polling,” Carlson said. “That’s his view, he said it to me. And that’s one of the reasons he watches a lot of television. Whether that’s true or not is an entirely debatable point, but he believes if you want to know where the country is, watch TV.”
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Trump has both touted and attacked public polling. Since entering office he has talked about polls less, likely because his approval ratings have been low. (RELATED: Uh Oh. Pollsters Are Screwing Up Again)
“The numbers that we’re focused on have to do with actual problems that Americans are facing. The numbers that we’re focused on are the ones that actually impact day-to-day life for all Americans,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said about polling during a recent press conference. “That’s what we’re focused on. Certainly not silly polls that frankly weren’t much use to us in the election and certainly I don’t think are now.”