President-elect Donald Trump is calling for an investigation into famed Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer, whose final poll of the state incorrectly found Vice President Kamala Harris with a lead.
“A totally Fake poll that caused great distrust and uncertainty at a very critical time,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website on Sunday. “She knew exactly what she was doing.”
Selzer’s poll, released days before the election, found Harris with a 3-point lead in Iowa. Trump won the state by 13 points.
Selzer, who was known for her accuracy until this year’s miss, announced this weekend she was done with polling and moving on to “other ventures.”
Trump shared the announcement and accused Selzer of “possible ELECTION FRAUD,” adding: “An investigation is fully called for!”
Trump has long pushed disproven and discredited claims of fraud over the 2020 election, which he lost. This may be the first time he is claiming fraud in an election he actually won.
Critics on social media warned that with the Justice Department at his disposal, Trump will soon have the power to make investigations such as this actually happen:
This is crazy but he’s actually going to do 90% of this shit. He’s unhinged.
— Keith Edwards (@keithedwards.bsky.social)2024-11-17T22:28:00.604Z
Oh my god. When are people going to realize it’s all going to be as bad as we think it’s going to be.
— (@rslott.bsky.social)2024-11-17T22:02:57.662Z
If you don’t think Donald Trump is gonna harass anyone who spoke against him, you’re not paying attention.Bro wants to investigate Ann Selzer for a poll?Seriously?🙄
— Art Candee (@artcandee.bsky.social)2024-11-18T00:04:04.797Z
Nobody likes a sore winner. Donald Trump is calling for an investigation into pollster Ann Selzer after she released a bombshell Iowa poll just days before the presidential election that showed Democratic nominee Kamala Harris up in the state by three points.
— Morgan J Freeman (@mjfree.bsky.social)2024-11-18T02:11:25.730Z
Investigating people for polls you don’t like doesn’t seem particularly free speechy.
— Mike Masnick (@mmasnick.bsky.social)2024-11-17T22:15:38.568Z
Imagine being so fucking insecure that you:1. Win the election2. Win the popular vote3. Have people literally chanting your name like you’re Dear Leader….and you go still want to go after a fucking pollster who came out with a bad poll?Sure, it’s fascist, but its also just fucking sad.
— Matt Separa (@mattsepara.bsky.social)2024-11-17T22:27:02.672Z
This is actually insane. Like, even more insane than Trump’s usual insanity. He’s talking about using the government to punish anyone who reports any information he doesn’t like. See also Viktor Orbán’s Hungary.
— Jeff Bolichowski (@jeffbmedia.bsky.social)2024-11-17T23:24:14.534Z
These kind of threats will have a chilling effect on free speech. Defending against an investigation like this can financially ruin someone.
— esther c (@estherclark.bsky.social)2024-11-18T05:26:41.107Z
He can’t be content with proving that the poll was wrong. He has to seek revenge. This is what you voted for, Republicans.
— (@suffragettesoul81.bsky.social)2024-11-17T22:05:27.109Z
He is going to make an example of her for any woman who holds power. Power to make him look bad, like a loser. Any woman he views as having a greater influence than him. He views women as weak and easy to bully and push around. She didn’t do anything wrong and in fact was probably right.
— Merry Miller (@monetpainter.bsky.social)2024-11-17T23:18:42.928Z
We got ourselves a bona fide dictator here
— Elizabeth Tamny (@etamny.bsky.social)2024-11-17T23:21:18.359Z
If you don’t think Donald Trump is gonna harass anyone who spoke against him, you’re not paying attention.Bro wants to investigate Ann Selzer for a poll?Seriously? We need to defend her.
— KamallaDreams (@kamalladreams.bsky.social)2024-11-18T00:19:51.741Z
A Trump 2.0 regime will be at least as bad as some of us think, and probably worse than most do.
— That “We ARE going back” Chick (@ladysnark.bsky.social)2024-11-17T23:07:00.901Z
