Greg Gutfeld's Unlikely Defense of Trump on Fox News
In a surprising turn on Fox News' The Five, host Greg Gutfeld vehemently denied that President Donald Trump is a narcissist or obsessed with his own poll numbers, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. This assertion left his colleague Jessica Tarlov visibly aghast, highlighting the stark divide in perspectives within the network.
Gutfeld's Controversial Claims
During Monday's episode, Gutfeld picked up on co-host Charles Hurt's comment praising Trump as "the only politician we've ever had who is always willing to spend political capital on something other than just getting himself re-elected." Gutfeld agreed, stating, "It's the complete opposite of how he's painted, as this narcissist who is worried about his poll numbers, when, in fact, all he's trying to do is build capital so he can spend it."
He further insisted that Trump remains unfazed by low approval ratings, claiming, "When they're low, he's like, eh, whatever. It doesn't bother him." This defense directly contradicts Trump's well-documented history of lashing out at unfavorable poll results.
Tarlov's Disbelief and Trump's History
Jessica Tarlov, the panel's liberal voice, could barely contain her shock. "Not worried about his poll numbers?" she gasped, pointing out Trump's tendency to dismiss negative data as "fake." Her reaction was justified, given that just last week, Trump called into the same show to complain about a Fox poll showing his approval rating at a second-term low of 59% disapproval.
In that episode, Trump griped, "I hate Fox polls. Honestly, whoever does your polls is terrible," and attacked Tarlov in absentia, accusing her of quoting "fake" statistics. He claimed, "She'll give, 'Well, he's only polling 42 percent.' That's not right. I'm polling very high actually."
Polling Reality vs. Gutfeld's Narrative
Contrary to Gutfeld's claims, Trump's approval ratings are consistently underwater. As of Monday, polling expert Nate Silver's composite figures show Trump with an average approval rating of 39.9% and a net approval of -16.7%. The proportion of Americans strongly disapproving of him has hit a second-term high of 46.7%.
Silver attributes this decline to rising gas prices above $4 per gallon due to the Iran war and "profound problems" within Trump's base, including infighting over Operation Epic Fury. A recent Reuters poll placed Trump's favorability even lower at 36%, reinforcing these trends.
Trump's Explosive Reactions to Polls
Trump has a long history of furious responses to unfavorable polls. Last April, he raged on Truth Social about Fox News pollsters, calling them "Negative Criminals" and accusing them of "cheating and lying." He wrote, "They suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome... THEY ARE SICK, almost only write negative stories about me... AND ARE TRULY THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!"
This pattern of behavior starkly contrasts Gutfeld's portrayal of a president indifferent to public opinion, underscoring the contentious nature of his defense on Fox News.
