Trump drops lawsuit against Iowa pollster Ann Selzer and Des Moines Register newspaper
NBCJUL 2
Trump Drops Federal Lawsuit Against Iowa Pollster, Refiles in State Court
Above: U.S. President Donald Trump on board Air Force One in Florida on July 1, 2025. Image copyright: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Trump has every right to sue pollster Ann Selzer for her inaccurate Iowa poll, which smells of corrupt, politically driven manipulation. Her claim that Kamala led by three points days before Election Day, despite Trump's +18 lead in June, lacks credibility. No Democratic surge emerged, yet Selzer's poll favored Democrats. The Register’s audit and her retirement suggest a deliberate suppression tactic to sway voters.
Anti-Trump narrative
Trump's lawsuit has always lacked merit. Selzer's poll, though inaccurate, wasn't corrupt but a methodological misstep, as the Des Moines Register's audit suggests. Polls are snapshots, not certainties, and Selzer's weighting and sampling aimed to reflect Iowa's demographics. Accusing her of a suppression plot ignores the complexity of polling and reeks of Trump's broader authoritarian tactic to discredit critics and undermine democratic institutions.
Cynical narrative
While Trump has certainly launched too many lawsuits, that doesn't mean that all of them are unfounded. The real problem is the mainstream media, which has used its power to damage populist candidates — from Donald Trump to Bernie Sanders — for years at the behest of their corporate leaders. Two things can be true at once: corrupt media should be held accountable and politicians shouldn't sue everyone.