A Democratic strategist threatened to leave an interview after being challenged on polling data that suggests his party is behind in the upcoming elections.
The White House is trying to project confidence about Joe Biden's re-election odds, despite some sobering numbers. Simon Rosenberg, founder of the New Democrat Network, said that the current polling is "just wrong" during a contentious exchange with the left-wing New Yorker.
"I’m ending the interview,” Rosenberg said. “I’m ending the interview because what you’re doing is ridiculous.”
Rosenberg dismissed the polls as unreliable, pointing to Democrats' track record since 2022, when a widely anticipated "red wave" fizzled months after the Supreme Court rolled back the federal right to an abortion.
"The fundamental dynamic of our politics, since the spring of 2022, has been consistent Democratic over-performance and consistent Republican underperformance," Rosenberg said.
Rosenberg grew testy when interviewer Isaac Chotiner mentioned an article in FiveThirtyEight that described polls in 2022 as accurate, despite Republicans' apparent underperformance that year.
"So if you want to keep coming back at this, do it. But this has become one of the most ridiculous interviews that I’ve ever done my entire professional career," Rosenberg said.
Recent polling has shown Donald Trump gaining momentum, putting Democrats on the defensive. Biden has sought to keep abortion front and center on the campaign trail, as voters sour on his handling of the economy and the southern border.
On the other hand, Democratic Senate candidates are polling well, despite a Senate map seen as generally favorable to the GOP.
While Democrats place their faith in an abortion backlash, Trump has taken steps to neutralize the issue by rejecting calls for a federal ban.
Criminal prosecutions into Trump have also stalled, with the exception of a "hush money" trial that is seen as having an uncertain impact on the election. Despite Rosenberg's confident assertions, a New York Times/Siena College poll earlier this month showed Trump ahead of Biden in five out of six swing states.
The poll found disillusionment with Biden among traditionally Democratic black and Hispanic voters, whom Trump has aggressively courted, making a swing through the Bronx last week.
A national average of polls from FiveThirtyEight has Trump more than one point ahead of Biden.
According to Axios, Biden is also skeptical of public opinion surveys that show him behind, but some Democrats fear Biden is in denial.
