Overview

• In a July 26 Charlie Rose interview Matthews lauded Trump’s elite political instincts and his ability to sense the nation’s mood in real time.
• Matthews declared that “the country is moving towards Trump” and rejected Gallup’s 37 percent and CNN’s Poll of Polls 41 percent approval ratings.
• He asserted that Trump’s public strength eclipses that of Democratic figures such as Joe Biden, Walter Mondale and Barack Obama.
• The remarks represent a dramatic shift from Matthews’s 2017 critique of Trump’s inaugural address as “Hitlerian.”
• His commentary has intensified discussions over media bias and the reliability of polling data heading into the 2025 election cycle.