What To Know
- Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum questioned a White House Press Secretary about President Trump’s declining poll numbers.
- Anna Kelly defended Trump’s decisions as being based on national security rather than public opinion.
- Trump has previously criticized Fox News polling and showed his dislike of MacCallum.
Fox News host Martha MacCallum brought up President Donald Trump‘s falling poll numbers to Deputy White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly on Monday’s (May 18) edition of The Story.
As Trump’s war with Iran continues, his poll numbers continue to drop, with a recent New York Times poll saying 64 percent of Americans believe attacking Iran was the “wrong decision.” Meanwhile, 65 percent disapprove of the way the president has handled the war so far.
“What’s his reaction to that? What’s been the discussion at the White House about this new polling?” MacCallum asked Kelly.
Kelly brushed off the numbers, saying, “Well, President Trump is always acting in the best interest of our U.S. national security. Again, Iran is a country that for 47 years has chanted, ‘Death to America,’ has killed Americans overseas, has threatened our troops.”
She added, “And so, the president isn’t making decisions based on fluid opinion polls. He’s making decisions on what is best for the national security of our country. And there’s nothing more paramount than ensuring this rogue regime cannot threaten our country with a nuclear weapon.”
This isn’t the first time MacCallum has touched on Trump’s negative poll numbers; in fact, she once brought them up in an interview with the president himself.
In September 2025, Trump sat down with MacCallum for an interview on The Story, during which she noted that Fox News polling showed that 52 percent feel the economy is in worse shape under the Trump administration, 32 percent believe it is better, and 18 percent do not see a change.
“We see polling that does not poll well in the economy… You’ve got unemployment at the highest rate in four years, groceries made a big jump in the last term. You’re looking forward with these plans that you just talked about. When will people feel that, President Trump?” MacCallum asked.
Trump blasted Fox’s polling, saying, “I’ve told you before, it’s the worst polling I’ve ever had. During the election, they had me winning by a little bit and not by a massive amount. And Fox polling, I’ve toldRupert Murdoch, go get yourself a new pollster because he stinks and this is for years now.”
The president also insulted MacCallum in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. During a phone interview on Fox & Friends after the Trump-Kamala Harris debate, host Steve Doocy said Fox News had offered to host a second debate moderated by MacCallum and Bret Baier.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to have Martha and Bret. I’d love to have somebody else other than Martha and Bret,” Trump said, adding that he’d prefer Sean Hannity, Jesse Watters, or Laura Ingraham.
He continued, “I didn’t think Martha and Bret were good last night. Jesse was fantastic last night. What he said, Jesse, really got it. Jesse said, ‘Trump won that debate.’ We won that debate by a lot. And I wouldn’t want Martha involved.”