CNN’s March 16 poll showed record-low favorability for the Democratic Party
MSNBC pundit Chris Matthews said Monday that the Democratic Party faces record-low favorability “because nobody checks the facts anymore.”
“What do you make of these numbers for the Democrats?” Morning Joe cohost Mika Brzezinski asked Matthews, pointing to a March 16 CNN poll that found Democrats have a 29 percent favorability rating—a record low.
“Well, you could have seen them the night that Trump addressed the Congress. And you watch the Democratic Party, they seemed like they weren’t there. They were sort of vacant. They weren’t saying anything with their manner. They never questioned the facts,” Matthews said Monday. “You have to have a fact checker.”
“There needs to be a war room,” Matthews continued. “Remember in 1992? Remember how Bill Clinton won that election because he had a war room? He and George Stephanopoulos were down there in Little Rock, and they were checking every fact.”
“Nobody checks the facts anymore,” he added. “And the lies are getting through to the American people.”
Democrats, however, frequently interrupted Trump’s March 4 address, shouting “lies” or “you’re lying.” Many repeatedly raised signs that read “False” and “Musk Steals,” and Rep. Al Green (D., Texas) was ejected from the chamber for disrupting the speech and wagging his cane at the president.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D., Mich.) challenged several of Trump’s claims during her rebuttal to the president’s speech, particularly regarding the economy and the effect tariffs will have on consumer goods. “Do his plans actually help Americans get ahead?” she said. “Not even close.”
Numerous news outlets also published fact-checks of Trump’s speech.
The CNN survey is the latest to show weak polling for Democrats. A January Quinnipiac poll showed 31 percent of registered voters had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, which has faced criticism for being too passive against Trump.
Some Democrats have shown signs of placating conservatives, or at least moving away from the left. Under pressure from House Republicans, Washington, D.C., mayor Muriel Bowser ordered the dismantling of Black Lives Matter Plaza, which began last week. California governor Gavin Newsom (D.) has hosted MAGA celebrities like Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon on his podcast, where the likely 2028 presidential hopeful recently said it’s “deeply unfair” for biological boys to compete in girls sports—a departure from his earlier positions.
