Trump points to crowd sizes as evidence he's on a roll, says polls are wrong

WASHINGTON (SBG) – With President Donald Trump back on the campaign trail this week, he’s pointing to the large crowds as evidence he’s on a roll and says the polls are wrong.

Nationally and consistently, most major surveys have shown Joe Biden with a lead, and in many cases, a double-digit lead. That’s notably larger than the lead Hillary Clinton held over Donald Trump in 2016.

But if you ask Trump at a rally about the polls showing Biden with a significant lead, he’ll say, "These are the real polls, right? The other guy gets out there and he's, they work and work and work and 30 people show up.”

The large crowds, often showing their faces in the midst of a pandemic, do indicate a passionate following. But is it enough and are the polls accurate?

"I think people trust polls less than they used to. We’ve always had distrust," said Peter Loge, Associate Professor at George Washington University. "There’s the infamous Dewey beats Truman headlines...and anything can happen and sometimes anything does, right? That’s why we watch sports. If the favorite team always won, nobody would bother.”

While the polls were wrong in 2016 -- especially in particular states -- showing Clinton consistently on top in the final weeks, they were actually pretty close nationally. They showed her up a few points and she won the popular vote by close to that.

But this time, there’s reporting some Trump supporters aren’t taking part.

One variable in all of this: is there a significant number of voters who would rather remain in the shadows when it comes to polling or talking to the media, but will go to Trump events, and definitely show up on Election Day?

"They’re showing up in mass gatherings without masks and big red hats on. These are not a shy crowd," Loge continued. "The question is, are there enough of them to matter?"

With already more than 11 million cast, it’s hard to know who’s still being polled, though Democrats have reason to be cautiously confident.

"The only way we lose this is by the chicanery going on relative to polling places," Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said.

They know people have to participate and not just talk about it, calling in their biggest voices like former President Barack Obama, for that ‘get out the vote’ effort.