Trump Brags To Reporters on AF1 About Election Win: ‘This Just Came Out!’

President Donald Trump made his way to the press cabin aboard Air Force One, proudly showcasing a USA Today analysis of the 2024 election that he won—yet another instance of Trump playfully teasing reporters.

In mid-November, USA Today released an article by Karina Zaiets, Ramon Padilla, and Carlie Procell titled “How America Voted: Which Counties Shifted Toward Trump and a Look at Voter Turnout.” The report featured multiple interactive maps.

Following a speech in Miami on Wednesday night, Trump returned to the press cabin on Air Force One holding a printed copy of the article, which prominently displayed a county-level map covered in red.

“So you just saw this– this just came out. Yeah, and I’d say that’s quite good right? By any standard that’s quite good. We shouldn’t leave USA–. Is anybody here from USA Today?” Trump said, attempting to thank the publication directly.

“Yesterday we had someone,” a reporter replied.

Trump then engaged with journalists for roughly 15 minutes, addressing a variety of subjects, including making further controversial remarks regarding the war in Ukraine and Elon Musk’s involvement with DOGE.

Among the notable findings, the USA Today analysis highlighted that even counties he lost in 2024 experienced a shift in his favor:

To secure victory in 2024, Trump needed to sway several traditionally left-leaning counties in a more conservative direction. Winning those counties outright was not necessary—he simply had to reduce the margin.

For instance, in Nevada, Trump flipped the state that had gone to Joe Biden in 2020. His success was partly due to narrowing the gap in two key counties, even though he did not win them:

• Washoe County: The margin moved 3.5 points toward Trump, flipping from blue to red.
• Clark County: Already leaning red, Trump further closed the gap by 6.8 points.

WATCH:

One month after taking office and swiftly advancing his policy agenda, President Trump’s approval rating has held steady in positive territory.

According to Newsweek, Trump has achieved at least a 50 percent approval rating in three recent polls, despite other surveys indicating a decline in his favorability since his return to office.

A SurveyUSA poll conducted with 2,000 adults found that 51 percent approve of Trump’s job performance, while 45 percent disapprove, resulting in a net approval score of +6 points.

When broken down by region, the survey revealed:

• Rural areas: 59 percent approval
• Suburban areas: 48 percent approval
• Urban areas: 51 percent approval

The SurveyUSA poll took place between February 13 and 16, with a margin of error of ±2.6 percentage points.

A separate Morning Consult poll, published on Tuesday, reported 50 percent of voters approving of Trump’s performance, while 47 percent disapproved, according to Newsweek.

Eli Yokley, U.S. politics analyst for Morning Consult, and Cameron Easley, head of U.S. political analysis, observed that Trump’s approval rating has “stabilized” following a three-week decline.

“The president’s approval and favorability ratings have stabilized following three straight declines week over week. Voters are slightly more likely to approve than disapprove of Trump’s job performance, 50% to 47%, and slightly more likely to view him unfavorably than favorably on a personal level, 49% to 48%,” Yokley stated to Newsweek. “Both figures represent marginal improvements from last week’s update and are similar to his numbers at the same point in his first term in office.”

Furthermore, a recent poll from a Republican-leaning firm confirmed Trump’s strong approval ratings.

The Napolitan News survey, conducted by Scott Rasmussen and RMG Research, placed Trump’s approval rating at 55 percent, with 43 percent disapproving, giving him a net approval score of +12 points, Newsweek reported.

Since his return to the White House on January 20, Trump’s approval rating has consistently remained above 50 percent, reaching a peak of 57 percent during his inauguration week.