J.D. Vance Blasts Fox News Polling During Live Interview: 'The Worst' 

Vice President J.D. Vance knocked Fox News' polling when confronted with statistics showing that Republicans are in deep trouble for the midterm elections.

In a sit-down interview on Tuesday, February 18, with Fox News' The Story anchor Martha MacCallum, Vance addressed challenges facing his MAGA agenda.

“Alright, we are back with Vice President J.D. Vance. So we just mentioned the midterms. I want to just put up a poll. This shows congressional vote preference," MacCallum said.

She continued, "This was at the end of January, so just a few weeks ago, of all voters: Democratic candidate preference at 52, GOP candidate at 46. We’ve got a long way to go, but obviously that number would not be good for the majority."

Echoing criticism frequently voiced by his boss, Vance admitted, “That would not be good. I will say, as much as we love Fox News, we always think Fox News has the worst polling.”

“Me and the president agree on that. I’m sorry. It’s true,” Vance said.

MacCallum replied, “I can show you other ones that are very similar, but since they’re ours, I show ours.”

Vance deflected, adding, “But here, here’s the fundamental issue in the midterms, and I think we’re gonna make this argument to the American people — and the American people are obviously gonna be the ones who make this decision — is, look, if you go back to the Biden administration, the average American lost about $3,000 in take-home pay during the four years that Democrats were in charge.”

The vice president concluded by making several claims — including that Americans are doing well under the current economy — a characterization disputed by many.

As of February 2026, a majority of Americans report feeling that the economy is worse under President Donald Trump’s second term. Recent polling from Pew Research Center and CBS News indicates that roughly 52 percent to 55 percent of U.S. adults believe his policies have made economic conditions worse, primarily due to persistent affordability issues.

Economists and critics argue that Trump's tariffs have contributed to higher consumer prices, with some estimates suggesting an annual cost of $1,700 to $2,120 per average household.

“In the first year of the Trump administration, average Americans have gained about $1,200. Now, there’s kind of a good news, bad news dynamic there. If you’re looking at it from the perspective of the last year, Americans have done better. If you are looking at it from the perspective of the Biden administration, we’re still digging out of the hole the Democrats put us in,” Vance argued.

He concluded: “I think the question we’re going to put to the American people is: do you want to give the government back over to the people who, frankly, burned down the house and made most Americans much less wealthy and much less safe, or do you want to double down on the president’s leadership, which has helped us recover from some of the problems caused by Joe Biden and then has built a lot on top of it?”

While Vance still remains the reported heir to the MAGA throne, early head-to-head polling for 2028 shows a tight race with potential Democratic rivals. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) currently leads Vance by approximately 4 to 8 points in various surveys.