President Trump on Thursday claimed his State of the Union speech went so well earlier this week that he received positive ratings in "fake polls" created by the media.
"Even the haters back there gave us good reviews of that one," Trump said during a speech Thursday night to Republican National Committee donors, as he gestured toward a group of reporters gathered in the back of the ballroom in his hotel in Washington, D.C.
The president accused the press of manufacturing "fake polls" that were designed to make it look like his State of the Union received widespread disapproval among viewers.
"They came up with fake polls but the fake polls were even good," he said, alleging that network anchors were also told not to say anything "good" about his remarks. "They got calls from their bosses."
Trump received high marks in numerous surveys following his joint address on Tuesday, despite complaints by several Democrats that he used harsh language when referencing young illegal immigrants and offered no real bipartisan solutions.
A poll by CNN, one of Trump's favorite outlets to criticize, found that 48 percent of Americans who watched the president's speech came away from it with a "very positive" impression.