U.S. President Donald Trump reacts, as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., September 26, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
President Donald Trump leaned on an unlikely source of praise Wednesday when he paused his Arizona rally to play a flattering CNN segment before thanking the network he's battling in court for highlighting his popularity among Republican voters.
The unexpected moment came as Trump boasted about the strength of his MAGA movement, at one point claiming he had won all 50 states — twice.
“We won 38 states, initially. Then we won 50 after that,” Trump said. “We won 50. We won 50 twice, actually.”
Neither Trump nor any president has ever won all 50 states in a presidential election.
Trump then turned to CNN, a network he routinely attacks as “fake news,” to make his case about MAGA’s popularity.
“CNN is not — they’re not one of us,” Trump told the crowd in Bullhead City, Arizona. “But they did a big poll recently, two of them. And I’m going to show you. These are CNN polls. So pretty amazing.”
A camera panned from Trump to a massive screen behind the crowd, where a segment featuring CNN data analyst Harry Enten appeared. It showed Enten highlighting polling placing Trump’s approval among MAGA Republicans at 98%, compared with the 99% who backed him in 2024.
The segment also showed Trump leading former Republican presidents Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln as the GOP presidents Republicans most admire, with 54% choosing Trump.
When the clip ended, Trump appeared pleased.
“Thank you very much. Well, that’s very nice. Thank you. What an honor,” he said. CNN is among the media outlets Trump banned last month from the White House, triggering a lawsuit and ongoing court battle.
Trump then urged supporters to elect Republicans in November, promising $5,000 if the GOP retained control of Congress.
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