On October 21, 2026, two weeks before the midterms and as Trump's approval reached new lows, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr posted on X that the election season had seen “a significant surge in entirely Fake Polls and Suppression Polls,” and wrote: “Broadcasters are advised to avoid engaging in News Distortions or running Broadcast Hoaxes by airing Polls that would violate their regulatory obligations.” He named no poll and announced no investigation, Reuters and Deadline reported, and Politico noted that Carr had floated guidance on poll coverage in early September “but no formal documents have been published.”
The FCC's news-distortion policy reaches only deliberate distortion by licensed over-the-air stations, the Washington Examiner noted; it has no authority over cable, print or pollsters. The post came a day after a firm called Wedgewood Polls admitted it had fabricated polls that news outlets had reported, Newsweek and CNN reported; Carr did not mention it. Trump has repeatedly called unfavorable polls “fake” and reported Kristen Welker to the FCC (see Trump Says Kristen Welker Will Be Reported to the FCC 'for Rebuke or Punishment' for Calling His Endorsements 'Mixed' and The FCC Chair Threatens to Revoke Broadcasters' Licenses Over Iran War Coverage, and Trump Endorses the Threats).