Despite the 91 criminal counts in four separate indictments against the “former guy,” a recent Wall Street Journal poll shows a tight 2024 race between that “former guy” and President Joe Biden: In fact, the poll showed Trump just one point ahead of the President.

Adding insult to injury for the incumbent prez, Real Clear Politics polling averages show the President a mere 0.4% point margin over Trump, basically a toss-up. 

I’m scratching my head at this one: In 2024 our choice is A.) an indicted criminal with fascist tendencies who wants to enforce mandatory stop-and-frisk laws, recruit the military to fight street crime, purge the federal government, and deport immigrants, or B.) a proven civil servant whose administration has seen record job growth over the past two years, passed student debt relief, increased the federal minimum wage, lowered healthcare and drug costs, and passed the most significant gun safety bill in decades (to name just a few). 

The same poll revealed that most voters think Joe Biden is too old to be president for a second term and that someone else should be the candidate for the Democratic party. Sure, the President is no youngster, but his administration has accomplished much for the American people, including efforts to reverse the damage done by #45.

The poll has gone viral on all media outlets, such as CNN, Fox, and NBC, but as MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough pointed out, Trump is a liar, has been indicted four times, and yet he’s tied with Biden because Biden is too old? 

I call foul here: Biden is just three years older than Trump, and personally, he has a much healthier lifestyle than the guy who claims to be 6’3” and 215 pounds. 

So, are Trump and Biden really neck-and-neck?

Maybe we should dig deeper and take a look behind the scenes: The poll was conducted in part by Trump’s former campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio.

Fabrizio conducted the survey in partnership with Michael Bocian, a Democrat, and in a separate WAPO piece, the publication did acknowledge that Fabrizio “works for a super PAC supporting Trump’s candidacy.” Fabrizio also worked as the chief pollster on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, and as of 2023, Trump’s super PAC (Make America Great Again Inc.), has paid Fabrizio’s company more than half a million dollars.

But that’s not all. Fabrizio also has ties to former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. We all remember that guy: Manafort was convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion in 2018, and helped to get Putin’s man elected in Ukraine. Fabrizio owned a firm that made a payment of $125,000 to Manafort in 2017, and he was also the supervising Trump campaign pollster when Manafort provided polling data to one of Putin’s oligarch connections Oleg Deripaska, by way of known Russian spy Konstantin Kilimnik. 

While the major news outlets continue to cover this poll, and talking heads banter about Joe Biden’s age, let’s keep in mind who paid for it. 

More importantly, let’s keep in mind what’s on the line for our nation and our Democracy. America is at a crossroads: Fascism or Democracy. 

For me, the choice is simple.