The allegation appeared to be a fresh approach to a common campaign-trail theme for Donald Trump in recent days. | M.Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO Trump accuses Democrats of 'making up phony polls' to suppress supporters

Donald Trump accused Democrats on Monday of manufacturing fake polls that show him trailing in the presidential election in order to discourage the GOP nominee’s supporters from voting on Election Day.

“Major story that the Dems are making up phony polls in order to suppress the the [sic] Trump,” the Manhattan billionaire wrote on Twitter Monday morning. “We are going to WIN!”


Trump did not specify which polls he believed to be fake, nor did he offer clarity on which Democrats or Democratic institutions were concocting the “phony” polls. Widely respected and accepted polls have shown Trump trailing badly in recent days, including some that put Democrat Hillary Clinton up by double digits. The former secretary of state holds a 5.8 percentage-point lead in the RealClearPolitics polling average, 45 percent to 39.2 percent.

The allegation appeared to be a fresh approach to a common campaign-trail theme for Trump in recent days, that the presidential election will be rigged against him. Trump has suggested, without evidence, that voter fraud could hand the election to Clinton and has refused to guarantee that he will accept the results on election night.

Trump has also suggested that negative media reports about him, especially those concerning allegations of sexual assault, are also evidence of a rigged election. Trump has regularly said that negative reports about him are the result of a vast conspiracy involving the media and Clinton’s campaign.