Trump to ABC Reporter: “No Wonder” — Highest Poll Numbers Ever; Lutnick: “Smartest Person I’ve Ever Met”

An exchange between President Trump and an ABC News reporter in February 2025 produced one of the most viral moments of the early second term. When the reporter cited town hall pushback against DOGE, Trump asked “Who do you work for?” and upon learning it was ABC News, responded: “No wonder.” He then cited his highest-ever poll numbers and dismissed the criticism, saying “we’re finding billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse.” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick followed with an emotional tribute to Trump as “the smartest, most thoughtful, and most intuitive person I’ve ever met” and made an extraordinary pledge: “We are going to balance the budget of the United States of America."

"Who Do You Work For?”

The exchange began when the ABC reporter raised the subject of Republican members of Congress facing pushback at town halls.

“Some members of Congress in red districts are facing pushback from voters in town halls,” the reporter said. “We know that Americans voted for you on immigration and the economy, but these voters say they’re angry and frustrated by these firings. They don’t like the work of Elon Musk and these other actions. What do you say to them?”

Trump’s response began not with an answer but with a question: “Who do you work for?”

“I work for ABC News, sir,” the reporter said.

“Who?” Trump asked again.

“ABC News.”

“No wonder,” Trump said.

The two-word dismissal drew immediate laughter from the room and became the clip of the day. Trump was suggesting that the reporter’s framing — cherrypicking town hall complaints while ignoring broader public support — was characteristic of ABC News’s coverage. The “no wonder” encapsulated the administration’s ongoing critique of mainstream media outlets that amplified opposition voices while minimizing the polling data showing widespread public approval.

”Highest Poll Numbers I’ve Ever Had”

Trump then systematically dismantled the premise of the question with data.

“Let me just tell you that I have today the highest poll numbers I’ve ever had,” Trump said. “I have today the highest poll numbers of any Republican president ever. We haven’t even checked the Democrats, but that’s what I was just told.”

He connected the poll numbers directly to the DOGE mission: “And they like the job that we’re doing. They like the job that Elon’s doing.”

Trump defended Musk’s work in personal terms: “He’s doing something that a lot of people wouldn’t have the courage to do. We want to streamline our country. You know why? Because we want our country to survive and thrive.”

He then cited the financial results: “And we’re finding billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse. Billions. And I mean numbers like you wouldn’t believe. And we haven’t even started yet.”

Trump dismissed the town hall complaints as unrepresentative. “It’s actually just the opposite. We’ve polled it, and people are thrilled. They can’t even believe it’s happening,” he said. “And it won’t affect many people. It’ll only affect the people that get caught stealing.”

He offered specific examples of the fraud being uncovered: “All you have to do is look at the Social Security rolls, look at some of the things, look at the way the money is going. The Attorney General is looking into something — environmental protection, $20 billion. And it’s out-and-out fraud.”

Trump concluded with the confidence that had characterized his entire first month: “So I think the people are very happy.”

Lutnick: “The Smartest, Most Thoughtful Person”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick then delivered what he described as remarks “from the heart” about the president he served.

“First, I’d like to thank you, President Trump. It is the greatest honor to work for you, to be with you, to carry your name, your leadership, and your flag throughout the world,” Lutnick said.

He then addressed the media directly with a characterization of Trump that contradicted the prevailing coverage. “The press has no idea who the gentleman to my left is,” Lutnick said. “They portray him in all sorts of ways. But I know him as the smartest, most thoughtful, and most intuitive person I’ve ever met.”

The comment was notable coming from Lutnick, who had been CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, one of Wall Street’s most prominent firms. As someone who had spent decades in rooms with some of the business world’s sharpest minds, his assessment that Trump was the smartest person he had ever encountered carried professional weight that went beyond political loyalty.

“It is really — it’s amazing to be in this room and to work for him,” Lutnick added.

”We Are Going to Balance the Budget”

Lutnick then made the most ambitious fiscal promise of the Trump second term.

“The opportunity that the Trump administration is going to bring to America is so extraordinary,” Lutnick said. “People think the golden age is a statement. It’s like saying MAGA, Make America Great Again. This is the greatest country on earth.”

He laid out the fiscal vision: “It is such a great country that we can take care of our citizens and give them their Social Security. We can take care of everyone and give them their Medicaid. But we’re going to get rid of so much waste, fraud, and abuse.”

Lutnick drew a clear line: “We’re not going to hurt anybody, but we’re going to get rid of it.”

He then projected forward: “And then we are going to grow this economy in a way that people have never seen.”

The climactic commitment: “Under the Trump administration, my goal — and I’m happy to wear it on my shoulders — is we are going to balance the budget of the United States of America.”

The pledge to balance the federal budget was extraordinary given the $36 trillion national debt and annual deficits exceeding $1 trillion. Lutnick was claiming that the combination of DOGE spending cuts, tariff revenue, and economic growth driven by deregulation and tax cuts would eventually produce a balanced budget — a goal that no administration had achieved since Bill Clinton’s final years in office.

Lutnick grounded the claim in Trump’s unique qualifications: “Because Donald Trump understands global business. It’s the first time you put in that chair the greatest businessman in the United States of America.”

He concluded: “I cannot be more proud to serve my great friend and the greatest president in America, Donald J. Trump.”

The Media Dynamic

The compilation illustrated the two-track communication strategy the Trump administration had perfected. When confronted with hostile framing from mainstream outlets, Trump dispatched the question with a quip (“no wonder”) and then overwhelmed the premise with data (highest poll numbers, billions in fraud discovered). When given an open platform, administration officials like Lutnick delivered passionate testimonials that created shareable content for sympathetic audiences.

The contrast between the ABC reporter’s focus on scattered town hall complaints and Trump’s citation of record-high polling captured the central tension of the administration’s relationship with legacy media. The press covered the exceptions; the administration cited the rule. Both sides claimed to represent public opinion, but the polling data consistently supported the administration’s narrative of broad public approval for its agenda.

Key Takeaways

• Trump dismissed an ABC reporter’s question about town hall pushback with “Who do you work for?” and upon hearing “ABC News,” replied “No wonder.”
• He cited his “highest poll numbers I’ve ever had” and “highest of any Republican president ever,” crediting DOGE’s discovery of “billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse.”
• Commerce Secretary Lutnick called Trump “the smartest, most thoughtful, and most intuitive person I’ve ever met,” directly contradicting media portrayals.
• Lutnick pledged to balance the federal budget under the Trump administration, saying “I’m happy to wear it on my shoulders.”
• Trump said the AG was investigating “$20 billion” in “out-and-out fraud” at the Environmental Protection Agency.