Trump signs
© Gage Skidmore
Just like in 2016, many of President Trump's strongest supporters are staying quiet about their Election Day pick, likely misleading pollsters and the media about the state of the presidential race.

In the latest Rasmussen Reports survey of the silent supporters, the pollster said, "Trump voters appear to be hiding their vote again this election cycle."

The report said that 17% of likely voters who "strongly approve" of Trump "are less likely to let others know how they intend to vote in the upcoming election."

In 2016, when Trump was under attack in the media, and especially after then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said his supporters belonged in a "basket of deplorables," many also stayed quiet about supporting Trump.

That likely led some pollsters to get the race wrong and played a role in the media blowing it, too. Rasmussen Reports said it made adjustments in its formula and, in the end, got the percentage of Clinton's popular vote nearly perfect, a point it bragged on in its new analysis. The report said:
"At this time in the 2016 election cycle with Trump already being regularly bashed by the media, Republicans were similarly less forthcoming about how they intended to vote, and pollsters, with the exception of Rasmussen Reports and a couple others, completely missed Trump's surprise victory."
Still, most Trump supporters are willing to talk up the president. The poll said that 59% of those who "strongly approve" of Trump are more likely to tell others whom they will vote for. It's higher for those who don't like Trump, with 66% saying they would share their vote.

The report added:
"Again this cycle, the quietest voters are those not affiliated with either major political party. Twenty-one percent (21%) say they are less likely to let others know how they intend to vote; 45% are more likely to tell."