6 in 10 Americans say Trump hasn't been honest about Russia — unless they watch Fox News or CNN
In a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 58 percent of Americans say they don't believe President Trump has been "honest and truthful when it comes to the investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election and related matters," while 37 percent said they think he has been honest and truthful. The results were starkly different depending on political affiliation, though: 75 percent of Republican respondents said they believe Trump has been honest, while just 27 percent of independents and 6 percent of Democrats felt the same way.
And the results also varied by what cable news channel viewers watched, the pollsters found: 84 percent of Fox News viewers, 21 percent of MSNBC viewers, and 1 percent of CNN viewers said they believe Trump has been honest and truthful on the Russia investigation. "Look, these are small samples, we can debate that, but that does tell you something major," Chuck Todd said on Sunday's Meet the Press. "What does that say to you, Fred?" he asked Democratic pollster Fred Yang. "It tells us that you get your reality from what channel you watch," Yang replied.
And even though Special Counsel Robert Mueller has not released his report — or, really, put out any public statements on the Russia investigation — 48 percent of respondents said Mueller's investigation has already given them more doubts about Trump's presidency while 47 percent said it has given them no new doubts. By a 66 percent-to-9 percent margin, respondents said Mueller's report should be made public.
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The poll was conducted Feb. 24-27 among 900 adults, including 720 registered voters, over the phone. The overall margin of error is ±3.3 percentage points, ±3.7 points for registered voters, ±6.3 points for Democratic primary voters, and ±6.8 points for GOP primary voters.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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