Voters were asked an unusual question in a Fox News poll released Wednesday: Who does President Donald Trump dislike more — white supremacists or the news media?
Trump has frequently lambasted the press as "fake news" and dismissed journalists as "truly bad people" after being criticized for failing to condemn white supremacists at the violent rally inCharlottesville, Virginia, this month.
Voters, it seems, have taken note of his disdain for the press. The poll results show 70 percent of voters (and the majority of both Democrats and Republicans) believe the president dislikes the media more than white supremacists. Another 12 percent of respondents said he "dislikes both."
The results show 70 percent of voters (and the majority of both Democrats and Republicans) believe the president dislikes the media more than white supremacists. Another 12 percent of respondents said he "dislikes both."
When asked whether white supremacists or the news media posed a greater threat to the United States, poll respondents were divided starkly along party lines. Almost 80 percent of Republicans said the media posed the same or greater threat to the U.S. as white supremacists. Seventy-six percent of Democrats said white supremacists were the greater threat.
Respondents were similarly split on how they felt about Trump's response to the Charlottesville protests, with 72 percent of Republicans approving of the president's response and 91 percent of Democrats disapproving.
Most voters, however, appeared to express dissatisfaction with Trump's leadership overall. More than 55 percent of poll respondents said they "disapproved" of the job Trump is doing as president. Fifty-six percent said the president is "tearing the country apart."
The poll was conducted jointly by Anderson Robbins Research, a Democratic polling firm, and Shaw & Company Research, a Republican company.
A total of 1,006 registered voters were interviewed over the phone from Aug. 27-29. The results have a margin of sample error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.