56 Percent Of Americans Say Calling MS-13 Members ‘Animals’ Is Fair
Last week, during a roundtable discussion about California’s “sanctuary” law, President Donald Trump made a controversial remark when he referred to immigrants as “animals.”
“We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in, and we’re stopping a lot of them. But we’re taking people out of the country. You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals. And we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before,” he said.
After this remark, the White House clarified that Trump did not call the immigrants, “animals.” His criticism was directed at MS-13 gang members, the administration said in a statement. Nevertheless, the president’s choice of words drew a lot of flak.
Surprisingly, according to the findings of Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll, which is yet to be released, about 56 percent of American adults said that referring to members of the gang as “animals” is fair, compared to 44 percent who said that the characterization was unfair.
According to a report by The Hill, which has access to the survey findings, 52 percent of Americans said that the comments that “dehumanize” members of MS-13 are acceptable.
Last month, Harvard University released another poll. The survey gathered responses for 1,549 registered voters. Respondents were asked about Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, former FBI director James Comey’s memo leaks, and the Trump administration’s take on North Korea, the Middle East, and issues like immigration.
JUST IN: Trump nominates fierce anti-illegal immigration advocate for top refugee job https://t.co/iMUg0pMZXT pic.twitter.com/b5mQD36Ngc
— The Hill (@thehill) May 25, 2018
About 51 percent of the voters said that Mueller should continue to investigate, while 49 percent said that he should stop the Russia probe. About 56 percent of the respondents say that the firing of Comey constituted obstruction of justice, while 72 percent were in favor of investigating potential abuses at the FBI. About 55 percent of voters believe that FBI bias against Trump played a role in launching the investigation.
The poll also found that about 66 percent of Americans continue to favor a DACA deal that would include a path to citizenship for DACA recipients. Nearly 56 percent of voters approve of the way the administration is handling tensions with North Korea. However, they do have their reservations. While 69 percent of the respondents support President Trump’s decision to meet with Kim Jong-Un, about 50 percent say North Korea may not be willing give up nuclear weapons despite the talks.
On the Middle East issue, about 72 percent of the voters said that maintaining a military presence in Syria is not a popular idea.
