Most Believe Trump Is To Blame For Negativity And Incivility In America Today
Americans overall are split on who is to blame for the uncivil and vitriolic tone in our nation’s capital, but a plurality of registered voters believe that most of the blame lies with the president.
An NPR/PBS/Marist poll conducted earlier this week — and released on Thursday — demonstrated that 42 percent of registered voters blamed President Donald Trump for the “negative tone and lack of civility in Washington today.”
The poll asked respondents about three other actors that could bear the blame. Seven percent of registered voters blamed Republicans in Congress, 17 percent blamed Democrats, and 29 percent suggested that the media was to blame for the incivility.
The question comes as Trump wards off calls to take a more civil tone in his rhetoric, especially in the wake of a spate of letter bombs that were sent — with none detonating — to prominent liberals in October. But while some have hoped for Trump to tone down his rhetoric, the president has suggested that the media is more to blame for creating a hostile environment in Washington.
“As part of a larger national effort to bridge our divides and bring people together, the media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and stop the endless hostility and constant negative and often times false attacks and stories,” Trump said, per previous reporting from the Inquisitr. “Have to do it. They’ve got to stop.”
President Trump has just a 41 percent approval rating overall, with 52 percent of voters disapproving, according to a new NPR/@NewsHour/Marist poll. https://t.co/RBpEqHywHq
— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) November 1, 2018
While Americans are somewhat divided on who to blame for the tone in the nation’s capital, most are worried that the current situation will lead to more violence. 79 percent of Americans are either “concerned” or “very concerned” that the rhetoric emanating from Washington will lead to more acts of violence or terrorism in the future. Just a little over 1-in-5 voters say that they’re not concerned that something like that will happen.
Asked about how the tone has changed since Trump took office, 76 percent of likely voters said that it has gotten worse. Only 22 percent say that it’s stayed the same or has gotten better.
The NPR/PBS/Marist poll asked respondents to answer additional questions — including their current views on the president. Out of the “likely voters” who were asked questioned, 41 percent said that they approve of his job so far, while 53 percent disapproved.
On the question on who should control Congress after the midterms, 52 percent of likely voters said that they’d prefer the Democratic candidate in their own district win, while 43 percent said that they’d like the Republican to be victorious.
