A newly published NBC News survey indicates that a clear majority of Americans support the numerous investigations into former President Donald Trump, including inquiries into his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the investigation into his improper removal of classified documents from the White House.
Fifty-seven percent of the poll’s respondents said that the investigations should continue because Trump should be held accountable, while just 40 percent said they didn’t support the investigations, citing a belief that they are politically motivated.
These views differed based on ideology; while 92 percent of Democratic-leaning voters and 61 percent of independents said that the inquiries should move forward, only 21 percent of Republican-leaning voters agreed.
Officials have opened several inquiries — at both the local and national levels — into Trump’s actions as president. These inquiries include (but are not limited to): a Fulton County, Georgia, investigation into his attempt to influence state election officials; a federal investigation into his improper removal of classified documents from the White House to his private Mar-a-Lago residence; and the House select committee’s investigation into the attack on the U.S. Capitol building by a mob of his loyalists.
Although the NBC News poll didn’t name each investigation specifically, it did ask about the January 6 attack. The poll found that most Americans still believe the former president was at least partially responsible for the violent breach of the Capitol building, with 50 percent of respondents saying they believe that Trump is “solely or mainly responsible,” and 16 percent saying they think he is “only somewhat responsible.” Only 33 percent said that Trump was “not really responsible” at all.
Although numerous polls have suggested that Americans approve of the direction these inquiries have been taking, Trump has continued to wrongly suggest on social media that most Americans oppose the investigations — and that his polling numbers are improving because of it.
Trump recently shared a post on his Truth Social site showing that he had a 40-point lead over Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in a hypothetical GOP primary race. However, that same poll, conducted by Politico/Morning Consult, found that 58 percent of Americans believe Trump broke the law as president. Forty-nine percent of the poll’s respondents approved of the Mar-a-Lago search, while only 37 percent disapproved.
Predictably, Trump did not share that portion of the polling data.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
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