President Donald Trump’s war against the media isn’t having the same effect it once had, as Americans are increasingly becoming confident in the press, a new poll finds.
Reuters and Ipsos polled more than 14,000 people and found 48 percent of Americans had a “great deal” or “some” confidence in the media, up from 39 percent in November following Trump’s election.
Meanwhile, Americans who said they had “hardly any” confidence in the press dropped from 51 percent in November to 45 percent now, according to the poll.
Democrats jumped 11 percentage points in the media-trust poll and 3 percent more Republicans felt confident in the press.
Trump has consistently railed against the media—infamously calling the press the “enemy of the American people”—as a way to ignite his base. The president used the tactic during his campaign for president and has continued it while in office, almost weekly calling out what he perceives as “fake news” on his Twitter account.
In the past few years, Trump has called the media: “scum,” “sleazebags,” “very dishonest,” “terrible,” “lying, disgusting people,” and more. The rhetoric had some experts wondering if escalation could continue—especially after Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) body slammed a reporter who was asking him a question about the GOP’s healthcare bill.
The same poll found that, as Americans are growing increasingly confident in the press, they are feeling the opposite about Trump and his administration.
The poll found that at the beginning of the year 52 percent had a “great deal” or “some” confidence in the executive branch. Now only 48 percent of people feel the same way.
You can read more about the Reuters/Ipsos poll here.
