Fewer than 3 in 10 Americans — including fewer than 4 in 10 Republicans — believe these or several other prominent claims by the president, according to the poll.
The poll sought to determine what Americans believe — the truth or the president. The Post has never conducted this type of poll before and it serves as the most comprehensive examination of whether Trump’s false and misleading claims have taken root among the broader American public.
Only among a pool of strong Trump approvers — about 1 in 6 adults in the survey — did majorities accept several, though not all, of his falsehoods as true.
False claims commonly made by Democrats are more widely believed than those made by the president. For instance, 46 percent of adults incorrectly believe there are more people in prison for selling or possessing marijuana than for all violent crimes, an assertion made by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren in June. That compares with 22 percent who correctly said violent criminals were more common in prison.
Where Americans get their information is a significant factor in determining what they believe.
Among adults who say Fox News is one of their top two sources for political news, 33 percent believe in Trump’s false claims tested in the poll, on average, compared with 21 percent of those who say Fox is not a main news source.
Americans who count MSNBC and CNN as one of their top two news sources are somewhat more likely to reject Trump’s falsehoods but are also more likely to believe false statements made by Democrats. On average, 44 percent of MSNBC viewers and 40 percent of CNN viewers believe false Democratic claims, compared with 30 percent of those who say MSNBC is not a primary news source and 28 percent who do not primarily watch CNN.
More than 6 in 10 Americans say they believe fact-checking organizations when they conclude that Trump has made a false claim. Just about half are confident in similar assertions in newspapers and on cable news.
If that poll data holds up, it is some evidence that Trump's constant lies and polarizing rhetoric have not made all people gullible enough to believe his constant stream of lies and BS.
What the poll apparently did not ask is how people feel about being lied to or BSed on. It is possible that many or most do not think very negatively about it, maybe dismissing it as politics as usual, but a little worse.
For people who hold lies and BS (disregard for truth) as core moral political sins, the evidence of Trump's lies, deceit and BS should render him as judged to be unfit to serve. Maybe even deserving of removal from office. That pro-truth mindset is one thing the anti-bias ideology is intended to instill in the American people. Unfortunately, the poll suggests we are probably not there yet in terms of moral indignation:
The Post poll also suggests Republicans have grown less concerned about presidents being honest than they were a decade ago. A separate question in the Post poll finds that clear majorities across party lines say it is never acceptable for political leaders to make false statements. But 41 percent of Republicans say false claims are sometimes acceptable “in order to do what’s right for the country,” while 25 percent of Democrats and 26 percent of independents say the same.
B&B orig: 12/14/18
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