When Donald Trump originally proposed a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country, polling showed that nearly six-in-ten Americans were opposed to the idea. Since that time, public opinion has gradually shifted to the extent that the number of Americans in favor of the proposition now consistently exceeds the number of those opposed to it.
“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on,” said a statement from the Trump campaign on December 7, 2015.
Three days later, the Wall Street Journal released a poll that found 57 percent of Americans objected to the proposed Muslim ban. Just 25 percent of those polled supported Trump’s plan at the time. CBS released similar polling results the next day. In the CBS poll, 58 percent of Americans opposed a temporary ban on Muslim immigration and 36 percent supported it.
One December poll from YouGov found different results than the WSJ and CBS polls. The YouGov poll showed 45 percent of Americans supported a Muslim ban, with 41 percent in opposition to it.
The next polling of Americans generally (rather than just Republican primary voters) on the issue came out in late March. That poll was conducted following the Islamic terror attack in Brussels that left 35 people dead.
Crews and passengers being evacuated Zaventem Bruxelles International Airport after terrorist attcks. In the background glass front of departure hall appears to be blown out. (Photo: Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images)
YouGov polled Americans again on the Muslim ban and, by that time, support for the ban had increased to 51 percent and opposition to it had dropped to 40 percent.
Another March poll — this time from Morning Consult — showed 50 percent of Americans supported temporarily banning Muslims from entering the U.S. Thirty-eight percent of respondents were against the idea.
Reuters has kept a rolling poll on the subject since May. On May 31, Reuters found that 54.5 percent of Americans disagreed with the Muslim ban and 40.7 percent supported it.
By June 6, the same poll found that 52 percent of Americans supported the ban, while 44 percent opposed it.
ORLANDO, FL – JUNE 15: Law enforcement officials continue to investigate the Pulse gay nightclub where Omar Mateen killed 49 people on June 15, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The mass shooting killed 49 people and injuring 53 others in what is the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s history. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The Reuters poll has remained steady after the Orlando terror attack. On June 14, fifty percent of likely voters supported a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, while 42 percent opposed it.
A Morning Consult poll released Wednesday had 48 percent of Americans supporting a Muslim ban and 40 percent against the proposal.
As Americans have shifted their views over time, so too has Trump.
“When I am elected, I will suspend immigration from areas of the world when there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies, until we understand how to end these threats,” the presumptive Republican nominee said in a speech June 13.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives a national security speech aboard the World War II Battleship USS Iowa, September 15, 2015, in San Pedro, California. AFP PHOTO /ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
The most recent Morning Consult poll found a majority of Americans support temporarily banning immigration from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.