Politics

Poll Shows Nearly Half Of Americans Agree With Trump About Charlottesville

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Alex Pfeiffer White House Correspondent
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Despite negative news coverage and criticism from his own party, a poll released Friday shows nearly half of Americans agree with President Donald Trump on the causes of violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

President Trump has maintained that “both sides” were responsible for violence surrounding a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. He also called out “troublemakers” among the counter protesters that came “with the black outfits and with the helmets and with the baseball bats.”

Trump’s statements outraged former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who write Friday that Trump must apologize for his response.

However, a SurveyMonkey poll conducted Thursday found a combined 49 percent of American adults believe that both groups of protesters were “most responsible for the violence in Charlottesville.”

The poll found that 46 percent believe far-right groups were most responsible, 40 percent pointed the finger at both groups, and 9 percent believe counter-protesters were the most guilty.

Among Republican voters, 64 percent believe both groups were guilty, 18 percent think the white nationalist protesters were, and 17 percent think counter-protesters were most responsible for the violence.

Trump’s reaction to the violence found some agreement among independent Americans. A total of 46 percent of independents think both groups and counter-protesters were most responsible, while 51 percent believe the white nationalists caused the violence.

Sixty-six percent of Democrats polled believe the far-right groups were most responsible for the violence. 24 percent said both groups were responsible, and just six percent said the counter-protesters caused most of the violence.