Fifty-one percent of Americans still think Trump is a strong leader. Also, possible improper contacts with Russians are a bigger concern than intelligence leaks, according to a new CBS News poll
About a week after Michael Flynn resigned from his job as national security adviser , Americans are concerned about the possibility of improper contact with Russian agents by some of President Trump’s associates – information that came to light possibly due to the leaking of information by members of U. S. intelligence agencies. Fifty-one percent of Americans are more bothered that communications with Russian officials may have occurred, while 38 percent are more bothered by the leaks.
There are significant partisan differences. Eight in 10 Democrats and half of independents are more concerned about possible improper communication with the Russians, while seven in 10 Republicans are more concerned about the leaks.
Most Americans – 57 percent – think these leaks are okay because releasing this information to the media by members of the U. S. intelligence community provides information the public needs to know about. Just 37 percent think these leaks are not all right because they put the country at risk. Here again, most Democrats (75 percent) and independents (58 percent) think these leaks are okay, while most Republicans (58 percent) disagree.
Nevertheless, about seven in 10 Americans think Congress should investigate both the possibility of improper communications with the Russians (72 percent) as well as the leaking of classified material to the news media (69 percent). Democrats and independents are more concerned with the former, while Republicans are more concerned with the latter.
Amidst these reports from U. S. intelligence agencies, many Americans remain concerned that Mr. Trump is too friendly towards Russia. Forty-three percent think so, while another 44 percent think his approach is about right. Views are largely partisan: Eight in 10 Republicans think his approach is about right, while three in four Democrats think he is too friendly toward Russia. Independents are more divided.
Sixty-two percent of Americans think the sanctions enacted against Russia by the outgoing Obama administration should remain in place. Just a quarter of Americans think these sanctions should be lifted. The view that sanctions against Russia should remain in place is held by most Democrats and independents, but just under half of Republicans.
Fifty-three percent of Americans view Russia as unfriendly to the U. S., including 24 percent who think of Russia as an enemy. While these percentages are roughly similar to what they were a month ago, the partisan make-up of these opinions has shifted dramatically since 2015.
Back in February 2015, 62 percent of Republicans thought of Russia as unfriendly or an enemy; now just 43 percent do. In contrast, the percentage of Democrats that views Russia as unfriendly or an enemy has risen 15 points – from 52 percent in 2015 to 67 percent today. A similar shift can be seen in partisan views of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In May 2014, Democrats and Republicans held similar views of the Russian leader. Today, unfavorable views of Putin have risen 12 points among Democrats, while unfavorable views of Putin among Republicans have dropped 13 points.
This poll finds Americans don’t trust either the news media or the Trump administration to tell the truth a lot of the time. More than six in 10 Americans say the news media tells the truth only some of the time or hardly ever, but a similar percentage says that about members of the Trump administration.
There is a divide along partisan lines, however. Republicans are more critical of the news media and more likely to think the Trump administration tells the truth. The reverse is true among Democrats.
Just over a month after taking office, President Trump’s overall job approval rating is 39 percent — similar to what it was earlier this month. Fifty-one percent of Americans disapprove, and 10 percent don’t have an opinion. Views continue to be strikingly partisan.
President Trump has described his administration as a “fine-tuned machine, ” but 49 percent of Americans say it is more disorganized than previous administrations at this point in time. Forty-eight percent say the Trump administration is more organized (17 percent) or just as organized as previous administrations (31 percent).
In a combative news conference on Thursday, President Trump insisted his administration is “running like a fine-tuned machine. ” Ramesh Ponnuru, a…
Much of Mr. Trump’s campaign for president focused on jobs and keeping the country safe. Six in 10 Americans are very or somewhat confident that President Trump’s policies will create jobs, but they divide on whether his policies will keep the country safe from terrorism — 50 percent are very or somewhat confident his policies will keep U. S. safe from terrorism, and 49 are not very or not at all conifdent in those policies.
There continues to be some concern about Mr. Trump’s ability to handle an international crisis. Sixty-two percent are uneasy about his approach, and only 35 percent say they’re confident about his ability to deal with an international crisis. However, among Republicans, 75 percent are confident, and 22 percent are not.
The opposite is true for Democrats — 92 percent are uneasy with his approach, and only six percent are comfortable. Sixty-four percent of independents are also uneasy about the president’s approach to international crises.
A slim majority views President Trump as a strong leader but he gets more negative ratings on other characteristics. A majority (58 percent) of Americans don’t think he understands the complicated problems a president has to deal with and most (57 percent) don’t think he has a clear plan for solving the country’s problems. About eight in 10 Republicans think Mr. Trump does have a clear plan and that he understands the problems he faces, while about nine in 10 Democrats don’t think he does.
On empathy, 47 percent of Americans think Mr. Trump cares a lot or some about the needs and problems of people like them, while 52 percent say he cares not much or not at all.
While the President’s overall job rating may be underwater, his Vice President is viewed more positively. Fifty percent of Americans approve of the job Mike Pence is doing, while 35 percent disapprove. He gets especially high marks from Republicans and more independents approve than disapprove.
Mr. Trump announced that he was stepping down from running the Trump Organization , turning over operations to a trust controlled by his adult sons. Most Americans – 55 percent – don’t think he’s done enough to prevent any conflicts of interest he may have between his business interests and his job as president.
While most Republicans (69 percent) think he’s done enough, most Democrats (82 percent) and independents (56 percent) do not. And as they did before he took the oath of office, Most Americans – 56 percent – think Mr. Trump needs to release his tax returns. On this question as well, the public is divided along party lines.
Other questions have been raised as to how Donald Trump’s presidency will influence the Trump brand, including the product line of his eldest daughter, Ivanka. Most Americans (57 percent) say having a product or service being associated with Donald Trump or members of his family would make no difference in their decision of whether or not to purchase it, though more than a third (35 percent) would be less likely to buy something associated with the Trump family. Far fewer – just 7 percent – would be more likely to “buy Trump”.
Most Democrats (63 percent) would be less likely to buy a Trump product, while most Republicans (76 percent) and independents (61 percent) say the Trump brand would make no difference.
