A new poll has found that 40 per cent of Americans want U.S. President Donald Trump to exit the White House — a jump of 10 percentage points since February.
The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll, conducted between Aug. 2-8, found that seven per cent of Republicans supported impeachment (up three percentage points since February), while 72 per cent of Democrats backed his exit.
The PRRI elaborated, noting that women (47 per cent) are more likely than men (32 per cent) to support the impeachment of Trump. Black Americans are most supportive of the idea at 72 per cent, while 53 per cent of those from a Hispanic background back impeachment.
White evangelical Protestants are not enthusiastic about the idea of impeaching the president, with 79 per cent saying they’re against it.
The institute also found that the president’s favourability rating is now 38 per cent, with 56 per cent of Americans holding an unfavourable view of the leader.
WATCH: Fallout escalating for Donald Trump over Charlottesville response
The poll, which shows growing disapproval of the president, was conducted before widespread outcry over his reaction to the weekend’s violence in Charlottesville, Va.
Trump was first criticized for his delay and lack of conviction in speaking out against a gathering of white supremacists, which included neo-Nazis, skinheads and Ku Klux Klan members.
On Monday, he spoke once again, individually calling out and denouncing the groups involved. On Tuesday, he returned to his original messaging in a derailed press conference that was meant to be about infrastructure. Trump claimed both the “alt-right” and “alt-left” were to blame for the conflict, which left one woman dead.
READ MORE: 6 highlights from Donald Trump’s derailed press conference
A separate poll, conducted by CBS News, found that 55 per cent of Americans disapproved of Trump’s response to the weekend’s protests, while 34 per cent approved.
Most Republicans (67 per cent) approved of the president’s message, while only 10 per cent of Democrats agreed with his statements.
WATCH: Trump’s controversial comments about Charlottesville at Tuesday’s press conference
-
![]()
Trump on Charlottesville violence: ‘there is blame on both sides’ -
![]()
Trump claims media portraying alt-right ‘absolutely unfairly’ -
![]()
Trump blames ‘charging alt-left’ for Charlottesville violence -
![]()
Trump says race relations in U.S. ‘frayed,’ but getting better -
![]()
Trump: Steve Bannon is ‘not a racist, he’s a good person’ -
![]()
Trump reluctant to describe Charlottesville attack as ‘terrorism’ -
![]()
Trump claims Charlottesville victim’s mother wrote him on Twitter
CBS News noted that interviewing for the poll began one night before Trump’s Tuesday press conference, and but continued two days following it.
About 44 respondents in the poll said they believe Trump’s policies have encouraged “racial division,” while 12 per cent said he’s encouraged “racial unity. Thirty-nine per cent of respondents said Trump has had “not much effect.”
WATCH: Trump disbands two economic councils after business leaders flee amid Charlottesville response controversy
Fallout from Trump’s Charlottesville comments extends far beyond public disapproval. Several Republicans themselves have spoken out against the president, most notably former presidents George H. W. Bush and George Bush.
There has also been an exodus of business leaders from Trump’s economic councils, which he was forced to disband Wednesday afternoon.
The Public Religion Research Institute poll was completed by 2,024 Americans between Aug. 2-8, and is considered accurate +/- 2.7 percentage points. The CBS News poll was completed by 1,223 American adults between Aug. 14-16, and is considered accurate +/- 4 percentage points.
Comments