Americans are almost equally divided about whether President-elect Donald Trump will seek retribution against his political enemies during his second term, according to a poll by Monmouth University released Thursday.
The survey of 1,006 adults taken Dec. 5-10 revealed that 48% believed it was an exaggeration that Trump would suspend some laws and constitutional provisions to go after political enemies in his second term, with 47% taking it more seriously. Among party lines, 71% of Republicans believe it's an exaggeration and 77% of Democrats take it more seriously. The poll has a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points.
Republicans were somewhat less likely to take such suggestions seriously now (21%) than they were in June (33%).
If Trump did suspend some laws and constitutional provisions to go after political enemies, 52% said they would be bothered a lot. That number is down from 65% who felt the same way in June. Those who said they would be bothered a lot range from 77% of Democrats (down from 86% in June), to 55% of independents (down from 68%) and 23% of Republicans (down from 41%).
"As recently as this week, Trump said those who investigated the Jan. 6 riot should go to jail," Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a news release. "Still, many Americans see this more as bombast than intent."
The poll revealed that 67% said the U.S. has become more divided since President Joe Biden took office in 2021. After Trump lost reelection in November 2020, 70% felt the same way since he first took office in 2016.
In the latest poll, just 10% said the country has become more united and 23% said it has not changed. At the end of Trump's first term, 90% of Democrats and 73% of independents said the country grew more divided under Trump, with 49% of Republicans agreeing. This contrasts with current public opinion, where 86% of Republicans, 62% of independents, and 56% of Democrats believe the country is more divided under Biden.
The poll showed that 34% believe the country will become more united under Trump in the next four years, with 44% saying it will grow more divided and 19% expecting not much to change. Republicans (71%) are optimistic about having more unity. Democrats (85%) are pessimistic about seeing more division. Independents tend to lean toward expecting more division (42%) than greater unity (28%).
"Because many Americans tend to dwell in partisan cocoons, there's the appearance of unity when your side is in charge, even if it is by the slimmest of majorities," Murray said.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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