Majority Of Americans Blame Trump For Capitol Insurrection: Poll

NEW YORK — A majority of Americans blame the president for the violent insurrection that occurred Jan. 6 at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

According to the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll released Friday, 58 percent of Americans blame President Donald Trump either a great deal — 45 percent — or a good amount — 13 percent — for the violence and the attempt to stop the certification of the presidential election by Congress.

However, they are divided almost evenly whether Congress should continue to take action against Trump for the events at the Capitol after he leaves office.

The poll shows 49 percent of Americans say Congress should continue and 48 percent say Congress should not. Three percent are unsure.

Lee M. Miringoff, director of The Marist Poll, said that, even though a majority places some blame on the president, there is a wide partisan divide.

Ninety-two percent of Democrats, 55 percent of independents and 17 percent of Republicans blame Trump. The poll showed that 82 percent of Republicans think Trump deserves little or no blame.

"The attack on the U.S. Capitol reinforced the fault lines in the partisan divide," Miringoff said. "There is no indication of the nation coming together regarding the steps Congress should take against the president.

"Simply put, it is a far cry from any sense of unity going forward," he said.

Again, partisan politics are a factor in whether Congress continues to take action against the president.

Trump became the first president in U.S. history to be impeached a second time Wednesday.

The House of Representatives voted 232-197 in favor of impeaching the president, one week after the Trump supporters stormed the Capitol.

Eighty-four percent of Democrats who responded to the poll said Congress should continue to take action against the president. However, 88 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of independents disagree.

Whether the results of the 2020 election are accurate remain unchanged from the previous week's poll.

Thursday's poll found six in 10 U.S. residents, or 60 percent, consider the 2020 election results to be accurate, down from 64 percent last week. Thirty-eight percent said the results are not accurate.

Ninety-two percent of Democrats and 56 percent of independents said the results were accurate, while 78 percent of Republicans and most Trump voters disagree, according to the poll.

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll was conducted Jan. 11 through Jan. 13 by The Marist Poll, which was sponsored in partnership with NPR and PBS NewsHour. The survey was comprised of 1,173 adults age 18 and older living in the U.S. The margin of error is ±3.5 percent.