Poll results

Poll Finds 71 Percent of Republicans Approve of Trump’s Handling of Russia, Even AfterHelsinki

A new tracking poll from Reuters/ Ipsos on Tuesday showed that rank-and-file Republicans not only continue to support President Trump but refuse to believe he’s doing anything wrong. The most galling number from the survey is: 71 percent of Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of Russia. That support runs counter to much of the leadership of their own party, at minimum during the Helsinki summit. The poll was put into the field following the summit, so it should pick up any quiver of movement, but there still has not been a dip in GOP support for Trump’s Putin-loving approach.

Overall, more than half of those polled (55 percent) disapproved of Trump’s handling of Russia and agree (59 percent) with U.S. intelligence findings about Russian attempts to tamper with the 2016 election. But, also worrying, is the fact that only 32 percent of Republicans believe that Russia attempted to intervene in the election. Not that Russia had a preference for or collaborated with the Trump campaign, just that it attempted to interfere. The Democratic figures, predictably, are more or less the inverse of the GOP numbers. But the Republican support is pretty astonishing given the response to Trump’s soft touch with Putin. It drew rebukes from all corners, including Republican lawmakers, Fox News hosts, and even Trump allies, like Newt Gingrich. But it still hasn’t moved the needle, according to the Reuters poll.