Majority Of Americans Say They Don't Trust Trump On Coronavirus

Americans are swiftly losing faith in the messaging on the novel coronavirus coming from President Donald Trump. A recent poll shows this change with most people reporting that they don’t trust what Trump is saying about the disease and an increasing number believing the White House isn’t doing enough.

According to a new survey conducted by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist, three-in-five Americans said they have little or no trust in Trump’s statements on the coronavirus crisis. A shrinking number of people also believe the president is taking the necessary steps to combat the spread of the disease, dropping from 61 percent in February to 47 percent recently.

For many Americans, Trump and his administration’s conflicting, often confusing remarks about the coronavirus have left them scratching their heads. Eager to downplay the seriousness of the crisis, the president has erroneously said multiple times that he disputes the mortality rates estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and has said that vaccine development will happen faster than experts have projected.

According to polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight, Trump’s overall approval rating is sitting at roughly 43 percent, a slight drop after the approval boost the president enjoyed following his impeachment trial acquittal in the Senate.

With President Trump hoping to win a second term in the White House this fall, these numbers are especially important. With the coronavirus spread rapidly making a major impact on the lives of all Americans, a lack of faith in how this president is responding – or failing to respond – is not likely to be forgotten by November.

When it comes to the recent survey’s question on coronavirus messaging, it is not terribly surprising to see that there is a split along party lines, with just 8 percent of Democrats reporting trust in Trump compared to 74 percent of Republicans.

More important to note, though, is how independent Americans responded. Most (61 percent) said they don’t trust Trump’s coronavirus information. For someone seeking to win another term as president, losing the faith of this coveted group of voters could very well prove fatal at the polls later this year.

The NPR poll found that although Americans’ trust in Trump is waning, they overwhelmingly trust public health experts as well as state and local governments on their messages about the coronavirus.