Americans Say Whether Melania Should Stay Married: Marist Poll

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — A lot was made during the 2016 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton’s decision to stay married to her husband, former President Bill Clinton, after revelations that he had an affair while in the White House. Flash forward to the present time, and the sitting president, Donald J. Trump, is facing allegations that he had sex with porn star “Stormy Daniels,” whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

A Marist Poll, released Wednesday, Feb. 14, found that a plurality of Americans, or 43 percent, think first lady Melania Trump should remain with her husband and try to work things out.

Thirty-four percent believe the first lady should leave her husband and 23 percent are unsure.

In 1998, U.S. News & World Report asked in a poll whether former Secretary of State Clinton should leave then-President Clinton in the midst of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and an even larger proportion of Americans — 58 percent — said she should stay, with 21 percent saying leave and 21 percent being unsure.

While nearly half of men — 49 percent — think Mrs. Trump should stay with the president, women don’t show much consensus:

• 38 percent — make a fresh start
• 36 percent — work through marriage problems
• 26 percent — unsure

Americans 45 or older think Mrs. Trump should try to work things out: 47 percent, the Marist Poll found. Under age 45, 41 percent say she should leave, 38 percent say she should stay and 21 percent are unsure.

Notably, residents under the age of 30 are more likely than any other age group to say Mrs. Trump should pack her bags and leave — at 45 percent.

The Marist Poll found that, between Democrats and Republicans, the latter group — seven in 10, or 71 percent — think the president and his wife should work on their marriage. Fifty percent of Democrats say she should move on. There is little consensus among independent voters.

The Marist Poll sampled 1,012 adults living in the contiguous United States between Feb. 5, 2018, and Feb. 7, 2018.

To read the complete methodology, go here.

Photo caption: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump stand on stage during the National African American History Month reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018. Photo credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster.