Americans Weigh In On President Trump's Honesty: POLL

The Washington Post — a favorite target of President Donald Trump — keeps track of the number of false or misleading claims that the president makes. The newspaper said that he made 3,001 false statements from the day he took office to May 1, which was 466 days.

That, according to the Post, was an average of nearly 6.5 claims a day.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that a majority of the American public does not think President Trump is honest.

More than six in 10 Americans — or 61 percent — assert that the president tells the truth only some of the time, hardly ever or never, according to a recently released NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll.

Only 36 percent of those surveyed said the president is truthful most or almost all of the time.

It follows then that 56 percent of Americans, including 90 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of independents, think President Trump tells the truth less often than past U.S. presidents.

Thirty-two percent, including 71 percent of Republicans, said Trump exhibits more honesty than previous presidents.

Six in 10 Americans — 60 percent — said they are embarrassed by the president’s behavior compared with 32 percent who are proud of the president’s conduct, and 62 percent of Americans said they are more likely to trust their favorite news source over the president, as opposed to 28 percent.

Trump’s job approval rating remains upside down — 39 percent to 51 percent — among Americans and is little changed from when the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll last reported it in April.

The proportion of Americans who strongly disapprove of his performance — 41 percent — far surpasses the proportion of those who strongly approve of how he is doing his job — 25 percent.

The Marist Poll said the proportion of Americans who strongly approve of his job performance is at its highest point since he took office; this is fueled mainly by Republicans.

And more men than woman approve of President Trump.

Of those surveyed, men approve of Trump 50 percent to 39 percent, while women approve of him 30 percent to 62 percent.

Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said one would be hard pressed to find a president who has more sharply divided the nation along gender lines.

“It remains to be seen what role this may play in the midterm elections, the 2020 presidential election and political party affiliation going forward,” he said.

This NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll surveyed 1,061 adults between July 19 and July 22. The margin of error is 3.6 percent. To read the complete methodology, go here.

Now you know what Americans who were surveyed for the Marist Poll think. Take the opportunity to vote in Patch’s unscientific poll — we used the same question as the Marist Poll — so we can see how you compare. Be sure to leave a comment to explain your choice.

Photo credit: Rich Sinto/Patch Staff.