NPR Poll: More Americans Trust Trump Administration Than Congress, The Media

Timothy Mead reporting for Townhall

A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll released Thursday shows that more Americans trust the Trump administration than the media and Congress as a whole.

"The poll of 1,123 Americans was conducted with live telephone Oct. 3 through Oct. 8, 2019," according to NPR and asked a series of questions related to President Donald J. Trump's presidency. When asked, "How much do you trust Congress: A great deal, a good amount, not very much, not at all?" 66 percent of Americans said they trust Congress "not very much/not at all." 31 percent said they trusted Congress a "great deal/a good amount." 

When asked the same question regarding trust about the media, 69 percent said they trusted our news "not very much/not at all." 29 percent of Americans said they trusted the media.  

For the Trump administration, these numbers faired better. 40 percent of Americans said they trusted the 45th president's executive branch. 59 percent said they distrusted the administration. 

As pointed out by political strategist Ryan Girdusky, this poll also shows a rising number of Americans, 50 percent compared to 47 percent in September, say that President Trump has strengthened America's economy.

The poll also found that at this point in their presidency, more Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction under President Trump than under President Barack Obama. In this poll, 35 percent of Americans believe the U.S. is headed in the right direction. In September 2011, just 22 percent of Americans felt the nation was headed in the right direction.

However, as pointed out by NPR, there are also signs that impeachment is becoming favorable among independents. "In late September, more independents disapproved of the inquiry than approved, by a 50-44% margin. Now, in a reversal, more independents approve of the inquiry than disapprove, by a 54-41% margin, a net change of 19 points," Domenico Montanaro writes.