(CN) – A majority of Americans believe President Donald Trump has not done enough to distance himself from white nationalist groups, the Pew Research Center reported Thursday.
The Pew survey polled Americans on the performance of the White House and Congress in the days that followed the aftermath of the March 15 mosque shootings in New Zealand that left 50 Muslim worshipers dead. The attacker had praised Trump in his manifesto.
Most of those surveyed by Pew – 56 percent – said Trump has done too little to distance himself from the ideology and its adherents who might be supporters of his presidency.
Americans were split along party lines. Only 26 percent of Republicans said Trump did too little while 6 percent said he went too far in distancing himself from white nationalism. But a whopping 83 percent of Democrats said Trump did too little to distance himself from the ideology. Seven percent of Democrats said he was doing too much.
When asked the day after the New Zealand attack if white nationalism is a rising threat, Trump said it was not.
“I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems,” he said.
In the survey of 1,503 adults between March 20 to 25, Pew researchers asked Americans their opinions on Trump’s behavior just before special counsel Robert Mueller submitted his report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Most believe that it is likely Trump acted unethically or illegally, according to the survey.
Seventy-two percent of Americans said they think Trump committed unethical acts while 64 percent believe he has probably done things that are illegal.
Almost all Democrats and those who lean towards the Democratic Party – 93 percent – told Pew they suspect Trump has acted unethically. Seventy-three percent said Trump has definitely done unethical things.
Among Republicans and Republican-minded Americans, “a substantial minority” – 45 percent – believes it is probable or definite that Trump acted unethically, the Pew report states.
According to Pew, the news of Attorney General William Barr’s letter saying Mueller found no evidence the Trump campaign conspired with Russia had little effect on Americans’ approval of Trump.
Instead, his approval rating has hovered right around where it was three months before, about 40 percent.
This is the same job-approval rating Americans gave Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as she nears the 100-day mark of leading the Democratic-controlled chamber.
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