Poll: Majority says Trump’s Charlottesville response ‘not strong enough’

A majority believes President Trump’s response to violence sparked by a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., was “not strong enough,” a new poll found. 

Fifty-two percent of respondents in the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll said Trump’s response was “not strong enough.” Twenty-seven percent found it to be “strong enough” with another 21 percent unsure.

The poll also showed a sharp divide between parties. Among Republicans, 59 percent said they believed Trump’s comments were strong enough, while 79 percent of Democrats and 52 percent of independents believed they were not. 

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Eighty-percent of the poll’s 1,125 participants were interviewed after Trump’s remarks Tuesday doubling down on his claim that “both sides” were responsible for the violence.

Trump laid blame equally on “alt-left” protesters and hate groups.

On Saturday, a man with ties to white nationalist groups allegedly drove a car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one woman and injuring 19.

In his initial response Saturday, Trump said there was blame on “many sides.”

That sparked a firestorm of criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. On Monday, he sought to put the controversy to rest by saying racism was “evil” and singling out hate groups like the KKK and neo-Nazis.

On Tuesday, though, Trump reverted to blaming both sides.

A majority in the poll, 52 percent, also said that race relations have become worse over the past year. Thirty-three percent said things have stayed the same, with 9 percent believing race relations are better.

Seventy-three percent of Democrats said race relations are worse, compared with 32 percent of Republicans and 47 percent of independents.

The poll also found that 62 percent believe Confederate statues should remain as “historical” symbols, with 27 percent wanting them removed and 11 percent uncertain.

Trump supporters say the statues should stay by an 89 to 7 percent split.

A plurality of African Americans also say the statues should stay by 44 to 40 percent. Two-thirds of whites and Hispanics also say Confederate statues should remain.