Donald Trump may be doing a victory lap now that the special counsel's Russia investigation has concluded, but most Americans don't think Trump has been cleared of anything, according to a CNN poll released Wednesday.
On the question of colluding with the Russians, 56 percent say Trump and his campaign have not been exonerated even though it perhaps couldn't be proven, while 43 percent say Team Trump has been exonerated. Notably, only 1 percent of the population didn't have an opinion.
Similarly, 57 percent of respondents say Congress should "hold hearings to investigate the findings in the report.” Once again, 43 percent said Congress should take "no action" and the matter should be dropped "immediately."
In other words, however great Trump might feel, the Barr report doesn't seem to have moved the needle of public opinion at all. Some 40 percent of Americans are in the Trump camp, and another 56-57 percent are not in his camp. In fact, 56-57 percent is exactly the number of people who have already pledged to vote against Trump in 2020 in two separate polls in the last several months.
The CNN poll even asked respondents if they had changed their minds about 2020 in the wake of the Russia probe's conclusion. Almost no one had, and of those who did, it was a a complete wash.
- Already planned to vote for Trump: 19 percent
- More likely to back Trump: 7 percent
- Report made no difference: 17 percent
- Less likely to back Trump: 6 percent
- Already planned to vote against Trump: 50 percent
So while many in the media may have fallen hook, line, and sinker for the faux report issued by Attorney General William Barr, the public has not.