Trump voters know he lies. They just don't care.
A majority of Republicans voters in Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania agree that President Trump exaggerates or outright lies, but they simply don't care, a new poll by the Republican consultant Firehouse Strategies has found. Sixty-eight percent of the "Trump Country" Republicans agree Trump stretches the truth intentionally, while 51 percent said he "exaggerates only with good intent."
"Voters know he's often not telling the truth, but a majority don't care," the researchers concluded.
Among independents, only 17 percent said Trump never lies and 34 percent said he exaggerates with "good intent." Overall, voters in the survey think Trump actually lies less often than Republican members of Congress, 80 percent to 84 percent. But while many might claim they don't mind Trump's flexible definition of the truth, only 39 percent of voters say they are proud of how Trump has done as president.
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The poll reached 3,491 people between April 21-23 via landlines in Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. The margin of error for the topline results was plus or minus 2 percent. See the full results here, and read a breakdown at Axios.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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