Most voters think race relations have worsened under Trump, poll finds


Race relations were steady for a while, then President Trump came along.
Voters largely say that race relations have worsened since Trump took office, a Politico/Morning Consult poll published Wednesday found. Fifty-five percent of those polled say things have gotten worse, while 16 percent say race relations have improved, and 18 percent say they've stayed the same.
Comparatively, most voters said that race relations got better or stayed the same under former President Bill Clinton, and most said they stayed the same under former President George W. Bush. Under former President Barack Obama, 37 percent said they got better, while another 37 percent said they got worse.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Politico reports that 51 percent of white voters said race relations have worsened under Trump, while 79 percent of African-American voters and 60 percent of Hispanic voters said the same. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is also a wide partisan split in the poll — only 4 percent of Democrats say race relations have improved since Trump took office, but 35 percent of Republicans think so.
On a more generally ominous note, while the poll found wide disparities in everything from voting priorities to thoughts on the investigation into Russian election interference, voters largely came together on one sentiment: Fifty-nine percent said the U.S. has "pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track."
The poll was conducted August 2-6, surveying 1,994 voters who were interviewed online. The margin of error is 2 percentage points. See more results at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland