Nearly half of America still thinks Trump colluded with Russia, even after Barr's Mueller report summary


After Attorney General William Barr announced Sunday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation found no legally actionable evidence that President Trump or his campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia to win the 2016 election, House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) shrugged. "Undoubtedly there is collusion," he told The Washington Post. Nearly half of America agrees with him.
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday, 48 percent of respondents agreed "Trump or someone from his campaign worked with Russia to influence the 2016 election," which is down 6 percentage points from last week. The poll also found 53 percent said "Trump tried to stop investigations into Russian influence on his administration," a drop of 2 points; and 57 percent said they want to see Mueller's entire report. In all, only 9 percent of respondents familiar with Barr's summary said it had changed their views on Trump and Russia.
Trump got a bump in his approval rating, however, to 43 percent from 39 percent last week, hitting a 2019 high. Other polls conducted after Barr released his summary found little to no bump for Trump and worse numbers for the president on whether he obstructed justice, a determination Mueller declined to adjudicate. Rick Newman at Yahoo Finance predicted Monday that "the Mueller findings will probably produce a modest and temporary bump in Trump's approval rating, with voters promptly refocusing on issues that concern them most: the economy, health care, and education."
Subscribe to 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.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll reached 1,003 adults online Monday and Tuesday, 948 of whom had read or heard Barr's summary; the poll has a credibility interval of about 4 percentage points.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group text
Speed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia University
Speed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
By Peter Weber, The Week US