Two-thirds of Americans think Trump behaved irresponsibly after his coronavirus diagnosis

(Image credit: ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

published 5 October 2020

A large majority of Americans don't trust the White House or President Trump right now.

After Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis, 63 percent of Americans say he acted irresponsibly when handling his risk of infecting the people around him, a CNN poll released Monday found. What's more, 69 percent of Americans say they only believe some of what the White House is saying about Trump's health — or none of it at all.

Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, and since then, several White House staffers, Republican senators, and other people who were around him tested positive as well. Trump also was criticized for leaving the hospital for a motorcade ride to wave to supporters, which likely put the Secret Service agents driving him at risk. Just a third of Americans said Trump behaved responsibly after his diagnosis, while a whopping 63 percent disagreed.

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Since then, Trump's team has been evasive when it comes to the president's health, refusing to share details of his lung scans and even his last negative COVID-19 test. Only 12 percent of respondents said they believe almost all of what they've heard from the White House, while 28 percent say they believe none of it at all. And while Trump's team has suggested catching coronavirus gave him some kind of special insight into fighting the disease, 63 percent of respondents said they think it's unlikely Trump's infection will change how he's handling the pandemic.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.