Voters trust the media more than President Donald Trump, according to a new poll.
When participants of a new Quinnipiac University poll were asked whether President Trump or the media is more likely to “tell you the truth about important issues,” surveyors found that 52% of voters trust the media, with only 37% saying they trusted Trump more.
The poll, which was released Wednesday, was conducted from Feb. 16-21 and surveyed 1,323 voters across the United Sates.
But when comparing Democrats and Republicans, the results showed more of a discrepancy: About 86% of Democratic voters said they trusted the media more, while 78% of Republican voters said they believe Trump, not the media, is more likely to tell the truth.
The survey comes after Trump has repeatedly criticized the media, dubbing it as “fake news.” Just last week, for example, he tweeted that “failing” news outlets (the New York Times, NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, and CNN) “is not my enemy, but the enemy of the American people.” Despite his attacks, however, the Times reported record digital growth earlier this month, and NBC’s Saturday Night Live boasted record-breaking ratings in early February as well.
The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017
Interestingly, the survey found that college-educated white voters and non-college educated white voters are divided down the middle on the issue of trust. According to the poll, 55% of college-educated whites trust the media, compared to 55% of their non-college educated counterparts who trust Trump more. Nonwhite voters, on the other hand, were more likely to trust the media: A whopping 68% said they trusted the media more than Trump.
