Donald Trump claims to be worth more than $10 billion, but only 20 percent of voters believe his net worth is that high as speculation grows that the real estate mogul is less wealthy than he claims to be.
Morning Consult asked 2,572 voters to guess the net worth of Trump and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton on a scale ranging from less than $1 million to upwards of $50 billion or more.
More than a fourth of voters (43 percent) said Trump’s investments, income and real estate amount to about $5 billion or less. Nearly as many respondents (37 percent) said they didn’t know or had no opinion. Forbes Magazine put Trump’s net worth at $4.5 billion.
Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say Trump is worth more than $1 billion and that Clinton is worth more than $100 million. By contrast, nearly half of voters (46 percent) said Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is worth less than $1 billion. Forty-three percent said they didn’t know or had no opinion. Forbes puts Clinton’s net worth at $45 million.
Half of Republicans put Trump’s net worth at more than $1 billion, compared with 41 percent of Democrats. Well over a fourth of Republicans (44 percent) said Clinton is worth more than $100 million, compared with just 31 percent of Democrats.
A small plurality of voters (23 percent) said Trump’s wealth is closest to an average American household or Winfrey. A small plurality of voters (23 percent) said Clinton’s wealth is closest to James.Voters were also asked to guess whether the net worth of Trump and Clinton are closest to an average American household, a doctor or lawyer, NBA star LeBron James, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett or Bill Gates.
The national poll was conducted from May 24-30 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. See the toplines and crosstabs.
Candidates’ finances come under scrutiny
As Trump resists calls to release his tax returns, some are wondering whether he is worth less than he claims. More than a dozen financial experts and multimillionaires speculated to to POLITICO that Trump’s net worth claim of more than $10 billion rests on “overvaluing properties and ignoring expenses.”
Clinton’s wealth has also come under scrutiny, albeit for different reasons. The former secretary of State and her husband former President Bill Clinton have amassed more than $153 million in speaking fees from 2001 until last year, according to CNN.
This article was originally published on Morning Consult.
