Poll: 31 percent trust Trump on coronavirus

Fewer than 1 in 3 Americans said they trust President Trump on the coronavirus pandemic, according to new polling from NBC News.

The NBC News-SurveyMonkey weekly tracking poll found 58 percent of Americans do not trust the president on the pandemic, compared to 31 percent who say they do trust him.

By comparison, 51 percent of adults said they trust statements on the virus by Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases specialist. A larger majority, 55 percent, said they trust the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the virus.

Twenty-nine percent of Americans said they distrust Fauci on the virus, while 32 percent said they do not trust the CDC.

A plurality of Americans — 49 percent — also trust their states’ governors, compared to 37 percent who do not.

Like several other recent polls, the survey found partisanship was a major driver in trust in both Trump and Fauci.

Sixty-nine percent of respondents who identify as Republicans or Republican-leaning trust Trump on the virus, compared to 29 percent who don’t. Thirty-two percent of the same respondents said they trust Fauci, while 38 percent trust the CDC.

Republicans and Republican-leaning respondents are also less likely than the general population to trust their states’ governors. Forty-nine percent said they do not trust their governors on the pandemic, compared to 41 percent who do.

Democrats and Democratic-leaning respondents, by contrast, are more likely than the general population to trust Fauci and the CDC. Seventy-eight percent said they trust Fauci on the pandemic, while 76 percent trust the CDC.

Nine percent of Democrats or Democratic-leaning respondents distrust Fauci, while 16 percent distrust the CDC. Sixty-three percent trust their governors, compared to 28 percent who do not.

The poll is based on a national sample of 47,190 adults surveyed between July 27-Aug. 2. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point.