Poll: Majority of Americans side with Trump in defending Confederate memorials
A majority of Americans support President Trump in his condemning the removal of Confederate memorials and statues following the deadly Charlottesville protests, according to a new poll.
The data comes from the latest Rasmussen poll, which shows that 50 percent of likely U.S. voters agree with Trump's tweet that it is "sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments." Some 37 percent disagree with the statement, while 12 percent are undecided.
A discussion on the role of Confederate memorials, statues and monuments was catapulted into the national debate spotlight last week when monuments were removed in Baltimore, Maryland, University of Texas and other areas. President Trump weighed in on the issue via Twitter -- stirring emotions and causing many to sound off on the 45th president's opinion.
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President Trump left himself open to praise from "alt-right" activists and criticism from lawmakers, business leaders and political pundits alike last Tuesday afternoon when he said there were "two sides" to the deadly Charlottesville protests last Saturday between the "Unite the Right" crowd and counter-protesters. Trump initially spoke out against the "many sides" of violence present as counter protesters turned out against white nationalists, white supremacists and neo-nazis, then verbally condemned racism and white supremacists while reading from prepared remarks on Monday, and then circled back to a "two sides" argument while answering a press question on Tuesday.
While 28 percent of those polled believe removing Confederate monuments from their designated areas will help race relations in America, 39 percent actually believe the opposite -- that it will be harmful.
While President Trump's stance on the matter may set a nationwide tone on the debate over what role Confederate landmarks play in a modern-day society continuing to struggle with a history of slavery and racism, the ultimate decisions surrounding any removal of statues will likely ultimately be left to local city and state governing bodies.
Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer served as an example of this small-government approach last Friday when he called on the Virginia legislature to take up a debate over whether Confederate monuments should stand erected in their own state.
"All of a sudden these statues of Civil War generals installed in the Jim Crow era, they became touchstones of terror," Signer said. "The twisted totems that people are clearly drawn to, trying to create a whole architecture of intimidation and hatred around them that was visited around our town. It was evil."
While these favorable poll numbers on one issue signal positive support for Trump in regard to Confederate history and the importance of monuments, Trump's overall approval rating with the same polling center puts the commander in chief in a lower position. According to the Rassmussen daily poll for Monday, 42 percent of likely U.S. voters approve of Trump’s job performance, compared to 57 percent that disapprove.
