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---
title: Donald Trump: 56% Disapprove of Charlottesville Response
description: A majority of Americans disapproved of President Trump&#x27;s response to the deadly clashes in Charlottesville, Va., according to a new poll
canonical: https://time.com/4910203/donald-trump-charlottesville-protest-poll/
author: Katie Reilly
article:opinion: false
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2017-08-22T00:11:27.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T17:06:24.635Z
article:section: Politics
og:title: 56% of Americans Disapprove of Trump&#x27;s Response to Charlottesville
og:description: Just 28% approved of his response, according to the poll
og:url: https://time.com/4910203/donald-trump-charlottesville-protest-poll/
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og:image:alt: President Trump Speaks On Infrastructure Meeting Held At Trump Tower
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twitter:title: 56% of Americans Disapprove of Trump&#x27;s Response to Charlottesville
twitter:description: Just 28% approved of his response, according to the poll
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt20375691d4f59562/6988da8b0a4a22e1c49cf918/donald-trump-charlottesville-poll.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# 56% of Americans Disapprove of President Trump's Response to Charlottesville

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![Katie Reilly](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2d44349b17cd03f9/6989408a457a5206a2d600b2/k_reilly.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)


![Katie Reilly](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2d44349b17cd03f9/6989408a457a5206a2d600b2/k_reilly.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Katie Reilly


Aug 22, 2017 12:11 AM UTC

![President Trump Speaks On Infrastructure Meeting Held At Trump Tower](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt20375691d4f59562/6988da8b0a4a22e1c49cf918/donald-trump-charlottesville-poll.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

President Donald Trump speaks following a meeting on infrastructure at Trump Tower on Aug. 15, 2017 in New York City.

President Donald Trump speaks following a meeting on infrastructure at Trump Tower on Aug. 15, 2017 in New York City. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

![Katie Reilly](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2d44349b17cd03f9/6989408a457a5206a2d600b2/k_reilly.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)


![Katie Reilly](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2d44349b17cd03f9/6989408a457a5206a2d600b2/k_reilly.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Katie Reilly


Aug 22, 2017 12:11 AM UTC

A majority of Americans disapproved of [President Donald Trump’s response](http://time.com/4904281/bigots-boosted-by-the-bully-pulpit-charlottesville/) to the deadly clashes at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., according to findings from a [new poll](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/poll-shows-strong-disapproval-of-how-trump-responded-to-charlottesville-violence/2017/08/21/4e5c585c-868b-11e7-a94f-3139abce39f5%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.7ea81b03ad9e#comments).

The [Washington _Post_\-ABC News](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/poll-shows-strong-disapproval-of-how-trump-responded-to-charlottesville-violence/2017/08/21/4e5c585c-868b-11e7-a94f-3139abce39f5%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.7ea81b03ad9e#comments) poll found that 56% of adults disapproved of Trump’s response, while just 28% approved. There was a stark difference along party lines, as 84% of Democrats said they disapproved and just 19% of Republicans said the same. Among independents, 55% disapproved compared to just 28% approving.

The survey was conducted after the press conference in which Trump defended people associated with white supremacist groups and said [“both sides” were to blame](http://time.com/4902129/president-donald-trump-both-sides-charlottesville/) for the violence in Charlottesville that left [one counter-protester dead.](http://time.com/4907299/mark-heather-heyer-charlottesville/) The remarks earned him [praise from white supremacists](http://time.com/4902308/white-nationalists-supremacists-donald-trump-charlottesville/).

A full 42% of respondents said Trump was putting white supremacists on equal standing with their opponents, while 35% said Trump was not.

An overwhelmingly majority of Americans said it was unacceptable to hold neo-Nazi or white supremacist views, and just 9% said those views were acceptable.

The poll — which surveyed 1,014 adults by phone — was conducted Aug. 16 to Aug. 20 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

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