After former President Donald Trump's recent "bloodbath" comment about the auto industry, 60% of voters say the news media are "the enemy of the people," a Rasmussen poll found.
According to the survey, of the 60% majority who agree with Trump's 2019 assessment that the media are "the enemy of the people," 30% strongly agree with the presumptive GOP presidential nominee; 36% disagree with the statement, including 21% who strongly disagree.
The share of respondents who agreed the media are the "enemy of the people" rose by 1 percentage point, up from 59% last May, according to Rasmussen.
During a rally last weekend in Dayton, Ohio, Trump talked about Chinese competition disrupting the U.S. auto industry when he said, "If I don't get elected, it's going to be ... a bloodbath for the country." Misleading headlines ran on many news reports suggesting the former president was making a threat of violence.
According to the poll, 49% of voters say Trump was referring to auto workers losing their jobs when he warned of a "bloodbath," while 40% say he was referring to widespread political violence if he did not win the presidential election in November; 11% say they aren't sure.
A 69% majority of Republicans and 52% majority of independents say Trump's "bloodbath" comment referred to auto workers losing their jobs; 63% of Democrats say the comment was a threat of political violence, while 29% say it was a reference to the auto industry.
Of those surveyed, 63% say it is likely that the news media's coverage of politics is shaped by talking points from the Biden campaign, including 42% who say it's very likely; 29% say it's not likely that news coverage is directed by the Biden campaign, including 11% who say it's not at all likely.
Broken down by political party, 78% of Republicans, 61% of independents, and half of Democrats say it is at least somewhat likely that the news media's political coverage is driven by Biden campaign talking points.
Majorities of every racial category, including 63% of whites, 59% of blacks, and 67% of other minorities, say it's at least somewhat likely that the news media's coverage of politics is dictated by talking points from the Biden campaign.
On whether the media are "truly the enemy of the people," 79% of Republicans, 60% of independents, and 41% of Democrats at least somewhat agree.
Voters younger than 40 were less likely to say Trump's "bloodbath" comment was referring to auto workers losing their jobs.
Black voters were more likely to say Trump's "bloodbath" comment was actually a threat of political violence.
The poll was conducted March 18-20 and surveyed 1,114 likely U.S. voters. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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