President Donald Trump spent months trying to downplay the threat of the coronavirus pandemic. And even after he accepted what the scientists were saying, he was quick to push state and local governments to lift restrictions even though testing isn't yet available widely enough to support such an action.
As The Daily Beast reported on Wednesday, this has had a stark effect: Millions of Republicans now view COVID-19 through a partisan lens.
"Seventy percent of Republicans compared to just five percent of Democrats believe it’s safe to dine out, according to a new poll from CNBC and Change Research released on Wednesday," reported Emma Tucker. "The poll — which included voters from Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — reveals huge partisan disparities on safely reopening the country."
"The poll shows that 52 percent of Republicans compared to four percent of Democrats believe bars are safe, a 77-9 percent split on hair salons, and a 37-2 percent difference in opinion on large sporting events," continued the report. "Additionally, roughly half of Republican voters believe the U.S. is in a recession, however that rate for Dems spikes to 89 percent."
"There were even major schisms on taking personal precautions: 80 percent of Democrats supported wearing face masks in public, compared to just 47% of Republicans," said the report. "Overall, 52 percent of voters largely disapprove of Trump’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, according to the poll."