CNN’s Senior Data Reporter, Harry Enten, seemed surprised to discover that the trust the American people have in the FBI plunged following January 6.
In the last 10 years, trust in the FBI has hit the lowest level this century.
Kate Bolduan: How do you gage, and how have the views of the American public evolved or changed or not over the years?
Harry Enten: Yeah, look, I think Patel has real reason to believe that Americans would go along with changes that he might potentially make at the FBI. And there’s a reason why Donald Trump feels like he can make this change.
It’s because if you look here, FBI is doing an excellent or good job. Look at this time trend line. You go back to 2014, right? It was 59% of Americans, then 57% in 2019, 50% in 2022.
Look at where we are today. My goodness gracious, just 41% of Americans think the FBI is doing an excellent or good job.
That is by far the lowest number this century.
The bottom line is, during the Trump administration, obviously, there were the investigations into Donald Trump. You saw a little bit of drop then. And then post January sixth, look at that drop, 50 %. Now, 41 %. My goodness gracious, Kate Bolduan.
Kate Bolduan: I think one thing about this, hard to gage, right? I’ll call it a chicken or an egg question. Is the view declining because… Is it from bottom up or top down? Is it because people are talking trash about the FBI more and more or because Americans’ views of distrust of the agency are growing? That is hard to know. But I throw that out there by asking then, how does it break down along party lines?
Harry Enten: Yeah, take a look at Republicans. Here we go. Look at this drop. If you thought that…
Kate Bolduan: Oh, jeez.
Harry Enten: Yeah. Oh, Oh, jeez. Oh, jeez. That’s a very good word, Kate Bolduan. If you look-
Kate Bolduan: Two words. It’s two words.
Harry Enten: The jeez was what I was going for. Jeez Louise. There’s two words right there. Among Republicans is the FBI doing an excellent or good job. This is where you really see the drop off. You go back to 2014. I’m going to come to your side of the screen. 62 %. 2019, look at that. 46 %. 2022, 29 %.
Now we’re tied for the lowest point at this century among Republicans at 26 %.
That is a drop of more than half since 2014. So again, you saw some of that drop during the Trump administration. Obviously, he replaced James Comey. And then you see it really after January 6th, 29 %, and now 26 %. That is a tremendous drop-off among Republicans.
Kate Bolduan: Let’s remember that number, and then let’s talk about Democrats.
Harry Enten: Yeah, remember this number and remember this trend line, this downward trend line. Among Democrats, it’s just not the same story at all. Among Democrats, it was 54% in 2014. Then you So that number shoot up to 66% in 2019. Then look at this, 79% in 2022. We have seen some drop off since then to 67%, but that is still significantly higher than it was in 2014 at 54%.
The bottom line is this, if Republicans have become much less trusting of the FBI, Democrats have become more trusting, though the number who trust it now, who think it’s doing an excellent or good job is lower than it was two years ago. And that is why we have the lowest percentage this century of Americans overall who believe the FBI is doing an excellent or good job.
Kate Bolduan: And you can assume that especially amongst Republicans and people who voted for Donald Trump this cycle, that that trend could carry across many… Just distrust in institutions in general seems to be growing, and that was a lot of part of this election.
Harry Enten: That was a very large part of this election. It’s a very large part of why I think Donald Trump believes that he can go ahead and make big changes to the government, and the American public, and especially Republicans, will go right along with him.
Watch:
CNN’s Harry Enten on Americans’ trust in the FBI plunging in recent years: “If you look here, ‘FBI is doing an excellent or a good job,’ look at this time trend line. You go back to 2014, right? It was 59% of Americans. Then 57% in 2019, 50% in 2022.”
“Look at where we are… pic.twitter.com/2KFHVH3Rxz
— Jason Cohen (@JasonJournoDC) December 3, 2024
Perhaps targeting Catholics, allegedly entrapping people in a plot to kidnap Michigan Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and failing to protect President Trump, allowing an assassination attempt, also has a bit to do with the skepticism Americans now view the agency with.
Americans have reason to be hopeful, however, with President Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel for the role of FBI Director.
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