Partisans embrace damning accusations about Trump helping Russians, Obama spying on Trump – Washington Post
Sizable minorities of Americans think that President Trumps campaign colluded with the Russians to help him win the 2016 election and that President Barack Obama spied on the Trump campaign, according to a new Washington-Post ABC News poll.
Views of both claims being investigated by Congress are colored dramatically by party affiliation and how one voted in the election between Trump and Hillary Clinton, the poll found, with Democrats far more likely to see collusion and Republicans to see spying.
Half of the public, meanwhile, says they are not confident that Congress will conduct a fair investigation into Russias role in last years election, with significant doubts crossing party lines.
Questions about Russias meddling in the election have dogged Trump since he took office in January and last month FBI Director James B. Comey told Congress his agency is conducting an investigation into possible coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign.
Trump sparked a new controversy in March with accusations on Twitter that Obama had wiretapped his phones in Trump Tower in New York. Intelligence and law enforcement officials have said there is no evidence to support Trumps claim.
[Read: Full poll results]
The poll underscores the extent to which a partisan lens can affect the way Americans view the same set of facts.
Overall, nearly 4 in 10 Americans think some members of Trumps campaign helped the Russian government influence the election.
The partisan divide on the question is stark: About 6 in 10 Democrats say Russia tried to sway the election with the help of the Trump campaign, while only about 1 in 10 Republicans say that is the case.
Meanwhile, about one-third of Americans think the Obama administration intentionally spied on Trump and members of his campaign during the 2016 election.
There is a sharp partisan divide here, too: Just over half of Republicans believe there was improper surveillance, while only about 1 in 10 Democrats say that was the case.
The differences in views on both issues are even more dramatic between Americans who voted for Clinton and those who voted for Trump. Clinton voters are 68 percentage points more likely than Trump voters to say the president colluded with Russians, while Trump voters are 54 points more likely than Clinton voters to say Obama spied.
Gary Phillips, 65, a Trump supporter who lives in Conneaut, Ohio, is among those who say Obama spied on the Trump campaign.
I wouldnt put it past the Obama bunch, said Phillips, a retiree who previously managed a private lake in his state, when asked why he believes the claim.
Phillips also expressed a general disdain for Obama and said he has often been untruthful.
I wouldnt believe him if he said today was sunny or today was cloudy, Phillips said.
Meanwhile, Sam Hassan, 27, a stay-at-home mom and registered Democrat in Dracut, Mass., is convinced Trump colluded with the Russians in last years election.
I find it very ironic that he asked them to do some sort of hacking into Hillary Clintons email and then WikiLeaks leaks out all sorts of her email, Hassan said.
She was referring to a July news conference at which Trump urged Russia to help find 30,000 emails he said were missing from a private server that Clinton used as secretary of state. WikiLeaks is the organization that published thousands of hacked emails of John Podesta, Clintons campaign chairman, that were kept on a different server.
Hassan said she has no confidence in the Republican-led probes in the House and the Senate to get to the bottom of alleged meddling in the U.S. election by the Russian government.
Its Trumps people who are working on the investigation, she said. Its clear nothing is going to be found.
Both the House and Senate investigations have drawn criticism in recent weeks.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) recused himself from the Russian probe following criticism that he was too friendly with a White House he was tasked with probing. Those accusations followed a Nunes briefing of Trump at the White House on documents Nunes had not shared with others on the committee, including its ranking Democrat.
The Senate Intelligence Committee has more recently drawn flak for the pace at which it is proceeding.
The Senate Judiciary Committee announced Tuesday it would hold a public hearing next month on Russian interference that will include as witnesses Sally Yates, the former acting attorney general, and James R. Clapper Jr., the former director of national intelligence.
The Post-ABC poll found 42 percent saying they are confident Congress will conduct a fair investigation while 50 percent are not. Four in 10 Republicans say they doubt the investigations fairness, rising to 51 percent among Democrats and 58 percent among political independents.
While no conclusive evidence has emerged that Trump colluded with the Russians, the FBI and U.S. intelligence agencies have stated emphatically that Russia sought to undermine the 2016 election and sway it in Trumps favor a finding most leading Republicans in Congress have accepted. Several have called for additional sanctions on Russia in retaliation.
A 56 percent majority of Americans believe the Russian government tried to influence the U.S. election, while 35 percent say it did not and 9 percent have no opinion.
More than 7 in 10 Democrats said they think there was meddling, while just over 3 in 10 Republicans said there was and 6 in 10 independents believe Russia interfered.
Among Trump voters, 28 percent say Russia attempted to influence the fall election compared with 83 percent of Clinton voters who say the same.
Among those with postgraduate degrees, 7 in 10 said Russia tried to interfere with the election, while just over half of those with a high school education or less said that was the case.
The poll also found that those who think Russia tried to influence the election are less confident in the ability of Congress to fairly investigate. Sixty-two percent of those who think Russia interfered are not confident Congress will investigate fairly. That compares to 50 percent of Americans overall.
The Post-ABC poll was conducted April 17-20 among a random national sample of 1,004 adults interviewed on cellular and landline phones. Overall results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Polling manager Scott Clement contributed to this report.
Read more:
Trump campaigns Russia ties: Whos involved
- Obama Says He Occupies a Suite in Trumps Head - The New York Times - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Obama Calls Trumps Obsession With Him A Strange Thing - Forbes - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Larry David and Barack Obama Made a New HBO Show. It Feels Different From What We Expect From Them. - Slate Magazine - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Opinion | Barack Obama is a tonic for the times - The Cap Times - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Comparing Trump's Iran negotiations to what Obama already did - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- President Obama and Mrs. Obamas Remarks at the Opening of the Obama Presidential Center - Barack Obama Medium - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Barack and Michelle Obama in Their Most Personal Interview Yet: 'We Are Each Other's Counterbalance' (Exclusive) - People.com - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Barack Obama Gets Candid About Whether America Was Ready for Its First Black President (Exclusive) - People.com - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Barack Obama Reveals What He Hoped His Election as First Black President Would Accomplishand If He Succeeded - instyle.com - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- A look at the relationship between Obama and Trump - NPR - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Heidi Stevens: Barack Obama cautioned against nostalgia. But is fondness for the past really all bad? - Chicago Tribune - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Curating Sounds and Tastes: Meet 2 Chicagoans Working to Make the Obama Presidential Center a Success - WTTW News - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- WKU Disaster Science Team provides weather support for grand opening of Obama Presidential Center - WBKO - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Meet the practice behind the Obama Presidential Centers brand identity - Monocle - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Barack Obama Shares a Rare Update on His Health Weeks Before His 65th Birthday - instyle.com - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Michelle Obama reveals what the 'truth is' about Barack Obama marriage - USA Today - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Rogan: UFC fighter who insulted Michelle Obama probably shouldnt have been invited to White House event - The Hill - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Barack Obama Addresses Donald Trumps Obsession with Him: I Have a Suite in His Head - People.com - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Barack Obama Says He Can 'Barely Keep Up' with How Cool His Daughters Malia and Sasha Are (Exclusive) - People.com - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Larry David on Curb-ish New Series and Getting Obama to Act in It - The Hollywood Reporter - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- UFC's Joshua Hokit Says Michelle Obama Comment Was "Giving Her A Compliment": "You'll Never Hear Me Backtrack From What I Say" -... - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Even Barack Obama has an opinion on the Spurs' lineup - MySA - June 26th, 2026 [June 26th, 2026]
- Flashback: In a Divided America, the Road from Obama to Trump - PBS - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- ABJECT HUMILIATION WORSE THAN OBAMA DEAL why Trump cant get out of Iran war - Channel 4 - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Barack Obama Surprised the Disclosure Day Set: Imagine Your Scariest Day at Work and Then Obama Comes to Watch You - The Hollywood Reporter - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- It was scary: Michelle Obama reveals big risk that sent her into major spiral of guilt - SILive.com - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Ahead of opening of Obama Presidential Center, Chicago traffic could be impacted by road closures, parking restrictions - ABC7 Chicago - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- The Obama Presidential Center what is this forbidding monolith trying to say? - Financial Times - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Obama Center Opens In June. Heres What To Know About Watch Party, Road Closures - Block Club Chicago - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Restaurant news: Obama Presidential Center opening with Tafaris Kitchen and more on the South Side - Chicago Tribune - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Malia Obama's vest and skirt pairing is the cool-girl formula we're stealing this summer - HOLA - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- A First Look at the Art in the New Obama Presidential Center - Hyperallergic - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Visiting the Obama Presidential Center? Heres What Else to See Around Jackson Park - WTTW - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Former President Obama meets with staff at Obama Presidential Center ahead of grand opening - CBS News - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Visiting Chicago's Obama Presidential Center: Everything you need to know including hours, how to get there - CBS News - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- One Thin Dime museum to host Obama Presidential Center opening watch party - WVVA - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Trump invited to tour Obama Center after calling it a disaster - The Hill - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- People Can't Stop Comparing Trump's Boos To Obama's 2019 NBA Finals Standing Ovation - BuzzFeed - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Four addresses on Stony Island show the promise, possible perils of Obama Center's impact on South Side - CBS News - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Pulitzer-winning historian honored by Obama dies after car hits him in Rhode Island supermarket parking lot - CBS News - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- The Famous Voices That Will Guide You at the Obama Presidential Center - East Wing Magazine - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- The Obama Center is a Monument to the More Effective Evil - Black Agenda Report - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Obama Center brings hopes for future of 4 properties on Stony Island - CBS News - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Obama Presidential Center Prepares For Opening 12-Years In The Making - Chicago YIMBY - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Barack Obama was the shadow architect of a Chicago-style treasure box museum - Porterville Recorder - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Here Are The Black-Owned Firms Involved In Constructing The Obama Presidential Center Opening Juneteenth - afrotech.com - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Trump Can Succeed in Lebanon Where Obama Failed | Opinion - Newsweek - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Black-owned construction firms bring Chicago's Obama Presidential Center to life - ABC7 Chicago - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Trump rips Obama's 'stupid' Iran deal, claims former president thought 'he could bribe them' - Yahoo - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Trump bashed the Obama Presidential Center. So they invited him on a tour - USA Today - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Inside the $850 million Obama Presidential Center ahead of its Juneteenth opening - CNBC - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- In photos: a preview of the Obama Presidential Center : The Picture Show - NPR - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- With Oval Office replica and skyline views of Chicago, Obama's new museum is political and personal - AP News - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Column | The Obama Center opens as a time warp to an old political order - The Washington Post - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Michelle Obama: white men do not have to worry about impostor syndrome - The Guardian - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Week in Review: Indiana Bears, Mendoza Runs and an Obama Center Preview - WTTW News - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Museum of Science and Industry to close on opening day of Obama Presidential Center - NBC 5 Chicago - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Barack Obama Partners with Malcolm Gladwell for New Podcast About an 'Often Overlooked' Subject - People.com - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Watch The Innovative Digital Archives at the Obama Presidential Center - Bloomberg.com - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- With Oval Office replica and skyline views of Chicago, Obama's new museum is political and personal - Los Angeles Times - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Trump Wants to Shrink National Intelligence Office and Purge Obama and Biden Holdovers - Time Magazine - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- This week the Obama Presidential Center was revealed - Dezeen - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Michelle Obama To Display Outfits She Wore As First Lady At The Obama Presidential Center Exhibit - Yahoo - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Living, breathing legacy: Sneak peek into the new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago - NBC News - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Obama Presidential Center Is Ready for Its Close-Up: First Look at Obama Foundations Beacon of Hope and Economic Engine - WTTW News - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Inside Obama's presidential museum opening this month: The cost, the books and a beehive - AP News - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Obama Centers Two Sides: A Lovely Park and a Forbidding Tower - The New York Times - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Bethesda-Chevy Chase High seniors wanted Michelle Obama to speak at graduation. They got their wish. - Bethesda Magazine - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- With Oval Office replica and skyline views of Chicago, Obama's new museum is political and personal - TelegraphHerald.com - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- The Obama Presidential Center Wants to Be Everything But a Library - Bloomberg.com - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- As Airbnbs explode near the Obama Center, housing advocates say affordable units are disappearing - Chicago Sun-Times - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Woodlawn students share big dreams and hopes for their community in letters to Barack and Michelle Obama - CBS News - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Behind todays radical, Jew-hating Democratic Party is a monster created by Barack Obama - New York Post - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Obama Foundation offers first glance of Jackson Park campus: Here is what to know - Chicago Tribune - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Obama Center will soon open, and we're getting our first glimpses inside - NBC 5 Chicago - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Its a Marker of a Time in the History of Our Country: Inside the Obama Presidential Center - ELLE - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- FACT FOCUS: Trump says Obama and Biden spent 'hundreds of millions' on reflecting pool. They did not - Yahoo - May 29th, 2026 [May 29th, 2026]
- Gubernatorial candidates include Barack Obama but not the one youre thinking of - Spectrum News - May 29th, 2026 [May 29th, 2026]
- In a city with an iconic skyline, the Obama presidential museum aims to reshape Chicago architecture - Inquirer.com - May 29th, 2026 [May 29th, 2026]
- Early Obama booster drops millions into Californias lieutenant governor race - Sacramento Bee - May 29th, 2026 [May 29th, 2026]