Plurality favor Trump’s Muslim ban in new poll

A new poll suggests that a plurality of Americans favor a temporary ban on Muslim immigration like the one proposed by Republican front-runner Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpAverage tax refunds down double-digits, IRS data shows White House warns Maduro as Venezuela orders partial closure of border with Colombia Trump administration directs 1,000 more troops to Mexican border MORE.

 

The survey by conservative-leaning Rasmussen Reports found that 46 percent of likely voters would favor a policy preventing Muslim immigrants from entering the country until tighter screening procedures can be implemented, while 40 percent would oppose such a measure.

 

Among likely Republican voters, 66 percent would support the ban, while 24 percent would oppose it.

 

Just 30 percent of likely Democratic voters would favor the proposed ban, while 55 percent said they would oppose it.

 

Those with no party affiliation said they would support the ban by a 45–39 margin.

 

Trump has been widely condemned by both parties for suggesting the U.S. should temporarily halt Muslim immigration in the wake of several terrorist attacks.

 

The top two Republican in Congress, House Speaker Paul RyanPaul Davis RyanFive takeaways from McCabe’s allegations against Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Sanders set to shake up 2020 race McCabe: No one in 'Gang of Eight' objected to FBI probe into Trump MORE (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellKids confront Feinstein over Green New Deal Trump selects Kelly Craft for United Nations ambassador Union leader says Green New Deal would make infrastructure bill ‘absolutely impossible’ MORE (R-Ky.), spoke out against the plan on Tuesday.

 

A White House spokesman also said on Monday Trump’s proposal is “totally contrary to our values as Americans.”

 

An online Bloomberg Politics poll released on Wednesday found that, while a majority of Republicans would support the temporary ban, likely voters overall would oppose it by a 37–50 margin.

 

The Rasmussen and Bloomberg polls phrased the question differently.

 

Rasmussen asked: “Do you favor or oppose a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the Untied States until the federal government improves its ability to screen out potential terrorists from coming here?”

 

Bloomberg Politics mentioned Trump by name in its question: “This week, Donald Trump called for a temporary ban on all Muslims who are citizens of foreign countries from entering the United States. Do you favor or oppose this proposal?”

 

The Rasmussen survey sampled 1,000 likely voters from Dec. 8–9. It has a margin of error of 3 percent.