Poll: Most Young Americans Believe Trump Encourages Violence Against Media

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A recent poll conducted by NowThis/PredictWise shows that most young Americans believe Trump encourages violence against journalists, per Business Insider. The poll was conducted on Oct. 23—the same day the first of many mail bombs sent to Trump opponents were discovered.

This poll asked 750 adults if they believed that the Trump administration advocated for violence against reporters, whether explicitly or implicitly. 57 percent of adults from ages 18-34 said yes, while 41 percent of adults above that age range said yes.

As expected, there was a stark difference across party lines. Across all ages, 17 percent of Republicans believed Trump incited physical abuse, while 67 percent of Democrats and 33 percent of Independents agreed.

Even in broad strokes, Trump is known for being a major critic of the media. The night before this poll was released, at three o’clock in the morning, he snatched his phone to tweet about how much he hated CNN.

Funny how lowly rated CNN, and others, can criticize me at will, even blaming me for the current spate of Bombs and ridiculously comparing this to September 11th and the Oklahoma City bombing, yet when I criticize them they go wild and scream, “it’s just not Presidential!”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 26, 2018
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With the recent bombing attempts rightfully dominating press coverage, it’s easy to see why some believe Trump is a catalyst. It becomes even more clear looking at one of his recent rallies, in which he praised a congressman for body-slamming a reporter.