Majorities of Republican voters don’t think that the January 6 Capitol rioters represent the Republican party. A majority also think Democratic President Joe Biden is more responsible for causing the riots than Republican former President Donald Trump.
Approximately 70 percent of Republican voters disagreed with the statement, “The people who broke into the U.S. Capitol on January 6 are representative of the Republican Party.” The percentage was taken from poll results published Monday by the market research company Morning Consult.
Roughly 40 percent of all voters, regardless of party affiliation, said the rioters didn’t represent the Republican party. Comparatively, 17 percent of Republican voters said that the rioters represented the GOP, and 47 percent of all voters, regardless of party affiliation, felt the same.
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The poll also revealed that Republican voters blame Biden and Democrats in Congress for the riots more than they blame Trump or congressional Republicans.
While 30 percent of Republican voters blame Trump as responsible for the riots, 41 percent blame Biden. Another 22 percent blame congressional Republicans, and 52 percent blame congressional Democrats.
The poll surveyed 1,995 registered voters between June 18 and 20. Its results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent.
Morning Consult asked Republican voters the same question about responsibility for the riots in early January. At that time, 41 percent blamed Trump, 42 percent blamed Biden, 34 percent blamed congressional Republicans and 48 percent blamed congressional Democrats.
When all voters, regardless of party, were asked in June about those most responsible for the riots, 61 percent blamed Trump, 27 percent blamed Biden, 50 percent blamed congressional Republicans and 33 percent blamed congressional Democrats.
The June poll found that 68 percent of Republican voters agreed with the statement, “There has been too much focus on the January 6th events at the U.S. Capitol.” Other respondents who agreed made up 41 percent of all voters, 23 percent of Democratic voters and 36 percent of Independent voters.
Comparatively, 21 percent of Republican voters think that there hasn’t been too much focus the riots. Roughly 50 percent of all voters, 70 percent of Democratic voters and 51 percent of Independent voters feel the same.
In January, the House impeached Trump for inciting the riots. Trump had repeatedly and baselessly claimed that the 2020 election had been stolen from him by an unprecedented nationwide conspiracy of widespread voter fraud.
Hours before the riots, Trump spoke to a crowd of thousands of supporters at a “Stop the Steal” rally. Numerous people arrested for allegedly participating in the riots have said they invaded the Capitol because they believed Trump’s claims.
Five people died during the insurrection and roughly 140 police officers were injured. The police injuries include a broken spine, a lost eye, lost fingers, brain damage and multiple cases of PTSD. Two Capitol Police officers have died by suicide since the insurrection.
While ransacking the Capitol, the rioters shattered windows while trying to access congressional chambers, smeared feces in the hallway and stole computer equipment, potentially constituting a national security breach.
Newsweek contacted the White House for comment.
