Special Poll
Approximately one in three American adults are of the opinion that President Biden’s victory in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election was not legitimate, as indicated by a recent poll. This finding was part of a survey conducted by The Washington Post and University of Maryland, which also looked into the changing perceptions surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, with the third anniversary of this event approaching.
In comparison to a similar poll from December 2021, the belief in Biden’s legitimate election has slightly declined. As of the latest survey, 62% of U.S. adults believe in the legitimacy of Biden’s election, a decrease from the 69% in the 2021 poll.
A notable shift is observed among Republican respondents. In 2023, only 31% of Republicans acknowledged the legitimacy of the 2020 election results, a drop from 39% in the previous survey. Democratic respondents largely remain confident in Biden’s legitimate election, with 91% affirming this belief, albeit slightly lower than the 94% from two years ago. Among independents, 66% recognize Biden’s election as legitimate, down from 72% in the 2021 poll.
The survey also highlighted that viewers who primarily consume news from Fox News are less likely to believe in the legitimacy of Biden’s election, with only about 30% affirming this belief.
Meanwhile, former President Trump, despite facing numerous criminal charges and indictments, including some related to his actions post-2020 election, continues to be a leading figure in the Republican Party. He maintains his stance that he was the rightful winner of the 2020 election, a claim unsupported by numerous election audits and over 60 court cases that failed to substantiate allegations of a rigged election.
This sentiment is contrary to the statement made by Bill Barr, Trump’s then-attorney general, who, in the aftermath of the 2020 election, asserted that there was no evidence of fraud on a scale that could have influenced the election outcome, thereby contradicting Trump’s persistent claims of election fraud.