Non-paywall link

There is an assumption, probably particularly among those who cover the news and those who read it, that Donald Trump’s legal travails are common knowledge. We talk about things like the potential effects of a Trump conviction on the 2024 presidential election with the assumption that this would be an event that rose to the nation’s consciousness, triggering a response from both his supporters and detractors.

But this is a sort of vanity: Just because it is interesting to us certainly doesn’t mean it is interesting to others. Polling released by CNN on Thursday shows that only a quarter of voters seek out news about the campaign; a third pay little to no attention at all.

As it turns out, even major developments often fly under the average American’s radar. New polling conducted by YouGov shows that only a bit over half of the country on average is aware of the various legal challenges Trump faces. And among those Republicans on whose political support he depends? Consistently, only a minority say they are aware of his lawsuits and charges.

    • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      43% of Democrats believed he’d been charged with crimes they made up for the poll.

      The point of the article is really about the fact that most people are just generally uninformed, especially Republicans about these criminal prosecutions.

      • lennybird@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        The vast majority of Americans completely tune out news and politics, interject at get-togethers with some regurgitated shallow talking-points they overheard coworkers or news headlines say, then suddenly pay half attention like a month before the election.

      • A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Given all the legal trouble Trump and cohorts has been in, in the past 3+ years… its not a surprise people would think anything they hear is a new or existing charge.

    • SnausagesinaBlanket@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Ask any random GOP what book they last read. There’s Your sign.

      For all you Texas GOP’S, Guns and Ammo magazine is not a book.

      • ngdev@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        That means nothing imo, last book I read was years ago and I’m in a field most consider to be for sharper folks. Software dev. The book was the last in the three body problem trilogy.

        In a world where the Twilight series exists, I really hate people who use the act of reading books as some intelligence measure

        • prole@sh.itjust.works
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          10 months ago

          Read a fucking book, dude. And twilight doesn’t count.

          Not reading doesn’t mean you’re necessarily stupid, but reading absolutely makes your smarter.

          • dragontamer@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            Have you seen the bullshit that Republicans read?

            I’d argue reading those toxic masculinity self help books, and all the lives of rich assholes is what makes them act the way that they do.

      • dragontamer@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Nah. My Republican friends are incredibly well read. It’s just Ayn Rand, Ben Shapiro and the Bible. Real books.

        Honestly, Republicans are the types who really worship personalities like Elon Musk or other such people. I’m willing to bet that most Republicans read biographies more and try to emulate the lives of the rich and powerful.

        It’s not that they’re ignorant. It’s that their culture is backwards. No matter how much they study, it just shoves them deeper into right wing bullshit.