(NewsNation) — A majority of Americans believe the protesters who descended on the U.S. Capitol in January 2021 threatened democracy, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released this week.
In the poll conducted Dec. 14-18, 2023, 58% of respondents said those who entered the Capitol that day threatened democracy, while 51% of respondents said Donald Trump telling supporters to march to the Capitol had the same effect.
A total of 55% of respondents said the riots were an “attack on democracy that should never be forgotten,” compared to 43% who said it’s time to move on.
While a majority of Americans still view the riots as a threat to democracy, the poll indicates views have shifted in the three years since the attack.
A total of 50% of respondents said protesters were “mostly violent” that day, a drop from 54% in a Post-UMD poll conducted in December 2021. Similarly, 26% said punishments for people who broke into the Capitol were “too harsh,” up from 19% in the 2021 poll.
Fewer Americans are more likely to blame Trump, too. A total of 37% said he bears a “great deal” of responsibility, down from 43% in 2021. Roughly the same amount say he shares a “good amount of blame (16% in 2023 vs. 17% in 2021) while more say he bears “just some” responsibility (18% vs. 14%). The share of people who say “none at all” jumped from 24% in 2021 to 28% in 2023.
Trump’s actions on the day of the riot nearly three years ago are center stage in the race for the White House.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows last week removed Trump from the primary ballot in her state, ruling he is disqualified under a 14th Amendment provision against leading insurrections.
Bellows accused Trump of hindering a peaceful transition of power, noting his awareness of potential violence without taking timely measures to prevent it.
The Maine decision follows a similar one in Colorado. The state’s Supreme Court recently ruled that Trump is disqualified from appearing on the ballot over his actions during the Capitol riots. The state’s Republican Party has appealed this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Post-UMD poll was conducted Dec. 14-18 and included 1,024 respondents. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
The Hill contributed to this report.
