Most Americans Don’t Believe Trump’s Biggest Lie About the Tax Plan

During normal presidencies, this might be problematic.

Dan Anderson/ZUMA

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

Less than two weeks before the end of the year, President Donald Trump is set to finally score the first major legislative victory of his presidency, with both the House and Senate planning to pass the Republican tax reform bill on Tuesday. But the long-awaited win comes with a downside for the president: it’s one of the most unpopular bills in recent memory and a majority of the public doesn’t believe Trump’s claims about the bill.

According to a new CNN poll released Tuesday, 55 percent of Americans oppose the bill. Despite the president’s repeated claims that he will be a “big loser” under the bill, 63 percent of Americans believe that the plan will indeed benefit Trump and his wealthy family—as numerous non-partisan analyses have also concluded. 

“We will ensure that the benefits are focused on the middle class, the working men and women, not the highest income earners,” Trump told a crowd in Indianapolis in September. He added: “I’m doing the right thing—and it’s not good for me, believe me.”

On Saturday, he described the bill as a “Christmas gift” for the middle class. 

Despite the tanking support, Congress is set to pass the plan today, with Trump expected to sign it as early as Wednesday.

Fact:

Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do.

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2024 demands.

payment methods

Fact:

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2024 demands.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate