In the second-worst scandal to hit Donald Trump in the last two weeks, rumors are swirling about a recording of Trump saying the N-word. There’s no proof such a recording exists, but disgruntled ex-White House employee Omarosa Manigault Newman released audio of a discussion she had with other Trump staffers about what to do if an N-word tape were to surface, and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters, “I can’t guarantee anything,” when asked if tapes of Trump saying the N-word exist. But even if everyone heard a tape of him saying that, it probably wouldn’t bother conservative voters.
That’s according to a new Economist/YouGov survey of 1,500 American adults, which found that 64 percent of Republicans said they thought it was “possible that a person who uses the ‘N-word’ while in office can still be a good President of the United States,” compared to 16 percent of Democrats. But even though Republicans are more open to a president who freely spits racial slurs, only 8 percent said they believed Donald Trump “definitely has” used the N-word while in office, compared to 56 percent of Democrats—though 23 percent of Republicans said he “probably has” used the N-word.
Videos by VICE
To put this all into context, 73 percent of Democrats polled find the N-word offensive, while only 43 percent of Republicans feel the same way.
The poll also asked respondents if they thought previous presidents used the N-word in office, because why not? Republicans were more likely to believe that Democratic presidents like John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton “probably” used the racial slur—which is interesting considering Republicans are also more likely than Democrats to support a candidate who has used the word. Astoundingly, 34 percent of Republicans polled thought perhaps our softest president, Jimmy Carter, definitely or probably used the N-word during his term in the White House, while only 31 percent thought Trump definitely or probably used the word since becoming president.
Another interesting tidbit from the poll: 13 percent of Republicans think Trump is the best president in history, while 21 percent said Abraham Lincoln, dispelling Trump’s repeated assertion that he is more popular among Republicans than “our Honest Abe.” One percent of Democrats think Trump is the best president in history, and honestly, if you are one of those Democrats, I have so many questions for you!
Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.
