Half of Republicans say they believe false accounts being spread about the deadly U.S. Capitol riot, new research shows. In a new Reuters/Ipsos poll out Monday, about half of Republicans told pollsters they believe the siege was largely a nonviolent protest or was the handiwork of left-wing activists “trying to make Trump look bad.” Six in 10 Republican respondents also said they believe the false claim put out by former President Donald Trump that November’s presidential election “was stolen” from him due to widespread voter fraud, and the same proportion of Republicans think he should run again in 2024, the March 30-31 poll showed. While 59 percent of respondents of all political leanings say Trump bears some responsibility for the attack, only three in 10 Republicans agree. “Republicans have their own version of reality,” said John Geer, an expert on public opinion at Vanderbilt University.
