Voters Split on Acknowledging Country's Past

With a little over two months left before the U.S. presidential election in November, Democratic nominee Joe Biden and incumbent President Donald Trump are facing tough challenges on how they’ll move the country forward if they win. The pandemic, economic crisis and protests are capturing the majority of each candidate’s attention, especially with continued police shootings of Black Americans and the murders of protesters occurring this week in Wisconsin. Voters are still torn on how to feel about the protests, and a new poll shows how change and the history of racism in the U.S. play different roles in the lives of Americans.

In a recent poll from Pew Research Center, a large 71 percent majority of registered voters said it makes America stronger to acknowledge the country’s historical flaws. While 87 percent of Biden supporters responded similarly, a larger discrepancy was observed in Trump supporters, where 47 percent said focusing on historical flaws makes the country weaker.

The country’s strength in diversity and change drew greater distance in responses between Trump and Biden supporters. When asked whether the ability to change or long-standing principles created a successful country, 66 percent of Trump supporters said long-standing principles compared to 68 percent of Biden supporters who said change created the country’s success.