FACT CHECK: No, Poll Didn’t Show 64% Of Americans Support Hunter Biden’s Pardon
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed that a YouGov poll found that 64% of Americans supported Hunter Biden’s pardon.
Karine Jean-Pierre: A U.S. Gov. poll that came out, that some of you reported on and it said 64% of the American people agreed with the pardon.
Reality: It was 64% of democrats that support the pardon. ONLY 34% of Americans approve of the Hunter Biden pardon pic.twitter.com/yE4n6nYh37
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) December 7, 2024
Verdict: False
64% of Democrats support the pardon, not 64% of Americans. Only 34% of Americans support the pardon.
Fact Check:
Jean-Pierre claimed during a Dec. 6 press briefing that 64% of American support President Joe Biden pardoning his son, Hunter, for crimes against the United States.
“And I would actually add — and I think it’s important to note here, as you’re asking me these questions — important questions to ask — that there was a poll — a U.S. Gov [YouGov] poll that came out, that some of you all reported on it. And it said 64 percent of the American people agree with the pardon — 64 percent of the American people. So, we get a sense of where the American people are on this. Obviously, it’s one poll, but it gives you a little bit of insight. Sixty-four percent is nothing to sneeze at,” Jean-Pierre said, according to the press briefing’s transcript.
This is false. The YouGov poll referenced showed that 17% of Americans “strongly approve” of the pardon, with another 17% of Americans “somewhat approve” of the president’s action, meaning that 34% of Americans approved, not 64%.
It also showed that 50% of Americans “strongly disapprove” or “somewhat disapprove” of the pardon. 15% of Americans were unsure of their position. (RELATED: Did the North Carolina State Police Issue A Statement Threatening The Arrest Of FEMA employees?)
A White House spokesperson told the Daily Caller White House Correspondent Reagan Reese that Jean-Pierre meant to say 64% of Democrats. (Disclaimer: The Daily Caller and Check Your Fact are sister websites. We are editorially independent of each other.)
A White House spox tells @DailyCaller that the press secretary meant to say 64% of *Democrats* support the president’s pardon, not Americans.
I asked if she would issue a correction or apologize after repeatedly misstating the stat today, but did not get an answer. https://t.co/1xJWXJJUtO
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) December 6, 2024
“A White House spox tells @DailyCaller that the press secretary meant to say 64% of *Democrats* support the president’s pardon, not Americans. I asked if she would issue a correction or apologize after repeatedly misstating the stat today, but did not get an answer,” Reese tweeted.
Another poll, conducted by JL Partners, found that 52% of Americans disapproved of the pardon, while 29% supported Biden’s decision, according to the Daily Mail.
Check Your Fact reached out to the White House for comment.