There has been a lot of hand-wringing in DC these days about the way in which President Trump has undermined the legitimacy of our nation’s top law enforcement agencies. Trump’s steady stream of Twitter tirades against the FBI and the integrity of the entire Russia investigation has eroded the traditionally solid support of law enforcement among GOPers. …
But, we also know that weakening trust in institutions has been going on a lot longer than Trump has been in office. In fact, what’s made Trump’s FBI-bashing effective isn’t that he’s more convincing than previous politicians in reshaping our opinions of institutions, it’s that voters are more willing to distrust their institutions and to side with their political “tribe.” CONT.
Amy Walter, Cook Political Report