Former President Donald Trump's arraignment on charges related to mishandling classified information and misleading investigators is a climactic moment in a years-long trend: Republicans' opinions of the Justice Department and the FBI have dropped significantly in the years since Trump took office.
In March of 2023, the Pew Research Center found that just 38% of Republicans and Republican-leaning adults had a favorable view of the FBI, while 53% have an unfavorable view of the bureau.
That's a significant, rapid shift among Republican voters over just a few years of the Trump era. In 2018, 49% of those Republicans and Republican-leaning adults viewed the FBI favorably and 44% viewed it unfavorably.
In January of 2017, just before Trump took office, 65% of the GOP had a favorable view of the FBI and 21% had an unfavorable view.
And in 2010, 71% of Republicans had a favorable view of the FBI.
The Justice Department has seen a similar image decline among Republicans since 2018, but with a caveat: Pew polling found that Republicans and Republican-leaning adults had a similarly low view of the agency during former President Barack Obama's administration.
The March 2023 poll found 40% of Republicans and Republican-leaning adults with a favorable view of the Justice Department and 50% with an unfavorable view.
In 2018, that favorability number sat at 60%, but during the Obama administration in 2010, 44% of Republicans and GOP leaners viewed the Justice Department favorably.
