(Getty Images/Miguel Medina/AFP)

More than half of government employees say the media and hostile politicians are “playing up the threat of the cornonavirus to hurt President Trump,” a new national Rasmussen poll reveals.

Fully 51% of government workers say media and politicians are sensationalizing the coronavirus to hurt Trump, compared to 35% of all U.S. likely voters.

Likewise, government workers are less likely to view the coronavirus as “a major health threat” to the nation (41%) than are all U.S. likely voters (49%).

Which is closer to your opinion? (Government Employees)

The coronavirus is a major health threat to the United States: 41%

The media and some politicians are playing up the threat of the coronavirus to hurt President Trump: 51%

Neither: 9%

Not Sure: 0%

Which is closer to your opinion? (All Respondents)

The coronavirus is a major health threat to the United States: 49%

The media and some politicians are playing up the threat of the coronavirus to hurt President Trump: 35%

Neither: 11%

Not Sure: 5%

Government employees also rate the Trump Administration’s response to the coronavirus higher than do all U.S. voters, taken as a whole. More than a third (35%) rate the federal government’s response “Excellent,” compared to about a quarter (24%) of all respondents.

How would you rate the federal government's response to the coronavirus so far? (Government Employees)

Excellent: 35%

Good: 14%

Fair: 22%

Poor: 24%

Not Sure: 4%

How would you rate the federal government's response to the coronavirus so far? (All Respondents)

Excellent: 24%

Good: 22%

Fair: 21%

Poor: 30%

Not Sure: 4%

Indeed, with 46% rating the response either “Excellent” or “Good,” Americans rate Trump’s response to the coronavirus better than they rated President Barack Obama’s response to the Ebola virus, Rasmussen reports:

Last month, Rasmussen released results of a survey showing that Americans believe the media are exaggerating the coronavirus threat, just as do the threat of other diseases and disasters:

“As has been the case with other diseases and natural disasters, Americans think the media has been overselling coronavirus. A plurality (47%) says the media tends to make the outbreak of diseases like coronavirus sound worse than they really are. Thirty-five percent (35%) disagree, but another 18% are not sure.”

The national survey of 1,000 U.S. likely voters, conducted March 3-4, 2020. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.