Forty-nine percent of voters approve of how President Donald Trump is handling his job, and 41 percent disapprove. | Getty Poll: 1-in-4 voters believe Trump's vote-fraud claims

One in four voters believe President Donald Trump's unsupported claim that millions of votes were illegally cast in the 2016 election, but more people believe that Trump benefited from any electoral malfeasance instead of Hillary Clinton.

A new POLITICO/Morning Consult survey showed that 25 percent of registered voters say they agree with Trump that millions of people improperly cast ballots last November. But if the election was subject to voter fraud, 35 percent say it's more likely any improper votes benefited Trump, and 30 percent say they benefited Clinton.


In the opening days of the Trump administration, the White House has signaled that it would open an investigation into voter fraud, even though there is scant evidence of widespread issues with the nation's electoral system.

Overall, the new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll — which was conducted Jan. 26 through Jan. 28 among 1,991 voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent — paints a mixed picture for the new president.

Trump's approval rating is ticking upward toward 50 percent: 49 percent of voters approve of how Trump is handling his job, and 41 percent disapprove. That is more positive than other polls; a 51-percent majority disapproves of Trump in the latest Gallup tracking poll. Even Trump's favorable rating — 49 percent favorable to 44 percent unfavorable — is a significant departure from other polls, which show Trump viewed more unfavorably.

Kyle Dropp, the Morning Consult co-founder and chief research officer notes that the poll was conducted online instead of Gallup's live-telephone method.

"There could be a mode effect at play like there was during the election," Dropp said, referring to the method by which poll respondents are interviewed. "Additionally, our poll does not yet take into account the reaction to the immigration ban announced this past weekend."

One centerpiece of Trump's nascent presidency — a border wall with Mexico — is reflected in the poll, but public opinion is nuanced.

When told the cost of the wall will be between $8 billion and $14 billion, 42 percent of those polled — a clear plurality — say it should not be built at all. Sixteen percent say it should only be built if Mexico pays, and 29 percent say they favor the project even if the U.S. pays.

Nearly half of the voters polled support a 20-percent tax on goods imported from Mexico to pay for the wall — a clear indication that the public is in favor of punitive measures against the nation's southern neighbor. But just 6 percent of voters say building the wall should be Trump's top priority, the third-worst ranking of any priority polled.

And after years of deep concerns about the nation's mounting debt, a 44-percent plurality says that Congress should consider policies even if they plunge the nation deeper into red ink. Fifty-eight percent say a massive infrastructure package — a top White House priority — will increase the debt, but 10 percent say its their top priority.

Morning Consult is a nonpartisan media and technology company that provides data-driven research and insights on politics, policy and business strategy.

More details on the poll and its methodology can be found in these two documents — Toplines: http://politi.co/2jsqpcl| Crosstabs: http://politi.co/2kS1Ku8