CNN  — 

It is 100% true that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. And that Donald Trump lost it.

Unfortunately, in recent months, the Big Lie – that Trump somehow was defrauded out of the election – has gained increasing amounts of traction, according to a new CNN poll.

In January, 59% said they have confidence that elections in this country reflect the will of the people, while 40% said they lacked that confidence.

Today? A majority of Americans – 52% – say they do not have confidence that elections reflect the will of the people, while 48% say they do.

That’s a significant swing in less than a year, in the exact wrong direction. And it’s primarily fueled by Republicans, 76%(!) of whom say they had just a little or no confidence in elections reflecting the will of the people. 

That’s hardly the only data point in the poll that suggests Trump’s Big Lie is working.

While 63% of all respondents said that Biden “legitimately won enough votes to win the presidency,” the story was very, very different among Republicans.  

Among that group, 78% said that Biden did not win enough votes to legitimately win the election. That’s right: 8 in 10 Republicans think that Biden didn’t win the election. 

Which, well, wow. What those numbers make clear is that among Republicans, Donald Trump and the Big Lie he is telling are winning. Winning is a relative term, of course. Because building a political party around a lie is the quickest way to destroy a political party.

The Point: The Trump fever didn’t break after the 2020 election. In fact, it’s running hotter than ever.