There is a difference based on partisanship between those who see Trump’s statement as sarcasm (as he later claimed) and those who view it as serious. By more than two to one, Democrats view it as a serious request, while by nearly three to one Republicans say Trump was sarcastic.

Those taking government emails and publishing them are evaluated based on what those emails are about, and who is embarrassed by them. Three years ago, when Bradley (now Chelsea) Manning was on trial for leaking classified emails, Americans held an unfavorable view of Wikileaks, though Democrats were more favorable than Republicans towards the organization. Now, after the leaks of the Democratic National Committee emails, Republicans are more favorable than Democrats towards Wikileaks.