Poll shows Trump has a big credibility problem in the Comey controversy

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Americans say Former FBI Director James Comey is more believable than President Trump.

President Donald Trump has a massive credibility problem, a new poll shows: Far more Americans are likely to believe Former FBI Director James Comey's version of events that led up to his firing than Trump's.

Forty-five percent of respondents say in the new NBC/WSJ poll that they are more likely to believe Comey's June 8 testimony before the Senate regarding his firing, rather than the president's version of events.

Just 22% of respondents say they are more likely to believe Trump. 21% of respondents, however, say they are likely to believe neither Trump nor Comey.

Additionally, 46% of respondents say they disapprove of Comey's firing - up from 38% for the same question in a May poll - while just 27% approve.

And 53% of poll respondents say they believe Russia interfered with the 2016 election. There's a stark partisan divide - 78% of self-identified Democrats and 53% of independents say Russia interfered, while only 26% of Republicans say the same.

Comey testified before the Senate that Trump had requested he drop the FBI's investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Trump fired Comey in May over what he said was the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

In an interview on Friday morning, Trump said he floated the idea that he recorded his conversations with Comey in the White House to pressure the former FBI director to keep his story straight. He said Thursday that he did not record his conversations with Comey, ending weeks of speculation.