OnPolitics: Poll finds Jan. 6 hearings haven't change many minds

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President Joe Biden today took aim at the former president for his actions — or inaction— on Jan. 6, 2021, saying he lacked the "courage to act" during the riot at the Capitol.

"For three hours, the defeated former president of the United States watched it all happen as he sat in the comfort of the private dining room next to the Oval Office," Biden said in a taped message from the White House, addressing the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

In the message, Biden juxtaposed Trump's decision to sit by against the "brave" law enforcement officers who were "subject to medieval hell for three hours" as they held back rioters.

The summer finale of the Jan. 6 committee's hearings Thursday revealed that former President Donald Trump watched his supporters attack the Capitol that day and declined to intervene, instead remaining fixated on Fox News Channel for more than two hours despite the pleas of his aides and family to act.

It's Ella, politics reporter and your newest OnPolitics writer, and Chelsey with today's top stories out of Washington.

Exclusive poll: Jan. 6 hearings didn't change many minds

Despite the headlines drawn by the explosive Jan. 6 committee hearings, an exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll found that not many minds have been changed by the committee's findings.

Just 7% of Republicans say the special House committee’s dramatic presentations made them view the Capitol attack more seriously than they had thought, and only 6% of Republicans say they believe Trump played a bigger role in the attack than they first thought. They overwhelmingly dismiss the committee and its revelations as unsurprising and partisan.

Democrats, on the other hand, have found their already-critical views of the assault and former president reinforced, according to the poll.

About six in 10 Independents said their views haven’t changed, though 31% view the attack as more serious than before.

The survey finds little evidence that the committee’s findings transformed public opinion or could affect the outcomes of midterm elections, as some Democrats hoped.

Real quick: stories you'll want to read

• Pence tells it all: Former Vice President Mike Pence addresses his faith, career journeys and Jan. 6 in his forthcoming autobiography, "So Help Me God."

• Blacklisted Cheney's reelection bid: A pariah of the GOP for her open condemnation of Trump, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney must defend her seat against Trump-backed challenger Harriet Hageman in November.

• Gaetz mocks abortion advocates: Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz said during a conservative student conference that activists looked like "thumbs" and are "least likely" to get pregnant.

• Local judge bars DA from calling state senator: Atlanta-area District Attorney Fani Willis was blocked Monday from calling Georgia state Sen. Burt Jones before a special grand jury due to her public support for his Democratic opponent for lieutenant governor.

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POTUS debates rolling back Trump-era tariffs on China

A 25% tariff lobbied against the Chinese government during the Trump administration has hurt the bottom line of U.S. small business owners who rely on goods and services from China.

Historic inflation, a feature of the Biden years, has compounded those business owners' hardships and placed pressure on the president to roll back Trump's tariffs.

But with the upcoming November midterm elections and already-fragile relations with China, lifting the tax comes with major political and geopolitical risks. Economists also debate whether the action might affect prices.

The tariffs were placed on $360 billion worth of Chinese-made goods over allegations that China steals U.S. intellectual property and forces U.S. companies to share trade secrets in exchange for doing business. But easing the duties could undermine U.S. efforts to expand domestic manufacturing of microchips and other goods traditionally imported from China.

Biden has also formed close ties with organized labor unions that oppose lifting the tariffs, and Rust Belt-Democrats say removing the tax would be a mistake.

"One thing about this president is he will never do anything that he thinks will hurt workers in America or hurt union workers in America," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation." Biden is close to making a decision on the import tax, according to reports.

Attention, music video fans: Artists Kendrick Lamar, Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow lead with seven nominations for the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. -- Ella and Chelsey

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: On Politics: Jan. 6 hearings didn't change many minds, poll shows