A pair of polls have found that most Americans believe the federal charges filed against former President Donald Trump are serious but that the indictment has done little to damage his front-runner status for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
What You Need To Know
- A pair of polls have found that most Americans believe the federal charges filed against former President Donald Trump are serious but that the indictment has done little to damage his front-runner status for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
- An ABC News-Ipsos poll released Sunday found that 61% of Americans think the charges in the classified documents case are either very or somewhat serious, compared to 28% who said they are not too serious or not serious at all
- Forty-seven percent said they believe the charges are politically motivated, compared to 37% who don’t
- A separate poll released Sunday by CBS News and YouGov found Trump’s support among likely Republican primary voters remains strong
An ABC News-Ipsos poll released Sunday found that 61% of Americans think the charges in the classified documents case are either very or somewhat serious, compared to 28% who said they are not too serious or not serious at all.
There was a stark partisan split, with 91% of Democrats and 38% of Republicans viewing the indictment as serious. Sixty-three percent of independents agreed with them.
Trump was indicted last week on 37 federal charges of willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, conceal a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal and false statements and representations.
The former president, who has denied any wrongdoing, is expected to appear in Miami federal court Tuesday to answer to the charges.
A plurality of those polled by ABC News-Ipsos — 48% — said they think Trump should have been charged with a crime in the case, while 35% said he should not have been and 17% said they did not know.
But 47% said they believe the charges are politically motivated, compared to 37% who don’t.
A separate poll released Sunday by CBS News and YouGov found Trump’s support among likely Republican primary voters remains strong.
Sixty-one percent of Republicans said the indictment won’t change their view of Trump. Fourteen percent said they view the former president more favorably, 7% said they view him less favorably, and 18% said it will depend on other factors.
Thirty-eight percent of GOP voters said they think if Trump retained nuclear and military documents after he left the White House that it posed a national security risk. Eighty percent of non-Republican voters said they believe there was a risk.
Meanwhile, 80% of GOP voters said Trump should be able to serve as president even if he’s convicted in the case.
Three out of four Republicans (76%) told CBS News-YouGov they think the indictment is politically motivated.
Trump leads the GOP presidential field with 61% support, according to the CBS poll. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is in a distant second place at 23%, followed by Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina (4%), former Vice President Mike Pence (4%), and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (3%).
