Trump’s Support Is Unaffected by Indictment in First Poll Since He’s Hit With New Charges

‘Republicans are much less likely than Democrats or Americans overall to find it believable that Trump solicited election fraud, that he incited a mob on January 6th, or that he was involved in a scheme of fake electors,’ the pollster writes.

AP/Sue Ogrocki
President Trump leaves a campaign rally at Erie, Pennsylvania. AP/Sue Ogrocki

In the first poll since the indictment of President Trump on charges of “seeking to subvert democracy,” Mr. Trump’s commanding lead in the 2024 GOP presidential primary appears to be entirely unaffected.

A new poll from Reuters and Ipsos found that Mr. Trump maintains 47 percent support, with his closest challenger, Governor DeSantis, carrying 13 percent. Vice President Pence maintains 8 percent support, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is at 7 percent, and Ambassador Haley is at 5 percent.

Compared to the Reuters and Ipsos surveys conducted in mid-July, Mr. Trump’s support is stable. Mr. DeSantis’s struggling campaign saw the largest change, losing six points of support between the July and August surveys.

There are signs, though, that Mr. Trump could lose the backing of some Republicans if he were convicted of a felony, with 45 percent saying they would not support him if convicted.

Yet the poll did not ask questions about the general election, and it’s not clear if Republicans would be dissuaded from supporting Mr. Trump in the general election should he be convicted on felony charges.

Another 35 percent said that they would still support him, and 20 percent reported not knowing what they would do. Nineteen percent of Republicans chose not to indicate who they would support in that scenario, and 13 percent said they would support a candidate who is in prison.

Among Republicans, 38 percent report having “heard a great deal about the criminal investigation of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election,” indicating that opinions could change on the topic as more Republicans become more informed.

Among Democrats, 56 percent said they had heard a great deal about the criminal investigation into Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

A majority of Americans, 64 percent, do report having “made up their minds about Donald Trump’s guilt or innocence when it comes to January 6th” in the time since the 2021 riot at the Capitol.

“Republicans are much less likely than Democrats or Americans overall to find it believable that Trump solicited election fraud, that he incited a mob on January 6th, or that he was involved in a scheme of fake electors,” the pollster writes.

Broken down by partisanship, 76 percent of Democrats and 67 percent of Republicans have already made up their minds on the issue of Mr. Trump’s role in the events of January 6.

“Majorities of Republicans and those who plan to support Trump in the primary feel he behaved appropriately around the 2020 election and January 6th,” the pollster writes. “Though fewer feel his actions towards former Vice President Mike Pence were appropriate.”

The proportion of Republicans who feel Mr. Trump acted appropriately in his attempt to overturn the election results is 53 percent. Among his primary supporters, that number is 70 percent. Just 35 percent of Republicans say he “acted appropriately when asking former Vice President Mike Pence to reject Biden’s win.”


The New York Sun

© 2024 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use