Trump support unchanged in aftermath of second indictment, poll says
Mabinty Quarshie
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Support for former President Donald Trump remains virtually unchanged in the wake of his second indictment, according to a new poll.
It’s the latest sign of the GOP‘s loyalty as Trump’s legal problems increase.
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A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday showed 53% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters would support Trump. It’s a 30 percentage point advantage over the next closest candidate, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who received 23% of voter support.
All other 2024 Republican presidential candidates are polling at the single-digit level. Former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie each received 4% support. Long-shot candidate Vivek Ramaswamy received 3% support, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson received 1%.
Trump and President Joe Biden remain in a tight race among voters in a hypothetical match. Biden has maintained a slight lead over the former president, 48% to 44%, among all registered voters. A Quinnipiac poll last month showed Biden leading Trump 48% to 46%. That same May 24 poll showed Trump received 56% of support from Republican and Republican-leaning voters, only 3 percentage points more than he garnered in June.
Last week, special counsel Jack Smith unveiled a 37-count indictment against Trump over accusations he mishandled classified documents after leaving the White House. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges Tuesday at a Miami courthouse and insisted he was innocent during a speech held at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club Tuesday evening. But if he is convicted, he could be imprisoned for the rest of his life.
Nevertheless, Republican voters appear to be sticking by Trump, the front-runner in the GOP presidential race, to the consternation of the former president’s challengers. The former president’s rivals have struggled in their approach to the indictments, with some, such as Haley and Pence, increasing the directness of their criticisms against Trump, and others, such as Christie, lambasting Trump for refusing to return sensitive national security records.
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Yet the Quinnipiac poll also showed that among registered voters, Trump had a 37% favorable rating compared to 59% who view him unfavorably, a sign that Trump will have a harder time convincing a general electorate to bring him back to Washington should he win the GOP nomination. In comparison, Biden had a 42% favorability score, with 54% who viewed him unfavorably.
The poll surveyed 1,929 adults nationwide from June 8 to June 12 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.