Poll: How does the public feel about Trump’s accusations?

The ex-president donald trump has emerged largely politically unscathed from his accusation in NY. But a new poll indicates that the investigations in Georgia and Washington could prove more problematic for him.

Just four in 10 adults believe Trump acted illegally in New York, where he has been charged in connection with bribes paid to women who said they had sexual encounters with him, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Instead, more than half believe he broke the law in Georgia, where he is under investigation for interfering in the 2020 vote count.

According to the poll, about half believe the same about his role in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and his handling of the secret documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate, both of which are being investigated by the Justice Department.

The findings suggest that possible charges against Trump in those cases could have a more profound impact on American public opinion than his alleged cover-up of bribery of porn actress Stormy Daniels and other women during the 2016 election campaign: six in 10 Adults believe that these accusations are politically motivated. The case, that of the first former US president to be criminally charged, has attracted intense media coverage, but legal experts say the potential risk from the other investigations is much greater.

The Georgia case, in particular, worries even longtime Trump supporters.

The poll reveals that Trump has suffered little from the impeachment, which has instead benefited him greatly in fundraising. His campaign has raised more than $15 million since news of the indictment broke, with new donors and a long list of new endorsers.

The poll finds that 30% of Americans and 55% of Republicans want Trump to run for president in 2024, similar numbers to an AP-NORC poll in January. Likewise, 34% of adults and 68% of Republicans have favorable opposition to him, just like three months ago.

But Trump, the undisputed favorite to win the Republican nomination, would face a strong headwind if he won. 53% of Americans say they would definitely not vote for him if he were the Republican nominee, according to the poll.

The picture in New York is more favorable to Trump than it is in Georgia, where Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is investigating whether Trump and his allies illegally intervened in the state’s 2020 presidential election. She recorded Trump as he asked state officials to “find him 11,780 votes” to help him win the state. Willis must now decide if she press charges.

But already in the case of Georgia, 53% of those surveyed say they believe that Trump violated the law. 12% say that he committed an act that was unethical, but not illegal, and 17% say that he did not commit any fault.

In federal cases, 47% of those polled believe Trump acted illegally in his handling of the secret documents and 49% say he broke the law in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill. Two in 10 say he committed an act that was unethical, but not illegal, and the same number say that he did not commit any wrongdoing.

Source: AP