More than half of voters think Trump should have been charged, even if most see politics at work
A majority of voters believe the federal charges against Donald Trump were justified, according to a new poll from DailyMail.com/JL Partners, though half also believe it was politically motivated.
The former president appeared in a Miami courthouse on Tuesday where he pleaded not guilty to 37 charges and accused him of refusing to hand over government documents.
The case has divided the nation politically, but a new poll suggests how it could play out in the 2024 election.
Of the 1,000 respondents, about 46 percent thought it was “very reasonable” to impeach Trump. Another nine percent said it was “quite fair.”
In comparison, 31 percent said it was “very unreasonable” and nine percent said it was “quite unreasonable.”
Donald Trump appeared in federal court in Miami on Tuesday afternoon. He was flanked by his lawyers Todd Blanche (left) and Christopher Kise (pictured right). The figure on the far left is Walt Naut, a longtime assistant also charged in the case
A new poll for DailyMail.com found that 54 percent of voters believe it was right for Trump to be charged in federal court over the documents search
At the same time, 50 percent said it was politically motivated, while 42 percent said it wasn’t.
James Johnson, co-founder of polling firm JL Partners, said: The average American voter’s view of Trump’s charges is that he probably did something wrong, but the allegations are political.
This balance — somewhat more nuanced than many voters tend to assume — provides an indication of how the case could affect the 2024 race.
Make it a referendum on Trump’s behavior, and voters will be reminded of what they see as his worst instincts.
“But if the Trump campaign succeeds in making this about the system that is pursuing him for political gain, then independents and other key voters can still side with the former president on this issue.”
The polls began when Trump flew from his New Jersey golf club to Miami for his court appearance.
He pleaded not guilty to charges that charged him with illegally storing hundreds of documents at his home in Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House in 2021, and then obstructing efforts to return them.
At the same time, a number of respondents – including independents – said they believed the case was politically motivated, showing how the issue could play out in 2024.
Trump immediately used the allegations as an opportunity for his campaign. He ranted against prosecutors in a speech at his New Jersey golf club and sent fundraising emails
Trump is charged with willful withholding of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, concealment of documents and making false statements.
The case came to light in August last year when the FBI executed a search warrant in Mar-a-Lago.
The poll results showed that an overwhelming majority of Republicans (88 percent to five percent) believe the former president is the victim of political persecution.
Democrats are breaking the other way, but a majority of independents — who could decide the 2024 election — also believe the charges were politically motivated, by a margin of 52 percent to 38 percent.
President Joe Biden has repeatedly said he was not involved in the case brought by the Justice Department.
Yet Trump supporters insist he is the victim of a witch hunt and rivals for the 2024 Republican nomination had to tread a cautious path.
Some, like Vivek Ramamswamy, have offered whole-hearted support as he tries to win over Trump supporters.
Others, like former Vice President Mike Pence, have tried to match the mood of the public, saying in interviews that he couldn’t defend anything that would compromise classified information before he quickly flipped.
DOJ discovered boxes of potentially classified documents in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom
The former president waves as he steps out of his Boeing 757 Monday afternoon ahead of his arraignment in Miami Tuesday
President Joe Biden would beat leading Republican candidates if the election were tomorrow
“I can’t defend what’s being said, but the former president is entitled to his day in court,” Pence said CNBC. “I just can’t… I can’t believe politics didn’t play a role here.”
Other poll results suggest that if the general election were held tomorrow, Biden would narrowly hold on to the White House.
He would beat DeSantis by one point (44 percent of the vote to 43), Trump by two points, and newcomer Pence by three points.
But with 17 months to go there is everything to play for as Biden lags behind the independents and the numbers point to an excruciatingly tight race.
Biden is also considered too old to be president by some 71 percent of voters and nearly half of Democratic voters.
The poll was conducted from June 12 to 15 and used landlines, cell phones, text and apps to reach 1,000 likely U.S. general election voters. It has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.