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The FBI search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate was quickly blasted by the former president’s Republican colleagues and a throng of supporters, who rallied against the raid outside his Florida resort on Monday.
The unprecedented search of a former president’s home signalled an escalation of the investigation into missing White House documents — one of several probes into Trump’s time in office, his role in the Jan 6 attacks and his business dealings.
Trump’s reaction — to condemn the raid as ‘not necessary or appropriate’ – has resonated with his legion of MAGA fans, many of whom say he won the 2020 election and that Democrats will try anything to stop him running again in 2024.
Still, many Americans say Trump is not above the law, that his actions in the White House warrant investigation and that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has a responsibility to fulfil this difficult task.
Against this backdrop, DailyMail.com is spotlighting five recent polls that provide a snapshot of Americans’ attitudes on Trump, the FBI, the DOJ, the Jan 6 hearings and simmering political divisions that could boil over into violence.
The polling suggests that voters remain bitterly divided over the 45th president, whether he should be investigated, and whether U.S. institutions operate fairly. While some Republicans have moved away from Trump, he retains a passionate and combustible base.
We are also giving readers the chance to share their views, and vote on whether they approve of the FBI’s decision to raid Trump’s luxury retreat in Palm Beach and crack open his safe in the search for missing papers.
POLL 1: Republicans trust the FBI less than Democrats
The FBI has an image problem. Overall, 47 percent of Americans distrust the national crime-fighting bureau, and 46 percent trust it, according to a Golden/TIPP Poll from May.
Support is politically tilted: Democrats and independents broadly trust the institution, but most Republicans (55 percent) lack trust, even though Trump appointed FBI director Christopher Wray.
Respondents expressed similarly mixed feelings towards the DOJ.
POLL 2: U.S. split over Trump’s role in Jan 6 insurrection
After weeks of televised hearings into the assault on the Capitol in January 2021, U.S. voters remained divided over Trump’s role in the insurrection, and whether he encouraged supporters to try to stop lawmakers from certifying his electoral defeat.
Some 53 percent of voters said Trump should face a criminal indictment for January 6, yet 54 percent of voters also said he should be allowed to run for president again, Harvard CAPS-Harris pollsters found this month.
Pollster Mark Penn called it an ‘explosively divisive issue in the country’.
Members of the Oath Keepers on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington. American’s remain split over then-President Donald Trump’s role in the insurrection
POLL 3: The Jan 6 hearings turned some Republicans against Trump
The televised hearings into the events of January 6 took a toll on Trump’s popularity.
The bipartisan congressional probe offered new revelations about Trump heaping pressure on his vice president to overturn his election defeat, and dismissing close advisors who rejected his false claims of massive voter fraud.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll at the end of July found that 40 percent of Republicans blamed Trump for the deadly riot, compared to the 33 percent who held the former leader responsible six weeks previously.
In an advert, Trump calls America a ‘nation in decline’ but promises a political future where ‘the best is yet to come’. His popularity was dented by the January 6 hearings, but he remains popular among millions of voters
POLL 4: Trump remains popular among Republican base
Despite all the negative publicity over Jan 6 and signs of ebbing support, Trump remains hugely popular among his die-hard base.
In a straw poll at the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas last week, Trump was favored by 69 percent of anonymous voters — far ahead of second place Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with 24 percent.
Supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump rally outside his Mar-a-Lago home after the FBI raid. Despite negative publicity, he remains hugely popular among a die-hard fan base
POLL 5: Americans — and especially gun-toting Republicans — are riled up
The Trump supporters who rallied outside Mar-a-Lago on Monday night, much like those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, showcase just how passionately they back the former president.
A recent University of Chicago poll revealed just how angry and divided America had become, and how this could once again spill over into violence.
A worrying 28 percent of respondents said they had such little faith in their government that it may ‘soon be necessary to take up arms’ against Washington.
Among gun owners, 37 percent said they were ready for armed rebellion against a system that many described as ‘corrupt and rigged’ against them.