🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
A majority of Americans support ongoing investigations into Donald Trump's behavior, and think he should be barred from running for the presidency again if convicted and imprisoned, according to a new survey conducted exclusively for Newsweek.
Polling indicates Trump is the current Republican frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election, ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Earlier this week, President Biden announced he is seeking a second term, warning against "MAGA extremists" in the GOP.
Trump is locked in a number of legal battles which could impact his hopes of a return to the White House. On April 4 he was arrested and pleaded not guilty to 34 charges related to the alleged payment of hush money to Stormy Daniels, a former adult film actress, ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump is also facing a civil case in New York from writer E. Jean Carroll, who alleges the business tycoon raped her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s. He denies the allegations in both cases.
Redfield & Wilton Strategies polling conducted for Newsweek found that 59 percent of Americans either "support" or "strongly support" investigations "into former President Donald Trump and his legal affairs," with just 22 percent saying they are "opposed" or "strongly opposed."
If Trump is "found guilty and imprisoned" 51 percent of U.S. voters no longer think he should be able to run for the presidency, versus 38 percent who disagree. In total, 43 percent of Americans think it would be "a good thing for the country" if Trump is convicted and imprisoned, against 33 percent who said it would be bad. The remaining 24 percent answered either "don't know," or "neither good nor bad."
Most Americans also think the jury in New York, where Trump's trial over the alleged hush money will take place, will be "fair," with 53 percent holding this view, against 28 percent who disagree.
However, 57 percent of those surveyed said Trump's legal difficulties are "primarily the result of politically motivated attacks by his opponents," versus just 34 percent who attributed them to "the result of his own actions which appear to have been illegal."
The Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey of 1,500 eligible U.S. voters was conducted on April 24.
Newsweek reached out to Donald Trump via his official website for comment.
In Georgia, Trump is being investigated over whether he broke the law while attempting to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election result, with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis revealing this week that her "charging decision" will take place between July 11 and September 1.
Separately, special counsel Jack Smith is investigating Trump over his role in the January 6, 2021, storming of Congress by hundreds of his supporters, along with his handling of classified documents. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the cases.
About the writer
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is on covering news and politics ... Read more