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Fox News host Shannon Bream confronted Donald Trump's legal spokesperson Alina Habba about new polling that shows most Americans disapprove of the former president's actions in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.
In June, the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Trump for allegedly taking classified documents while vacating the White House in January 2021 and obstructing government efforts to retrieve the files. The former president pleaded not guilty to the 37 counts, including 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information. Trump is now facing additional charges in the probe, including two new counts of obstruction for allegedly trying to delete security footage from his Mar-a-Lago estate and a new count related to a document related to a potential attack against Iran he allegedly spoke about having despite its classification on an audio tape, according to court documents filed this week.
Despite this legal pressure, many of Trump's supporters continue to back him in the 2024 presidential election, as he remains the frontrunner in the Republican primary. In regards to the classified documents, the former president has said the Presidential Records Act authorized him to take the documents and that the investigation is politically motivated.
However, a new poll conducted by NPR, PBS NewsHour and Marist offered grim news for Trump, finding that most Americans disapprove of his actions.
The poll, which surveyed 1,285 adults from July 24 to 27, found that 51 percent of Americans believe Trump's actions were illegal, while another 27 percent sad they view his actions as unethical. Meanwhile, only 19 percent of respondents said Trump did nothing wrong. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
Bream asked Habba about these polling numbers during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.
"How do you overcome that perception with jurors and also with voters?" Bream asked.
Habba said Trump can overcome public perception about his actions by presenting facts in his defense. She added that Trump actually turned over every video tape related to the case, describing him as "the most ethical American I know."
"In that indictment, the new superseding indictment that came out, which they tried to get another headline for President Trump, were facts that said President Trump did what? What was the obstruction of justice? Because no tapes were deleted. He turned them over. He cooperated, as he always does, but they would like the American public to believe in these bogus indictments. That there are some facts that say President Trump was obstructing justice," Habba said.
Bream then asked Habba about specific allegations in the indictment, including that Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira told an employee that "'the boss' wanted the server deleted."
"You rightly say that the tapes were turned over. I mean, they're in custody of the Justice Department. But the question is, was there an attempt to make sure that didn't happen?" Bream asked.
Habba responded to Bream's question with a question of her own, but did not outright say whether there was an attempt to delete these tapes. "If there was an attempt for him to not turn over documents, or he wanted something deleted, do you not thing that's something he couldn't have gotten done? Let's just use common sense. I think the American public forgets to use common sense," she said.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign for comment via email.
Grant Davis Reeher, a professor of political science at Syracuse University, told Newsweek on Sunday that Trump's legal problems don't help him politically and that their effect on his ability to win the GOP nomination is murky.
Reeher pointed to increased polarization, as well as that voters may buy an "'others have done it' kind of defense."
He also said it is hard to see how the latest accusations against Trump would affect voters given that "there have already been so many transgressions of political and legal norms by Trump."
"The bottom line is that I think many voters have become almost numb to these kinds of revelations regarding Trump," Reeher said. "In the general election, this will give President Biden more fodder to make the case that almost any alternative is better, but I'm not sure it does much damage in the primary, unless a more moderate candidate can get some traction."
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more