Trump indictment: 4 findings from polls on Americans' views on fmr. president's arrest, election chances

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, April 04, 2023

Pornographic film actress Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels (L) and President Donald Trump (R). | Reuters

2. Americans are divided on whether they think Trump should be charged with a crime

A poll of 593 U.S. adults conducted by ABC News in conjunction with Reuters/Ipsos from March 31–April 1 found that 45% of Americans think Trump should be charged with a crime in connection to the payment to Daniels, while 32% disagree. Compared to the CNN poll, a much smaller share of Americans (47%) see the charges as politically motivated, with 32% believing that they were not politically motivated.

Broken down by party, 79% of Republicans, 64% of Democrats and 48% of independents think the charges are politically motivated. The ABC poll also asked respondents to weigh in on the other legal cases surrounding the former president.

A slightly higher share of Americans believe Trump should face criminal charges for actions related to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, (49%) than the payments to Daniels. A small majority of Americans (51%) believe that Trump should face legal consequences for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. When asked if he should suspend his presidential campaign in light of his indictment, a plurality of respondents (43%) answered in the affirmative, while 35% did not think he should withdraw from the race.