Majority Of Americans Agree With Charges—And Also Say Politics Played A Role

Topline

The majority of Americans agree with the Manhattan grand jury’s decision to indict former President Donald Trump, according to a new CNN/SSRS poll that comes as other surveys show Trump continues to maintain a firm hold over the GOP voter base, despite the investigations against him.

Former President Donald Trump stands before speaking during a campaign rally at Waco Regional … [+] Airport, Saturday, March 25, 2023, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Key Facts

Some 60% of the 1,048 adults polled between March 31, the day after Trump’s historic indictment, and April 1, approve of the decision to bring charges against the former president (margin of error 4).

Fewer Americans, 37%, definitively believe Trump played an illegal role in hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, while 33% believe he did something unethical but not illegal, 10% said he did nothing wrong at all and 20% said they were unsure.

More than three-fourths of respondents (76%) believe politics played a role in the decision to indict Trump—sentiment that aligns with the former president’s claims that the investigation is a politically motivated “witch hunt,” while 14% said politics played no role at all and 10% said they were unsure.

Trump’s overall standing remains unshaken by the indictment: 34% said they have a favorable opinion of him, compared to 32% in a January survey taken by the groups.

Big Number

31%. That’s the share of respondents who said they believe the decision to indict Trump strengthens U.S. democracy, the same percentage as those who said they believe it weakens U.S. democracy.

News Peg

Trump became the first former president in U.S. history to be criminally indicted on Thursday when a Manhattan grand jury voted to bring charges against him. Trump, who will be arraigned in Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday, is reportedly facing more than 30 counts related to business fraud, including at least one felony. The charges, which have been kept under seal, are widely expected to center on the payments his former fixer and personal lawyer Michael Cohen made to Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence about an affair she said she had with Trump in 2006. Experts have speculated whether Trump could be charged with falsifying business records after federal prosecutors alleged in their 2016 case against Cohen that the Trump Organization reimbursed him for the $130,000 payments under a contract that specified the services were for legal fees. Possible felony charges against Trump could relate to a campaign finance violation, after federal prosecutors alleged the payments were made to sway the results of the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied the affair and accused the DA’s office of leading a politically motivated investigation.

Key Background

Trump has been climbing in the polls in recent weeks—eclipsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in hypothetical matchups—after a rocky start to his third run for the White House. Some 50% of Republican voters said they will vote for Trump in the 2024 primary, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released last week, up four points from the groups’ previous poll in February. The poll was taken March 22 to 23, days after news broke that the Manhattan district attorney’s office is readying an indictment against Trump. DeSantis—who hasn’t announced a 2024 run yet—netted support from 24% of respondents, consistent with his standing in the February Harvard/Harris poll.

Tangent

The CNN/SSRS poll is consistent with findings from an ABC/Ipsos poll released a day earlier that found 45% of respondents think Trump should have been charged by the Manhattan grand jury, compared with 32% who don’t think so and 23% who said they don’t know. The results are starkly different across party lines: 88% of Democrats believe Trump should have been indicted, compared to 16% of Republicans.