Trump up AND down: Most Americans say impeachment of ex-president in New York is ‘politically motivated’, but MORE say porn star’s money claim ‘credible’
- Americans are, as always, divided on their feelings toward former President Donald Trump.
- More than half call impeachment political, even more say it’s credible
- The poll comes as a Manhattan grand jury weighs whether to indict Trump
Americans, as always, are divided on their feelings toward former President Donald Trump, who this week was awaiting indictment over his alleged hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
There is good news and bad news for the Republican, according to Ipsos pollsters: 54 percent of those polled agree with Trump that politics has motivated the criminal case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
That includes 80 percent of his fellow Republicans and 32 percent of Democrats.
Still, an even larger proportion, 70 percent of those surveyed, said it was “credible” that Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign paid Daniels, an adult film actress, to keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter. .
Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed, including a third of Republicans, said it was also credible that Trump falsified business records and committed fraud.
Most Americans say New York’s allegations against Donald Trump are “credible” and “politically motivated.”
A supporter of former President Donald Trump argues outside Trump Tower in New York as a grand jury weighs an indictment. Americans are divided on the accusation
The poll of more than 1,000 American adults offers a snapshot of the American public’s attitudes toward the allegations as the case was being considered by a Manhattan grand jury.
The findings underscore the unprecedented nature of the criminal investigations surrounding Trump as he seeks the Republican nomination to run for the White House again in 2024.
The Manhattan district attorney is investigating whether Trump violated any laws when the Trump Organization reimbursed his then-attorney Michael Cohen for a $130,000 payment to Daniels, which was recorded as a business expense.
Trump, who faces potentially tough competition in his third run for the Republican nomination, has denied having an extramarital affair with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
He said on Saturday that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday and has called on his supporters to respond by giving money to his presidential campaign.
That deadline has passed and the Manhattan grand jury is weighing whether to indict him, though that hearing appeared to hit a snag on Wednesday as proceedings were canceled for the day.
GOP officials, strategists and analysts have said impeachment of Trump would only strengthen the resolve of his most loyal supporters.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential challenger for the Republican nomination, criticized what he called the politicization of the Manhattan district attorney’s office, but also took a veiled jab at Trump.
Trump responded aggressively with an innuendo-filled post on his Truth Social platform.
About nine in 10 respondents said they had heard of the Manhattan prosecutors’ case against Trump, one of several investigations pursuing Trump. A county prosecutor in Georgia is considering charges that Trump tried to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election.
Trump falsely claims his loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was due to fraud and was recorded asking Georgia election officials to find the votes Trump needed to win.
Trump is also facing investigations by the US Justice Department into his withholding of classified documents after leaving the White House, as well as his efforts to overturn the 2020 election result.
Some 54 percent of those polled, including 85 percent of Democrats and 21 percent of Republicans, said the allegation that Trump solicited voter fraud was credible.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered responses from 1,003 adults across the country, including 415 self-described Democrats and 383 Republicans. The poll had a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of about 4 to 6 percentage points in either direction.
Trump has denied having an extramarital affair with adult actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
