AP-NORC poll: More risk for Trump from pending investigations

2023-04-20 21:25:55, Kosova & Bota CNA

AP-NORC poll: More risk for Trump from pending investigations

Former President Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump has emerged politically largely unscathed from the lawsuit brought against him in New York. But a new poll suggests the investigations in Georgia and Washington could prove more problematic.

The Associated Press and NORC Public Affairs Research Center poll finds that 4 in 10 American adults believe former President Trump has acted illegally in New York, where he has been charged in connection with secret payments to I did for the women who claimed to have had sex with him.

The poll finds that about half of all American adults believe he broke the law in Georgia, where he is under investigation for interfering with the 2020 election.

The poll finds that about half of respondents feel the same way about his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and his handling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago, both matters under investigation by the Justice Department.

Polls show that potential future charges in the cases against Mr. Trump may resonate more deeply with the American public than the alleged cover-up of payments to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels and other women at the height of the 2016 campaign — charges that nearly 6 in 10 American adults believe they were politically motivated. While the case drew intense media coverage and made him the first former president in United States history to be criminally indicted, legal experts have long argued that other investigations pose far more serious potential risks.

The Georgia case, in particular, also concerns some longtime supporters of Mr. Trump.

The poll provides further evidence that Trump has faced limited political fallout from the impeachment, which resulted in a massive fundraising boon. His campaign has raised more than $15 million since news of the indictment broke — much of it from new donors.

While the poll finds that only 30% of Americans, including 55% of Republicans, say they want Mr. Trump to run for president again in 2024, those numbers are little changed from an AP-NORC poll conducted in January. Support for Mr. Trump has also remained constant: 34% of American adults overall and 68% of Republicans say they have a favorable opinion of him, similar to three months ago.

However, former President Trump, who remains the undisputed front-runner for the Republican nomination, will face headwinds if he wins the Republican nomination./ VOA