Poll Indicates Majority Want Trump’s Trial for Classified Documents Probe Before Primaries and General Election
According to a recent poll conducted on Thursday, a majority of Americans believe that former President Donald Trump should face trial for his indictment related to the classified documents probe before both the Republican primaries and the general election in 2024.
The poll, conducted by Politico Magazine/Ipsos, revealed that 57% of Americans think Trump’s trial date should precede the GOP primaries, while an even higher percentage, 62%, believe it should take place before the general election. Among Republicans, nearly half agreed that the former president should face the charges before the GOP primaries gain momentum early next year. The sentiment was even stronger among Democrats, with 77% supporting an early trial, and 47% of independents also agreeing.
Furthermore, the poll indicated that a plurality of Americans believe that Trump should be sent to prison if convicted on any of the charges related to both the documents probe and the hush money case. In the case of the indictments, a plurality of Republicans expressed the belief that Trump should not face punishment if convicted, while a majority of Democrats favored imprisonment in both scenarios.
Roughly half of Americans think Trump is guilty in both indictment cases, including 81% of Democrats, while few Republicans agree and a plurality of independents don’t know if the former president is guilty in either, according to the poll. The survey indicates that Trump’s two indictments have little effect on whether Americans will vote for him or not.
The former president was indicted by a federal judge in Miami, Florida, for 37 counts, including alleged violation of the Espionage Act, relating to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s year-long investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents. Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on March 30 for allegedly falsifying business records when paying back former attorney Michael Cohen for giving porn star actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged affair with the former president.
The Politico Magazine/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,005 Americans and was conducted between June 27 – June 28.
