NEW YORK — Six out of 10 Americans agree that former President Donald Trump deserves to be charged in the Stormy Daniels hush money case, a poll revealed Monday.
Sixty percent of those questioned said they “approve” of the indictment of the former president by a Manhattan grand jury, according to the new survey conducted by CNN.
There is a stark political divide in opinions about the indictment, with almost all Democrats approving of it compared to 21% of Republicans.
A remarkable 62% of independents support the charges against Trump.
Despite supporting the indictment, 76% of those said politics has played at least some role in Trump being charged.
The poll revealed that most Americans have already formed strong opinions about the hush money payments even thought the indictment is sealed and the public does not yet know what charges Trump will face.
Asked for their opinion about Trump’s “actions regarding payments to Stormy Daniels,” 37% of those surveyed said Trump acted illegally.
Another 33% called his actions “unethical but not illegal,” a number that would include both some Trump supporters who believe it was wrong to cover up an extramarital affair and some critics who believe he committed other acts that make it a crime.
Just 10% said Trump did nothing wrong at all.
The vast majority of Americans are keeping tabs on the Trump case, with just 6% saying they have not heard about it.
Despite the poll’s results, the case has not dramatically shifted Americans’ opinions about Trump.
About 34% hold a favorable opinion of Trump compared to 58% who view him unfavorably.
Trump’s favorability number has ticked up a hair since it a previous CNN poll in January, when it clocked in at 32%.
The slight increase appears to be driven by a modest boost among Republican voters, who may be responding to widespread outrage over the indictment among right-wing media hosts and GOP leaders.
The survey may form a baseline to determine if and how public opinion about Trump shifts once the charges against him are unveiled and evidence is publicly revealed.
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