Half of Americans support the New York jury’s decision in convicting Donald Trump, a new poll from ABC News/Ipsos has found.
Following Trump’s guilty verdict on all 34 felony counts last week, a group of 781 adults were polled to determine how the decision affected their views on the ex-president and his campaign.
While 50 per cent of Americans agreed with the verdict, 27 per cent disagreed, and 23 per cent were unsure if it was correct. Half of those polled believe the charges were politically motivated, with it barely impacting their perception of Trump.
Some 49 per cent polled believe Trump should suspend his presidential campaign, though that was largely driven by partisanship. Only 16 per cent of Republicans agreed with that statement, compared to 79 per cent of Democrats.
The survey indicates that while many Americans believe the verdict was correct, the outcome is unlikely to drastically change how people plan to vote in the 2024 presidential election.
The new poll’s findings align closely with how people felt after Trump was indicted in April 2023. At that time, 25 per cent of Americans had a favorable view of Trump with that percentage slowly increasing between 29 per cent and 31 per cent over the next few months.
Following the verdict, that number has remained steady at 31 per cent.
And while 43 per cent of respondents last year felt Trump should suspend his campaign after his indictment, now 49 per cent believe so.
Though Trump is now the first former or sitting president to be convicted of a felony, it has had little impact on how people perceive him or President Joe Biden. At a time when Americans are more divided than ever on political ideology, how people judge the New York hush money trial verdict depends on their party affiliation.
Democrats overwhelmingly believe Trump should suspend his campaign for president compared to Republicans. But more than half of independent voters (52 per cent) agree that the ex-president should end his bid for the White House.
Those independent voters may ultimately decide the fate of the 2024 presidential election as Biden and Trump vie for their support. Trump’s sentencing, scheduled for July 11, may further influence how voters plan to cast their ballots.
