- A Quinnipiac University poll found that 57 percent of American adults and 56 percent of registered voters believe criminal charges should disqualify Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential election.
- The indictment relates to alleged hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
- The poll was conducted before the grand jury's decision to indict Trump.
A majority of Americans believe a criminal charge should disqualify former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential race, according to a poll conducted before he was indicted.
A Quinnipiac University poll conducted from March 23 to 27 found that 57 percent of American adults think criminal charges should disqualify Trump from running for president again.
A grand jury in Manhattan voted to indict Trump on Thursday, but the exact charges have not yet been revealed. However, CNN reported that two people familiar with the indictment said that the former president is facing more than 30 counts related to business fraud, while The New York Times reported that sources close to the case said Trump is facing over two dozen counts.
Trump becomes the first current or former U.S. president to be indicted. The move came amid his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
The charges relate to Trump's alleged role in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and repeatedly attacked the probe.
Among U.S. adults, 57 percent said criminal charges should disqualify Trump, 38 percent said charges should not disqualify him and 5 percent answered don't know or provided no answer.
The poll also found that 56 percent of registered voters believed that criminal charges should disqualify Trump from running in 2024, while 39 percent said they would not and 4 percent didn't know or didn't answer.
The Quinnipiac University poll surveyed 1,788 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percent. Of that group, 1,600 were registered voters and the margin of error for those voters was plus or minus 2.5 percent.
While the poll was conducted before the grand jury's decision, speculation had been rife about possible charges and former President Trump had even predicted his own arrest earlier this month.
However, the survey also found that a majority of U.S. adults and registered voters believe that the Manhattan district attorney's case involving Trump was mainly motivated by politics.
Sixty-two percent of adults said the case was motivated mainly by politics, while 32 percent said it was motivated mainly by law and 5 percent didn't know or provided no answer.
Among registered voters, 63 percent said the case was mainly motivated by politics, 33 percent said it was mainly motivated by law, and 4 percent responded don't know or didn't answer.
Many Republicans have strongly condemned the decision to indict Trump, with Senator Ted Cruz calling the indictment a "political persecution" and other GOP figures sharing that sentiment.
Trump also referred to the indictment as political persecution in a statement obtained by Newsweek on Thursday.
"From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats - the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country - have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement," Trump's statement said.
Newsweek has reached out to former President Trump's team via email for further comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
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