Donald Trump's indictment concerning the alleged Stormy Daniels hush money payment has led to an inevitable outcry among his most ardent supporters, who believe the matter is politically driven.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called the move "unprecedented" and a "catastrophic escalation in the weaponization of the justice system" while Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) called the decision "another political witch hunt targeting the people's President."
While some of Trump's allies were furious, the concern that the charges are politically motivated was said to extend further than his base of support.
The Claim
A tweet by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) posted on March 30, 2023, viewed 716,000 times, stated: "A majority of Americans know Alvin Bragg's witch hunt is a politically motivated prosecution."
The Facts
Gaetz's claim that a majority of Americans believe the case against Trump is politically motivated is supported by data, albeit with caveats.
His contention is supported by a recent Quinnipiac survey, published on March 29, 2023, which asked 1,788 U.S. adults whether they believe the case had a political motive.
It found more than six in 10 respondents (62 percent) thought the Manhattan District Attorney's case was "mainly motivated by politics"; 32 percent said the case was "mainly motivated by the law".
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
There was a split, unsurprisingly, between Democratic and Republican voters, with more Democrats thinking the case was motivated by law.
However, respondents also answered unfavorably toward Trump when asked other questions on the matter.
For example, it also found that nearly seven in 10 Americans (69 percent) thought Trump was "mainly acting out of concerns for himself when he announced on social media that he was going to be arrested in New York and urged people to protest and 'take our nation back'."
Almost a quarter (24 percent) thought he was acting out of concerns about democracy.
Furthermore, 55 percent thought the accusations were either very serious or somewhat serious, with a majority of respondents—57 percent—saying criminal charges should disqualify Trump from running for president again.
"Yes, say Americans, it was all about him and not the country's well-being when Trump proclaimed he was targeted for arrest," said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy. "And, yes he should be forever banished from office if he is charged as a criminal."
While Quinnipiac is a trusted pollster, that used a sample size appropriate for surveying trends in national behavior and thought, the results of all these questions may have changed in light of the indictment.
Additionally, while polling may be a useful tool for estimating the mood and thoughts of Americans, it cannot claim to fully capture the spectrum of opinions, particularly on a topic that elicits strong feelings from both left and right-leaning citizens.
Nonetheless, Gaetz is by no means wrong for putting this claim forward; though other results from the same survey show broader negative sentiment towards Trump, including a majority view that criminal charges should disqualify him from 2024.
Newsweek has emailed Gaetz's office for comment.
The Ruling
Needs Context.
Gaetz's claim is based on a survey, published March 29, 2023, which found that just over six out of ten Americans believed the Manhattan DA's case against Donald Trump is politically motivated.
However, that same survey also found a broader range of negative sentiment toward Trump elsewhere.
Most felt he should not be allowed to run for president in 2024 if criminal charges were brought against him, with a majority of respondents thinking those charges were very or somewhat serious.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
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.
