Former President Donald Trump became the first president to face federal charges. The indictment could have an impact on the 2024 election and how Trump is supported in pre-election polls.
Here’s a look at one of the most recent polls since the indictment.
What Happened: Trump faces 37 criminal counts related to the mishandling of classified documents that were found at his Mar-a-Lago Florida resort.
Trump dismissed calls to drop out of the 2024 election and said he will continue to run for reelection.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Trump remains on top of the Republican candidate leaderboard, despite the recent federal charges.
In the poll, Trump came out with 43% of support from Republican voters as their preferred candidate in the 2024 election. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ranked second with 22% of the vote. All other candidates had single-digit support.
The poll showed strong support for Trump despite the indictment but did see a drop in his overall support.
In May, Trump had 49% of the vote in the same poll, compared to 19% for DeSantis. The margin between the top two candidates dropped from 30% in May to 21% in the latest poll.
Since the last poll, DeSantis has officially entered the 2024 election campaign. This makes it hard to know if the gain for DeSantis and the drop for Trump was related to the official entry by DeSantis, the charges against Trump or a combination of both factors.
The poll also found that 62% of people believe that Trump illegally held documents at Mar-a-Lago, including 91% of Democrats polled and 35% of Republicans polled.
The poll found that 81% of Republicans said the federal charges were politically motivated.
The poll also cited hypocrisy between Trump and President Joe Biden, who also had classified documents at his home, with 20% of Republicans believing Biden and Trump are being treated fairly over the handling of classified documents. The poll saw 77% of Democrats say they are being treated fairly.
Related Link: Trump Indictment Trial Preview: Key Dates And Times, Charges, Protests And More
Why It’s Important: Since officially entering the race, DeSantis has seen support pick up in several national polls.
A recent Morning Consult poll showed DeSantis closing a 43-point lead by Trump and taking it down to 34 points. The poll saw DeSantis’s support increase from 18% to 22%.
With Trump facing his first court appearance Tuesday, the results of polls going forward should be watched to see if the momentum continues to fade away from the former president.
Most Republican opponents of Trump for the 2024 election lashed out at the judicial system and the unfair treatment of Trump, instead of using the charges to attack Trump. Only a few candidates called for Trump to drop out of the race.
As time goes on in the 2024 election race, it will be interesting to see if opponents of Trump use the charges as a talking point.
Read Next: Trump Faces Up To 400 Years In Prison And A $9 Million Fine Following Federal Indictment
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