Two in Three Americans Now Believe Trump Committed a Crime

June 1, 2023
Bryan Bennett

Polling data on Americans' views towards Donald Trump, perceptions on whether he committed a crime, and news of his indictment.

Key takeaways
  • A growing majority of Americans now say Trump has committed a crime, as majorities support his indictment and believe the jury in the E. Jean Carroll case made the right decision.
  • Trump’s proposal to bring back family separation at the border, claiming he could take classified documents from the White House, and plan to pardon January 6th rioters raise the most doubts about him leading the GOP.

 

Two in Three Americans Now Believe Trump Has Committed a Crime, a Notable Increase Since March

Since late March, the share of Americans who say Trump has committed a crime has increased by net 12 points (from net +25 in late March to net +37 now).

  • This increase is driven by independents (net +50 now, up from net +26) and white Americans (net +32 now, up from net +14). There has also been a 13-point increase among Republicans (from net -36 to net -23).

Majorities Support Trump’s Indictment and Think the NY Jury Made the Right Decision in the E. Jean Carroll Case

Majorities support the indictment (59% support) and think the jury made the right decision in finding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation in the E. Jean Carroll case (56% right decision). Pluralities of independents say the same (+18 support, +27 right decision).

Separating Families, Classified Docs, and Pardoning Jan. 6th Rioters Raise Most Doubts About Trump Leading the GOP

Americans Say Investigating Clarence Thomas Is a High Priority

By a 23-point margin, independents say that investigating Justice Thomas should be a “very high” or “somewhat high priority,” as do majorities of every racial group.

 

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About The Study

Global Strategy Group conducted public opinion surveys among a sample of 1,000 registered voters from May 18-May 21, 2023. 100 additional interviews were conducted among Hispanic voters. 76 additional interviews were conducted among Asian American and Pacific Islander voters. 100 additional interviews were conducted among African American voters. 100 additional interviews were conducted among independent voters. The survey was conducted online, recruiting respondents from an opt-in online panel vendor. Respondents were verified against a voter file and special care was taken to ensure the demographic composition of our sample matched that of the national registered voter population across a variety of demographic variables.

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