Republicans’ View of Trump after New Criminal Charges

Recent surveys reveal that Republican voters continue to display staunch loyalty to former President Trump, despite his facing several federal charges related to his possession of classified documents after his term ended.

Significance:

• Despite the legal issues, recent polls indicate that Trump remains the top pick for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Interestingly, a number of his potential contenders have shown solidarity with Trump and raised questions about the motivations behind the indictment.

Survey Results:

• According to an ABC News/Ipsos survey released on Sunday, 80% of the surveyed Republicans believe the charges against Trump are politically motivated, whereas a meager 9% felt otherwise.

• Concurrently, a CBS News/YouGov poll released on Sunday shows that the indictment did not alter the perception of Trump for 61% of the surveyed Republican voters. Additionally, 80% believe that Trump should be allowed to take office if he emerges victorious in the 2024 presidential election despite a potential conviction.

• This CBS News/YouGov poll further revealed that a significant 76% of Republican voters consider the charges to be politically motivated.

However:

• The same ABC News/Ipsos survey found that nearly half of the American population (48%) believe Trump should have been charged over the investigation related to classified documents, with 17% of respondents unsure.

• The CBS News/YouGov survey shows that a significant 69% of respondents consider Trump's retention of the documents a threat to national security.

Additional Insights:

• Trump was the clear favorite for the 2024 nomination in the CBS News/YouGov survey, leading Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his closest rival, by almost three-to-one vote preference.

Backdrop:

• The Justice Department has slapped Trump with at least 37 felony counts, relating to retaining classified information and obstructing justice with his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House.

• The indictment alleges that Trump's possession and handling of these documents posed a national security risk. The documents reportedly contain classified information related to defense and weapons capabilities of the U.S. and foreign countries, U.S. nuclear programs, potential vulnerabilities of the U.S. and its allies to military attacks, and other sensitive materials.

• It's also alleged that Trump stored these classified documents in public and unsecured spaces in his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida — including a ballroom and bathroom — and disclosed classified documents to others on two separate occasions in 2021.