An ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted on Friday and Saturday found that a majority of Americans want former President Donald Trump to drop his 2024 campaign after being found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his criminal hush money case. More than half of independent voters, as well as 67% of double-haters (voters opposed to Trump and President Joe Biden), believe Trump should end his campaign, compared to only 16% of Republicans.
Another Morning Consult poll conducted on Friday showed that 54% of registered voters approve of the guilty verdict, with 49% saying Trump should be sentenced to probation and 44% saying he should receive a prison sentence. The survey also found that 49% of independents believe Trump should drop out of the presidential race, while 15% of likely Republican voters and 8% of self-proclaimed Trump supporters agree.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted just hours after Trump’s guilty verdict also found that while 56% of Republican voters said the conviction does not change their vote, 35% said they were more inclined to vote for Trump after the verdict. However, 10% of Republicans and a quarter of independent voters said they were less likely to vote for Trump, with 18% of independents saying they were more likely to vote for him.
Among GOP voters, 77% in the Morning Consult poll believed Trump’s conviction was politically motivated, while 43% of independents shared that belief. In the ABC News/Ipsos poll, 47% said the charges were politically motivated, including 83% of Republicans, 51% of independents, and 20% of Democrats.
Trump was convicted on all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in New York related to a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. He has denied the affair and claimed the payment was a legal expense. Trump plans to appeal the conviction, which could result in up to 136 years in prison and $170,000 in fines. Trump has been indicted in four separate criminal cases since launching his 2024 presidential campaign.
Recent polls show Trump and Biden in a neck-and-neck race, with third-party candidates potentially affecting the outcome. Biden maintains a narrow lead in head-to-head matchups, but when third-party candidates are included, Trump can come out on top. Biden is also losing support in key swing states, where Trump is leading in seven states he narrowly lost in 2020. Further polling indicates that half of respondents believe Trump would not be fit for office if convicted in New York.
