In the wake of former President Donald Trump’s indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, a CNN poll has revealed that 76% of Americans believe the case was politicized.
76% of Americans says politics played a role in Trump indictment, CNN poll sayshttps://t.co/oK1eGlRDEr pic.twitter.com/iGxJa0Kc6p
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 4, 2023
The former President has criticized the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, for what he believes is a politically motivated prosecution aimed at harming his 2024 presidential campaign.
More than three out of four Americans seem to agree with him, as the results of the poll show that the view that the case was politicized was held by a majority of men and women, regardless of their political affiliation.
While 93% of Republicans believed “politics played a role” in the indictment, 60% of Democrats and 76% of independents held the same opinion. This shows that self-identified Democrats were slightly less likely to hold this view than independents, while an overwhelming majority of Republicans believed that politics was a factor in the 2024 presidential candidate’s indictment.
Interestingly, despite the belief that politics played a role in Trump’s indictment, 60% of respondents still approved of the decision to indict him, suggesting a belief that Trump may have committed wrongdoing, regardless of any political motivation behind the case against him.
When it came to Trump’s alleged payment of $130,000 in hush money to former adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election, opinions were more divided.
While 37% of Americans said the payment was illegal, 33% of the respondents said it was unethical but not illegal. 10% of the poll participants believe Trump did not do any wrong with the payment, while 20% were unsure of where they stood.
On account of the payment to Daniels, Trump is charged with the violation of business law and potential federal campaign finance statutes. With the indictment already causing political waves, it remains to be seen how the trial will play out and what impact it will have on his future political aspirations.
