The indictment of former President Donald Trump has captured political headlines and could also have a large impact on the 2024 presidential election.
Here’s the latest results of a poll that show how the indictment impacted the favorable rating of the former president and how the public feels about the charges.
What Happened: Trump was recently indicted by a federal grand jury in relation to criminal charges related to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The indictment and arrest of Trump came over a year and a half before the 2024 election, which Trump already announced his campaign for.
A new poll from ABC showed the indictment may have hurt Trump’s favorability among Americans and many believe he should be charged and potentially drop out of the presidential race.
The favorable rating for Trump in the new poll conducted April 6 and 7 after the indictment was announced came in at 25%. This is down four points from the same poll in the prior week and down from a favorable rating of 35% in October.
Trump’s unfavorable rating in the poll was 61% with 12% having no opinion, as reported by the New York Post.
In the same poll, 30% of Americans said the charges against Trump are very serious, with 22% saying the charges are somewhat serious. Forty percent of Americans said the charges are not too serious or not serious at all.
Half (50%) of those polled said Trump should be charged and 53% of people said that they believe Trump intentionally did something illegal.
Trump and many of his supporters have claimed the indictment and charges are politically motivated and could help his campaign. When asked in the poll if the charges are politically motivated, 50% answered yes.
While Trump is unlikely to end his campaign for the 2024 election, 48% said they believe the former president should suspend his campaign. Thirty-five percent said Trump should not suspend his campaign and 16% had no opinion on the matter.
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Why It’s Important: The ABC poll also included a favorable rating for current President Joe Biden, who could find himself running against Trump in a rematch of the 2020 presidential election.
Biden has a favorable rating of 34% in the latest poll, up from 32% in the same poll a week ago. Biden’s favorable rating was 44% in October.
The results of the poll are split by political affiliation with Democrats responding against Trump and Republicans backing him despite the indictment. The results of the poll show that Independents are leaning more to the anti-Trump side, which could be troublesome for the former president ahead of the 2024 election.
More than 50% of Independent voters said Trump did something illegal intentionally and should be charged with a crime.
The results of the poll come as Biden has not officially announced his plans to run for reelection, but is believed to be the frontrunner for the Democratic party.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is seen as a strong opponent to Trump for the Republican nomination, but has not yet announced his campaign.
With both Biden and Trump having favorable ratings of under 35%, there could be room for more candidates to enter the race and take share away from the two former presidents.
Trump is unlikely to drop out of the presidential election race and will also maintain control of his media company set to merge with Digital World Acquisition Corporation DWAC, thanks to provisions that include a presidential run and potential prison time.
Shares of Digital World Acquisition Corporation recently traded higher after the indictment was officially announced.
Read Next: Trump Warns Ron DeSantis — Running For President Means Losing 'Cherished And Massive MAGA' Vote Base
Photo: AI-generated by Benzinga
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