As former President Donald Trump was arriving in New York ahead of Tuesday’s arraignment, CNN released the results of a survey that seemed to contradict some of the commentary of its on-air personalities.
When asked whether they believed that the Manhattan grand jury indictment of the former president was motivated by politics, a whopping 76% of respondents said that they did. That number included about three-fifths of Democrats, more than three-fourths of independents, and 93% of Republicans surveyed.
At the same time, however, 60% of those polled said that they approved of the indictment.
CNN’s poll claiming 60% of Americans approve of Trump’s indictment is as fake as Biden’s White House play set.
— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) April 3, 2023
The results were released on Monday, at which time the details of the charges against Trump were still sealed, but reports indicated that the indictment hinged on accusations that he issued a hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election in an attempt to cover up an alleged affair they had years earlier.
Asked whether they believe such a payment would have been against the law, about one-third of respondents said that it seemed unethical but not illegal. Another 37% said they believe it would violate the law and 10% said there would be nothing wrong with such an action. The remaining 20% said they were not sure.
A Quinnipiac University poll found similar results after asking whether respondents believe Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation was motivated more by politics or the law.
Nearly twice as many — 62% to 32% — said they believe it was politically motivated compared to those who think Bragg was only interested in pursuing legal justice.
There was a clear partisan divide on the topic of whether criminal charges should disqualify Trump from seeking another term in the White House. Nearly 90% of Democrats think the indictment should derail his 2024 campaign whereas fewer than one-fourth of Republicans expressed such a view.
