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Former President Donald Trump’s first chance to challenge the verdict will come within 30 days of his sentencing on July 11. | Alex Kent for POLITICO
According to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll reveals that 50% of Americans believe the guilty verdict against former President Donald Trump on all 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records was justified. Additionally, 49% of respondents think he should withdraw from the 2024 presidential race due to the verdict.
Despite this historic conviction, Trump's favorability rating remains stable at 31%, according to the poll conducted using Ipsos' KnowledgePanel. The charges stem from a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to silence claims about their alleged affair.
Trump has announced plans to appeal the verdict, asserting that "bad people" have targeted him with this case. The poll indicates that 47% of Americans view the charges as politically motivated, while 38% do not. Furthermore, 51% believe Trump intentionally committed an illegal act, 12% think he did something wrong but not intentionally, and 19% believe he did nothing wrong.
Public opinion on whether Trump should end his presidential campaign remains consistent with a similar poll from April 2023, where 48% felt he should suspend his campaign following his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury.
President Biden's favorability rating is also low and unchanged at 32%, compared to 33% in a March 2024 poll. Opinions on Trump's verdict are sharply divided along party lines: 83% of Democrats support the verdict and 79% believe Trump should end his campaign, while only 16% of Republicans agree with the verdict and believe he should withdraw.
Independent voters and those who dislike both Trump and Biden, referred to as "double-haters," may play a crucial role in the upcoming election. Among Independents, 52% believe the verdict was correct, and the same percentage think Trump should end his candidacy. For double-haters, 65% agree with the verdict, and 67% think Trump should cease his campaign.
Views on the political motivation behind the trial are also divided: 45% of Independents and 51% of double-haters see the trial as politically driven, compared to 83% of Republicans and 20% of Democrats.
Trump has criticized the district attorney, the judge, and the jury in the New York trial, claiming they are biased against him. He has also alleged, without evidence, that President Biden is behind the prosecution. Biden, in response, emphasized the importance of upholding the rule of law and warned that questioning the process's legitimacy is "dangerous."
