Ahead of the upcoming trial concerning Donald Trump’s business records, a Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that a significant majority of U.S. voters consider the New York criminal charges against him to be serious.
According to the poll, which concluded on Monday after five days, about 64% of registered voters described the charges as “somewhat serious” or more, while 34% believed otherwise. The trial, slated to commence next week, marks the first of four criminal prosecutions of Trump, who ran as the Republican candidate against Democrat President Joe Biden in the November election.
Legal experts have indicated that the other three cases, involving allegations of election fraud or mishandling classified documents, carry greater severity compared to the alleged hush money payments. However, any criminal conviction could have significant implications for Trump, who remains in a closely contested race with Biden and is the first former or current U.S. president to face such charges.
The poll found that nearly 40% of Republican respondents viewed the business records charges seriously, along with two-thirds of independents. The charges in question pertain to allegations that Trump concealed his former lawyer Michael Cohen’s payment of $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, also known as Stephanie Clifford, to secure her silence about an alleged affair prior to the 2016 presidential election. Trump denies the affair and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Additionally, a substantial portion of respondents, including close to two-thirds of independents, found it believable that Trump falsified business records and committed fraud, despite Trump’s plea of not guilty to 34 counts of falsification of business records.
The poll also shed light on the public’s perception of the pending trials, with approximately 74% of respondents considering the charges of election fraud to be serious. Trump has sought to delay all four trials, but a New York state appellate judge rejected his request to delay the hush money trial.
A majority (60%) of registered voters in the poll agreed that Trump’s criminal trials should proceed before the November 5 election. Regarding Trump’s claim of immunity over actions taken during his presidency, only 27% of respondents agreed with the argument that presidents should have immunity unless impeached and convicted by Congress.
Despite Trump’s plea of not guilty and assertions that the prosecutions are politically motivated, approximately one-fourth of Republican respondents stated they would not vote for Trump if he were convicted of a felony crime by a jury. Moreover, Trump’s legal troubles have implications for his personal finances, with a judge ordering him to pay $454 million in a civil trial after being found liable for inflating his net worth.
The poll, conducted online from April 4 to 8, surveyed 1,021 U.S. adults, including 833 registered voters, with a margin of error of approximately 3 percentage points for all respondents and 4 points for registered voters.
