More than half of Americans say Trump should be convicted and barred from ever holding federal office again in upcoming impeachment trial, new poll finds
More than half of Americans now say they support the Senate convicting former President Donald Trump and barring him from holding federal office again, a new poll has found.
The poll, released by ABC News and Ipsos on Sunday, comes just days before Trump’s second impeachment trial is set to begin on February 9.
It found that 56 percent of Americans believe Trump should be convicted and banned from holding office again, while 43 percent say he should not be.
The results provide a stark contrast to public attitudes from the early days of his first impeachment trial, with support for Trump’s senate conviction higher now, just over a year later.
According to an ABC/Washington Post poll published in January 2020, while the first trial was underway, only 47 percent said Trump should be removed from office and 49 percent said he shouldn’t be.
In the latest poll, support and opposition for Trump’s conviction falls strongly across party lines, with more than nine in 10 democrats supporting the conviction, while eight out of 10 Republicans oppose it.
More than half of Americans now say they support the Senate convicting former President Donald Trump and barring him from holding federal office again
Donald Trump became the first president in history to be impeached by the House of Representatives on January 13. The House voted in an overwhelming majority to charge Trump with ‘incitement of insurrection’ for his role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
A handful of Republican senators have argued they believe the trial is unconstitutional, as Trump is no longer in office and therefore cannot be removed from it.
Democrats on the other hand have countered that failing to hold Trump accountable would set a dangerous precedent for future presidents that they can evade punishment for their actions, so long as they come during their final days in office.
To successfully convict Trump, 67 senators would need to vote in favour of the motion – meaning at least 17 Republicans would need to vote to convict, should all Democrats be in support.
If the 67 vote total is reached, the chamber could then hold a second vote as to whether to bar Trump from holding federal office ever again. In that vote, only a simple majority would be needed.
Several Republican senators have spoken out to decry Trump’s actions, calling them an impeachable offense, yet have not stated definitively if they will vote to convict him.
But unlike in Trump's first impeachment, where no Republicans voted to impeach him, 10 Republicans sided with Democrats this time – including Liz Cheney, the chair of the House Republican Conference.
In the ABC/Ipsos poll, support among Republicans for conviction was low, but higher than in Trump’s first trial.
In the new poll, 15 percent of Republicans said they support the Senate convicting Trump and barring him from office; compared to just 9 percent in January 2020.
On the other hand, among Democrats, support for Trump’s conviction is almost unanimous, with 92 percent in favour of the motion. Independents, too, mirror the opinions of the full population: voting 54 percent in support or conviction, to 45 percent against.
The House voted in an overwhelming majority to charge Trump with ‘incitement of insurrection’ for his role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol
Meanwhile, the attention of Capitol Hill last week was focused on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who faced backlash for platforming extremist views and voicing support for the Q-Anon conspiracy theory.
Greene was removed from House committees following a Thursday vote in which 11 Republicans sided with Democrats to vote her off 230 to 199.
As reported by ABC, the focus on Greene, which followed the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol of which Trump is accused of inciting, seems to have taken a toll on the public’s perception of the party.
When asked whether there are more radical extremists in the Democratic or Republican Party, 42 percent of of the 508 Americans surveyed said they believed there were more in the GOP.
A third (32%) said they feel that extremists are found equally in both parties, and 26 percent said they believe there are more extremist Democrats than Republicans.
Republicans and Democrats appeared to not view each other equally in terms of extremism, however.
Among Democrats, eight in 10 said that there are more radical extremists in the Republican Party than in their party, and 13 percent said there are about equal numbers on both sides.
But among Republicans, 57 percent said there are more extremists in the Democratic Party and 33 percent said there are the same number of extremists in both parties.
ep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who faced backlash for platforming extremist views and voicing support for the Q-Anon conspiracy theory, may have damage the country's perception of the GOP, ahead of the new poll
Also surveyed in the poll was the country’s opinion of the way Joe Biden is handling the coronavirus response
Also surveyed in the poll was the country’s opinion of the way Joe Biden is handling the coronavirus response.
Two thirds of Americans said they approve of the job Biden is doing.
On the subject of a new coronavirus aid package, 49 percent of Americans said Biden should work to pass the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, with just Democratic Congressional support.
Two in five, meanwhile, think President Biden should work to pass a smaller coronavirus aid package with the support of some Republicans in Congress.
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