Support for Trump among Republicans remains steady despite news of indictment: poll
Trump's favorability rating sits at 37% among registered voters, according to the poll
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republican support for former President Donald Trump, who was arraigned in a Florida federal court Tuesday, remains steady, according to a new poll.
A Quinnipiac University poll Wednesday showed Trump's favorability rating at 37% among registered voters, largely unchanged from the group's previous polls. The poll was conducted June 8-12, while Trump's charges and scheduled court hearing dominated the news. The indictment against Trump was unsealed Friday.
Trump pleaded not guilty to federal criminal charges that he illegally retained national security records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, following the end of his term in office, and that he obstructed federal efforts to recover the documents. In total, Trump faces 37 felony charges.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"A federal indictment. A court date on a litany of charges. A blizzard of critical media coverage. The negative impact on the former president's standing with voters? Not much at all," said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy.
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President Biden, right, according to the Quinnipiac University poll, holds a slight lead over former President Donald Trump, 48% to 44%, among all registered voters in a hypothetical general election matchup. (Rachel Jessen/Bloomberg, Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Given a list of 10 candidates seeking the GOP nomination for president, 53% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters said they support Trump, and 23% support Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the nomination. Other Republicans running to represent the GOP in 2024 — former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — each received 4% support. Vivek Ramaswamy received 3% support, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson received 1% support.
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Thirty-three percent of all registered voters who responded to the survey said they hold a favorable view of DeSantis, while 48% said the opposite. However, 18% said they haven't heard enough about DeSantis, compared to 3% who said the same for Trump.
Among the Republicans who hold low ratings from registered voters, 40% of voters said they haven't heard enough about Haley, 55% said they haven't heard enough about Scott, 27% said they haven't heard enough about Christie, 70% said they haven't heard enough about radio host Larry Elder, 75% haven't heard enough about Ramaswamy and 72% haven't heard enough about Hutchinson.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A handful of 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls, from left: South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, radio host Larry Elder and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. (Getty Images/Reuters Photos)
As for Biden, 42% of the survey respondents said they hold a favorable view of the president, and 54% said the opposite. Thirty-eight percent said they approve of Biden's handling of the economy, compared to 57% who said they do not approve. On foreign policy, 39% said they approve of Biden's handling and 53% disapprove.
Despite the low favorability rating, Biden, according to the poll, holds a slight lead over Trump, 48% to 44%, among all registered voters in a hypothetical general election matchup. A previous national poll from Quinnipiac University in May showed Biden with 48% support from all registered voters while Trump garnered 46%.
Among Democrats challenging Biden for the party's nomination for president, attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. received 17% support from Democratic and Democrat-leaning voters who were surveyed, and self-help author Marianne Williamson received 8% support. Thirty-one percent of registered voters said they hold a favorable view of Kennedy, compared to 7% who said the same for Williamson.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}From left: Democratic presidential contenders Marianne Williamson, President Biden and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (Scott Olson/Ting Shen/Joseph Prezioso)
Asked about the most important issue for the upcoming presidential election, 30% of respondents marked the economy, followed by 27% who said preserving democracy in the U.S. was paramount. Other issues — like abortion, gun violence, immigration, health care, racial inequality and climate change — failed to reach 10% support from respondents who weighed the most important issues ahead of the 2024 election.
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Among independents, 35% said the economy was the most important issue, followed by 27% who said the same for preserving democracy in the U.S.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"A rare show of unanimity in a country rattled by discord. There is a substantial amount of concern among Republicans, Democrats and independents over the preservation of the nation's very bedrock: democracy. The older the respondent, the deeper the concern," Malloy said.
The Quinnipiac University poll surveyed 1,929 U.S. adults nationwide and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.