Donald Trump, the former president, is far ahead of his Republican competitors in the battle for the party’s candidacy in 2024 despite his historic indictment.
According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, 58% of Republicans supported Trump. Ron DeSantis, a Republican governor from Florida, was far behind with 21% of the vote.
The inquest, which was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday this week, comes hot on the heels of Trump’s impeachment on Tuesday, in which he pleaded not guilty to 34 counts related to a payment his personal attorney from then-Michael Cohen paid Stormy Daniels in 2016, who was investigated.
Trump was charged with fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for allegedly recording a payment to Cohen as legal fees in false corporate records. The case has been derided by legal experts as baseless, and Trump himself has called it a political witch hunt.
Ironically, the indictment appears to have helped Trump a little, as his ratings in the polls have risen significantly over the past week during court proceedings. Republicans backed Trump with 48% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken on Monday, up 10 points from the previous week.
Some of that increase may reflect Republican views on the causes of the case. Republicans reported that 76% believe at least some law enforcement officials are working against Trump because of politics.
1,004 American adults participated in the study, including 368 Republicans. The margin of error for the Republican sample is +/- 6.3%.