Donald Trump suffered a massive defeat in Texas on Tuesday night when his endorsed candidate, David Covey, lost the primary runoff against Texas State House Speaker Dade Phelan. On Thursday, in New York, Trump was handed a guilty verdict, the first of its kind in American history. In the 24 hours after the guilty verdict, the Trump campaign announced that it raised more than $52 million, following a surge in donations in the hours after the conviction announcement. This served as a relief, but on Saturday, the first post-guilty verdict survey showed that Trump’s popularity plummeted almost instantly.
Uncertain outcome
Many prominent Republican figures, including lawmakers and senators, attacked President Joe Biden and his administration, claiming that he used presidential political power against the former president. Trump’s supporters believe that the guilty verdict would backfire and harm Team Biden in the coming period as he struggles to regain support from key voter groups that supported him in 2020. In surprising results, a decent part of the Black population, Democratic-voters by default, now support Trump and blame the federal government for skyrocketing inflation and the economy.
On the other end of the spectrum, Trump is now officially a convicted felon. Previous reports indicate that the Biden campaign already had a “killer plan” to launch expensive ads against the presumptive Republican candidate in an effort to undermine the support he currently gets from key voter groups, especially in battleground states.
However, experts believe that the outcome of the guilty verdict is yet to be seen, as it can go both ways. But a Friday survey, first after the guilty verdict, shows that Trump’s popularity has plummeted almost instantly.
About the survey
A recent survey, conducted right after a New York jury convicted Donald Trump of falsifying business records, shows mixed reactions among voters. According to the Morning Consult poll, while a significant number of Republicans and Independents feel Trump should quit the presidential race, a majority of all registered voters support the jury’s decision.
The numbers
- 54% of registered voters “strongly” or “somewhat” approve of the guilty verdict compared to 34% who “strongly or “somewhat” disapprove.
- 49% of Independents and 15% of Republicans said Trump should end his campaign because of the conviction.
- The polls found the race effectively tied nationally in a 1-on-1 with Biden at 45% and Trump at 44%.
Mixed reactions
The survey also highlights that most voters prefer lighter sentences for Trump, with 49% suggesting probation and 44% favoring prison. A significant 68% of voters think the penalty should merely be a fine. The results also uncovered a substantial mistrust in the criminal justice system, particularly among Republican voters—75% of them expressed decreased confidence in the system following the verdict.
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Furthermore, a considerable number of GOP voters (77%) and 43% of Independents believe that Trump’s conviction was politically motivated to harm his political career.
