Trump Sinks Among Republicans in Post-Indictment Poll, As Most Americans Approve of Criminal Charges

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

Former President Donald Trump saw his status as the 2024 GOP primary frontrunner diminish this week as the latest CNN poll showed his support dropping in the wake of his 37-criminal-count federal indictment.

Trump dropped 6 points in the poll published Tuesday. In the previous CNN poll, taken from May 17-20, Trump scored support from 53 percent of GOP voters. The latest poll, taken from June 13-17, showed Trump with 47 percent support — still a significant lead.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) remained in second place with 26 percent support, which did not change between the two polls. Former VP Mike Pence landed in third place with 9 percent support, a boost from 6 percent in the previous poll, which was taken before Pence had officially joined the race.

Also notable in the poll was the public’s support for the federal charges against Trump. The poll of 1,350 Americans found that 61 percent of respondents “approve of the decision to bring federal charges, with most (55 percent) saying Trump acted illegally regarding the classified documents involved in the case.” The poll’s summary also noted that 57 percent of respondents believe Trump “risked national security.” Finally, 59 percent of respondents say Trump “should end his campaign now.”

The poll did carry something of a silver lining for Trump, however, as the former president scored a slightly higher approval rating than President Joe Biden.

Biden saw his lowest “favorable opinion” rating in the poll so far with only 32 percent viewing the president in a positive light, compared to 56 percent having an “unfavorable opinion.” Trump scored a 33 percent “favorable opinion” with 59 percent holding an “unfavorable opinion.” Trump has seen lower favorable ratings in the past, dipping to 31 percent in December of 2022. The poll carries a margin of error of 3.4 percent.