A majority of Americans would not vote for Donald Trump in the 2024 election if he is a convicted criminal by the time of November’s race, including more than half of Republican voters, according to a recent poll.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey found that 55 percent of potential voters would not support the anticipated Republican nominee at the general election if he were convicted of any of the 91 felony charges he has pleaded not guilty to across four criminal trials. Fifty-eight percent said they would not vote for Trump if he were serving time in prison in November.
When broken down further, 51 percent of Republican voters said they would not vote for Trump if he becomes a convicted felon, with a further 25 percent saying they weren’t sure.
The poll is the latest example of how Trump’s legal issues could hinder his chances of re-entering the White House, as well as suggestions the Republican may struggle to win over more moderate voters in a general election. The former president has denied all wrongdoing in relation to the federal and state crimes he is accused of and frequently accuses all of them of being politically motivated “witch hunts” that aim to stop him from winning the election against Joe Biden.
Trump has faced accusations that he is trying to delay the start of his trials until after the 2024 election at least.
If Trump wins the next election, he could order the Department of Justice to drop the two federal probes he currently faces over allegations he illegally tried to overturn the 2020 election results once he enters office, as well as the investigation into his retaining classified documents and his alleged attempts to obstruct the federal attempts to retrieve them.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll also found that most Americans (53 percent) agreed that Biden received “special treatment” in Special Counsel Robert Hur’s classified documents report into the president’s handling of Obama-era materials.
Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans say it is very or somewhat believable that Biden illegally took classified information with him when he left the vice presidency in 2017, which is roughly the same (68 percent) who believe that Trump committed a crime when he removed classified documents from the White House in January 2021 and stored them at his home, Mar-a-Lago, in Florida.
Hur’s report said that Biden “willfully” retained classified documents from his time as vice president after he left office, but the DOJ would not be seeking criminal charges as it would be difficult to secure a conviction because Biden could present himself to a jury as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
While the report said criminal charges against Biden were not warranted, Hur’s report was still critical of the president, suggesting the 81-year-old’s memory was “significantly limited” and that he struggled to remember basic and key facts.
In a statement after the release of Hur’s report, Trump reiterated his complaint that the 40 charges against him in his classified documents case are politically motivated.
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“THIS HAS NOW PROVEN TO BE A TWO-TIERED SYSTEM OF JUSTICE AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL SELECTIVE PROSECUTION!” Trump said. “Deranged Jack Smith should drop this Case immediately. ELECTION INTERFERENCE.”
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s office via email for comment.
The release of Hur’s classified documents report reignited concerns that Biden is too old to seek a second term in the White House. Similar concerns have also been raised about 77-year-old Trump as the pair head into an expected rematch in November.
A majority of Americans believe that both Biden and Trump are too old to be president but have bigger concerns about the Democrat.
The Reuters/Ipsos polls found that 78 percent of Americans believe Biden is too old to work in government, with just 35 percent of respondents saying he is mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges.
In comparison, 53 percent say Trump is too old to work in government, and 50 percent believe he is sharp and able to deal with challenges.
The poll surveyed 1,237 U.S. adults nationwide between February 9 and February 12. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.91 percentage points.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.