There’s a recent poll that’s been making the rounds. A new ABC News/Ipsos poll found that about half of Americans, 50% to be exact, believe the guilty verdict in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial was the right call. And almost as many, 49%, think Trump should drop his 2024 presidential campaign because of the outcome.
Now, despite the trial’s historic nature and the fact that it ended with Trump being found guilty on all 34 counts related to falsifying business records, his favorability rating has remained pretty steady at 31%. This trial was about a payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair before the 2016 election.
Trump has vowed to appeal the verdict, calling the people who brought the case “bad people.” And while 47% of Americans think the charges against him were politically motivated, a slight majority, 51%, believe Trump intentionally did something illegal.
They have no idea what that is, but they still believe he did something illegal.
As for whether Trump should end his campaign, 49% of Americans think he should. This is similar to a poll taken in April 2023, shortly after the indictment was handed down, where 48% thought he should suspend his campaign.
On the other side of the aisle, President Biden’s favorability rating is also low, standing at 32%. This hasn’t changed much since a March 2024 poll.
The reaction to Trump’s guilty verdict falls along party lines. For example, 83% of Democrats think the verdict was correct, and 79% think he should end his campaign. Only 16% of Republicans feel the same way.
With both Biden and Trump being viewed unfavorably, the election could come down to independent voters or even those who dislike both candidates, often called double-haters. A majority of Independents, 52%, think Trump’s verdict was correct, and the same amount believe he should end his candidacy. For double-haters, those numbers are even higher, with 65% thinking the verdict was correct and 67% believing Trump should end his campaign.
In the New York trial, Trump’s attacks are mostly aimed at the district attorney, the judge, and the jury, all of whom he claims are unfairly politically biased against him. He’s also gone after President Biden without providing any evidence, saying he was behind the prosecution.
President Biden has pushed back, saying the rule of law was “reaffirmed” and that questioning the legitimacy of the process is “dangerous.”
This ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted from May 31 to June 1, 2024, among a random national sample of 781 U.S. adults. The margin of sampling error is 3.7 points, including the design effect. You can check out the poll’s topline results and methodology here.
