Almost half of Americans surveyed in a new poll believe that former President Donald Trump should suspend his presidential campaign as a result of his indictment related to a 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Trump, 76, was arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom last week on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against the 45th president centers on an alleged scheme to orchestrate illegal “catch and kill” payments in an attempt to suppress negative stories about him during the 2016 presidential election that continued while he was in office.
An ABC News/Ipsos poll released on Sunday found that 48% of Americans think Trump should suspend his White House bid following the indictment.
In comparison, when asked the same question before Trump’s arraignment, 43% said the former president should halt his campaign.
The more recent poll also found that 53% believe Trump’s actions were intentionally illegal.
Almost half of people surveyed believe Trump should suspend his presidential campaign.REUTERS
Only 20% of respondents said that they think Trump did nothing wrong.
Eleven percent answered that while they think he acted improperly, it was not intentionally illegal.
With the indictment now unsealed, 52% of respondents view the charges as serious, an increase of 2 percentage points from last week, while 39% do not view the 34 felony counts as serious.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.AP
In the post-arraignment poll, 45% of Americans believe that Trump should be charged with a crime, an increase of 5 percentage points from last week, and 32% said the ex-commander-in-chief shouldn’t face charges.
Trump and numerous Republican lawmakers have accused Bragg’s case of being politically motivated, a claim which 47% of those polled agree with. Only 32% said politics did not play a role in the decision to charge Trump.
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is accusing Trump of orchestrating illegal “catch and kill” payments in an attempt to suppress negative stories about him during the 2016 presidential election.AP
The ABC News/Ipsos poll surveyed 566 US adults and was conducted between April 6 and April 7. It has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.
The J.L. Partners survey shared exclusively with The Post Thursday showed the 76-year-old leading his main prospective rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 47% to 39% among registered Republicans in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup — with 15% still undecided.
In a six-person GOP field that includes DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the 45th president receives 41% support, followed by DeSantis on 26%.
The pair are followed by Haley on 5% and Pence and Pompeo on 3% each, while entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin each garner 1%.
One-fifth of those polled said they would either back another candidate or were undecided, with 14% saying the latter.
Notably, 70% of Trump supporters said their mind was made up about their choice, while 56% of DeSantis backers said they could be persuaded to change their mind.
Nearly half of Trump supporters (49%) say the Florida governor is their second choice for the nomination, while DeSantis fans are split between Haley and Trump (24% each) as their backup plan.
Former President Donald Trump appeared in Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday, facing 34 counts of business fraud.Steven Hirsch Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to announce a widely-expected run for the presidency.Paul Martinka
“In the first poll of Iowa caucus-goers since the indictment, Trump has a significant — but not insurmountable — advantage in the race,” J.L. Partners co-founder James Johnson told The Post.
“He is helped by a loyal voter base, with seven in ten of his supporters saying they have made up their mind,” Johnson said.
“DeSantis holds the firm position for second place, but his support remains fluid for now with more than half of voters saying they could change their choice.”
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is consistently Republicans’ third choice for president.Mark Peterson/Redux for NY Post Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, is polling in the low single-digits.Getty Images
DeSantis has yet to formally launch his campaign, but is expected to do so sometime next month, after the Florida legislative session.
The poll also reveals a split among potential Iowa caucus-goers on the question of who should be the 2024 GOP vice-presidential candidate, with Haley and failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake tied at 17% each, followed by former HUD Secretary Ben Carson (11%) and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina (10%).
Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) also cracks the poll as the preferred VP candidate of 4% of respondents.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is polling at 3% among Iowa Republicans.Getty Images Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is tied at 1% with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.Getty Images
Lake is the favored running mate of Trump supporters, with 32% backing her for the No. 2 slot compared to 10% who want Haley.
Among DeSantis supporters, 34% want Haley to be the GOP running mate, followed by 15% who want Scott and 14% who want Carson.
“Below the Trump-DeSantis battle there are interesting moves. Kari Lake is Iowa Republicans’ preference for the VP nomination and the overwhelming choice of Trump’s voters — while Haley has an edge with DeSantis supporters,” Johnson said.
Glenn Youngkin has not announced a run for the White House in 2024.Getty Images For the Vice Presidential nomination, Kari Lake is Iowa Republicans’ preference.Getty Images
The poll also shows the ground could shift further, as 41% of Iowa Republicans said they could be persuaded to vote differently.
But 51% said their mind was made up and only 7% were unsure of their presidential pick.
J.L. Partners surveyed 628 Iowa registered Republicans between March 25 and April 4, the day Trump was arraigned in Manhattan criminal court for allegedly falsifying business records to conceal “hush money” payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Rev. Al Sharpton on Tuesday celebrated a Manhattan grand jury’s indictment against former President Donald Trump as a sort of “spiritual” payback for his White House policies and his call for the death penalty for the “Central Park Five.”
The activist and MSNBC host made the claim at a New York University forum on Tuesday, according to the Washington Times, where he also called it “ironic” that Trump, 76, was indicted on the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and that the criminal case against him is being handled by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is black.
“I’m always looking for the spiritual interpretation of something. And I think it’s very ironic that on … the 55th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination, that the president that tried to turn back a lot of what King did is going to be arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court by a Black DA,” Sharpton said at the event, held before Trump’s arraignment.
“I’m thinking of Dr. King as the first Black Manhattan DA will deliver us justice and bring criminal charges against President Trump,” he added.
Rev. Al Sharpton celebrated former President Trump’s indictment as a “spiritual” payback for his White House policies.G.N.Miller/NYPost
Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network, also suggested that 45th president’s indictment is “justice” for a full-page newspaper ad taken out by Trump in 1989 that called for five black and Hispanic teenagers wrongfully accused of raping a white woman in Central Park to be executed.
The five accused, known as the “Central Park 5,” were later exonerated.
“I’m thinking of the Exonerated 5, who were not just victims of a criminal justice system that did not protect them, but also of vitriol and hate spewed by men like Trump,” Sharpton said. “But today we see progress with the arc of history bending towards justice, just as Dr. King said. While we celebrate this moment of justice on the anniversary of King’s assassination, we have to remember the work is not done.”
Sharpton also noted that Trump was indicted on the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Sharpton also noted that Trump — who was charged in New York for falsifying business records in regard to hush money payments — is being investigated in Georgia by a black district attorney, Fani Willis, for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the Peach State.
“You might say the arc of justice is long, but it bends towards [justice] and I think that that often comes full circle,” Sharpton added.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought 34 charges against the former president.J Mayer/Shutterstock
Sharpton’s comments on Tuesday echoed a statement he released last week on the day the grand jury voted in favor of indicting the former commander-in-chief.
“All I can say is, what goes around comes around,” Sharpton said in a statement.
“It’s not lost on those of us who were there in 1989 that Donald Trump will likely walk into the same courthouse where the Exonerated 5 were falsely convicted for a crime they did not commit,” he said.
Trump is also being investigated in Georgia by a black district attorney for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.POOL/AFP via Getty Images
“Let’s not forget that it was Donald Trump who took out full-page ads calling for these five Black and Brown young men to get the death penalty,” the activist added.
“This is the same man who’s now calling for violence when he has to go through the same system. The same man will have to stand up in a courtroom and see firsthand what the criminal justice system is like.”
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former President Donald Trump ranted against his unprecedented arrest and arraignment Tuesday night, telling supporters at Mar-a-Lago: “We have to save our country.”
“The only crime that I’ve committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it,” the 76-year-old said hours after pleading not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in connection with hush-money payments made ahead of the 2016 presidential election to two women alleging extramarital affairs with him.
Trump has repeatedly called the case part of a long-running Democratic “witch hunt” against him. His former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen is expected to be the star witness for prosecutors working under Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump sat stone-faced in court Tuesday afternoon as he became the first former president in US history to face criminal charges.
Former President Donald Trump ranted against his unprecedented arrest and arraignment telling supporters at Mar-a-Lago: “We have to save our country.”Getty Images
He did not speak to the throngs of reporters outside the courtroom in Lower Manhattan, saving his vitriol for primetime.
Judge Juan Manuel Merchan declined to issue a gag order during the arraignment, but warned Trump to “refrain from making statements likely to incite violence or create civil unrest.”
The 45th president, who was not subject to the indignity of being placed in handcuffs or posing for a mugshot, arrived in his former hometown on Monday afternoon and spent the night at Trump Tower.
Shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, he left his flagship Midtown building, fist-pumping and waving to cameras as he entered the court building in lower Manhattan.
Trump claims, “The only crime that I’ve committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.”Getty Images
After his arraignment, which lasted just under an hour, Trump was whisked back to LaGuardia Airport and his private Boeing 757 for the short flight back to Florida.
The live wall-to-wall cable news coverage of Trump’s every movement Tuesday recalled the heady days of 2015 and 2016, which propelled his stunning run to the Republican nomination and his upset win over Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Prosecutors say Trump falsified business records to boost his presidential campaign when he described the payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal as legal expenses.
The charges typically are misdemeanors with two-year statutes of limitation, but Bragg secured the indictment of Trump by arguing that the payments of $130,000 to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and McDougal for $150,000 via a National Enquirer “catch and kill” contract were in furtherance of federal campaign finance law violations.
Candidates for office are allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money, but the funds were paid initially by Cohen, who would have exceeded the federal contribution limit if he was using his own money.
Cohen in 2018 pleaded guilty to unrelated tax evasion charges and to making unlawful campaign contributions by brokering the payments. Trump at the time said Cohen was admitting to non-existent crimes to curry favor with authorities.
Bragg said at a press conference after Trump’s arraignment that “we cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct” — even though the progressive prosecutor has taken heat for downgrading more than half of felony cases to misdemeanors.
Prosecutors want the case brought to trial in January 2024, which would coincide with the initial Republican presidential primaries.
The next hearing is set for Dec. 4.
The criminal case has returned Trump to the limelight and driven a surge in donations, Republican endorsements and polling support to his campaign.
Shortly after the arraignment, the former president’s campaign announced it had raised more than $10 million since the indictment was filed March 30.
Meanwhile, a Reuters/Ipsos Republican presidential primary poll conducted March 31-April 3 — after news broke that Trump would be indicted —found that Trump’s support increased to 48% from 44% two-and-a-half weeks earlier.
“The shameful arrest of President Trump is an unprecedented and chilling chapter in the Left’s weaponization of the justice system against their leading political opponent,” fourth-ranked House Republican Elise Stefanik of New York said in a statement.
“President Trump continues to skyrocket in the polls, and just like with the Russia hoax and both sham impeachments, President Trump will defeat this latest witch-hunt, defeat Joe Biden, and will be sworn in as President of the United States of America in January 2025.”
Former Attorney General William Barr, who has clashed with Trump in the past, said in a Fox News interview Tuesday afternoon that Bragg had brought what “appears to be just a pathetically weak case.”
“I think it’ll be largely a legal judgment as to whether there’s really probable cause to believe that this falsification of records was done to defraud anybody,” Barr said.
“And second, whether or not [it] involves the campaign finance law … I don’t think it does.”
The case also drew significant international commentary.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele tweeted, “Think what you want about former President Trump and the reasons he’s being indicted. But just imagine if this happened in any other country, where a government arrested the main opposition candidate. The United States ability to use ‘democracy’ as foreign policy is gone.”
House Republican-led committees, meanwhile, are demanding information from Bragg’s office, including on whether the local DA was cooperating with Biden administration officials to target the president’s political opponent — as some Trump allies urge Republican prosecutors to use the precedent to bring charges against Biden.
Trump allies have focused in part on the fact that Bragg hired former Biden Justice Department attorney Matthew Colangelo in December to help lead the Trump investigation.
The Justice Department previously chose not to prosecute Trump on the underlying campaign-finance charge following its failure in 2012 to convict former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), who used more than $1 million in donations to his 2008 presidential campaign to conceal his relationship and love child with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter.
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Trump could face additional criminal charges in a trio of other investigations — one in Georgia into his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election there, and two federal probes overseen by special counsel Jack Smith; one into Trump’s actions ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, and another into his possible mishandling of classified records after leaving office.
Biden also faces a federal investigation of his handling of classified records after he left the vice presidency.
Special counsel Robert Hur is investigating whether Biden or anyone in his orbit illegally mishandled records found at his Wilmington home and former DC office.
First son Hunter Biden, meanwhile, is under federal investigation by the US attorney’s office in Delaware for possible tax fraud, money laundering, illegal foreign lobbying and lying about his drug use on a gun-purchase form.
The first son wrote in documents retrieved from his former laptop that he paid as much as “half” of his income to his dad, whom he involved in many of his overseas relationship while he was vice president.
This is a developing story; refresh the page for updates.
Former President Donald Trump blasted out a fundraising appeal to his supporters ahead of his arraignment Tuesday, decrying the “loss of justice in America” and saying that he will be “out of commission” for a while.
Addressing the email to “Patriot,” the 76-year-old Trump said, “today, we mourn the loss of justice in America.”
”Today is the day that a ruling political party ARRESTS its leading opponent for having committed NO CRIME,” the email from the former president’s Make America Great Again campaign proclaimed.
“As I will be out of commission for the next few hours, I want to take this moment to THANK YOU for all of your support,” it continued.
Trump added that he was “blown away” by the money, support and prayers he has received since Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the indictment March 30.
Donald Trump, speaking at a rally in Waco, Texas, on March 25, sent out a last-minute fundraising appeal before his scheduled arraignment on Tuesday. Getty Images
Trump has spent the past two weeks blasting Bragg’s investigation as a “political persecution” while soliciting donations from his MAGA supporters.
The former president, who spent the night in New York after flying up from his Mar-a-Lago resort on Monday, also said, “it’s sad to see what’s happening – not for myself – but for our country. This is not the America you and I once knew.”
He claimed the US was turning into a “Marxist Third World country that CRIMINALIZES dissent and IMPRISONS its political opposition.”
However, Trump also implored his supporters, “do NOT lose hope in America.”
Donald Trump’s supporters gather Tuesday outside the courthouse in lower Manhattan where the former president will appear for his arraignment. Getty Images
“We are a nation that declared its independence from the world’s biggest empire, won two world wars, and landed the first man on the moon. Resilience is in our blood,” he said, adding that “we will prevail once again and WIN the White House in 2024.”
Thanking his backers for their support, Trump asked: “If you can chip in, please make a contribution peacefully to SAVE AMERICA.”
He signed off on the email with “Your favorite President Donald J. Trump.”
The email also contained a small provision.
“(But if you’re doing poorly due to Biden’s policies, please ignore the donation request. Take care of yourself! We will soon Make America Great Again and our economy will come ROARING BACK!)”
Former Vice President Mike Pence offered a sharp rebuke of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s decision to indict former President Trump.
“It’s clear to the overwhelming majority of the American people that this is nothing short of a political prosecution being affected by a Manhattan DA who literally campaigned on bringing charges against one particular American,” Pence said Friday at the National Review Institute in Washington.
“That should be offensive to every American, left, right and center. Every American deserves equal treatment under the law and I believe the American people will see this for what it is,” Pence said — dismissing Trump’s alleged transgression as a “campaign finance issue.”
On Thursday evening, Bragg issued a 34-count indictment of Trump. While believed to center around hush-money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence about an affair she claims she had with Trump in 2006, which he denies, multiple reports said the charges include at least one felony.
Former Vice President Mike Pence blasted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s indictment of former President Trump.Getty Images Pence publicly broke with the president over his demands that he not certify the 2020 presidential results.EPA Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump on Thursday evening. Derek French/Shutterstock
Though Pence spent four years as one of Trump’s most loyal lieutenants, he publicly broke with the president over Trump’s demands that he not certify the 2020 presidential results.
During deadly riots on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump supporters were heard shouting, “Hang Mike Pence!” The former veep has since spoken out against his former boss and said Trump’s behavior on Jan. 6 was “wrong” and “endangered my family.”
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