Decision intelligence company Morning Consult releases the first major survey following the verdict of Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial, revealing a majority of voters believe the New York jury made the right decision.
Key Numbers:
Major News Saturation: 53% of registered voters have seen, read or heard “a lot” about the New York jury’s decision to convict former President Donald Trump, on par with voters who said the same immediately following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Majority Approve of Verdict: Over half (54%) of registered voters “strongly” or “somewhat” approve of the Jury’s decision, while 34% disapprove.
Teflon Don: The horserace remains tied between Trump and Biden: 45% Biden, 44% Trump. Only 15% of Republican voters believe Trump should end his campaign.
Trust in U.S. Criminal Justice System: 76% of Republican voters said the verdict made them less confident in the U.S. criminal justice system. Although 52% of voters believe the verdict was based on evidence that Trump committed a crime, 77% of Republican voters and 43% of independent voters believe the conviction was driven by motivation to damage his political career.
Voters Are Fine With a Fine: When asked about a fair punishment for his crimes, 44% of voters said Trump should “definitely” or “probably” be incarcerated, while 49% said he should be put on probation. 68%, however, said his crimes should be punishable by a fine.
Republicans Want Loyalty: 72% of Republican voters think right-wing politicians should still publicly campaign with Trump, regardless of his conviction, while just 17% said they should not. In fact, Republican voters want said politicians to remain loyal, as 71% say they should not oppose his nomination.
This poll was conducted on May 31, 2024 among a sample of 2,220 Registered Voters. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Registered Voters based on gender by age, educational attainment, race, marital status, home ownership, race by educational attainment, 2020 presidential vote, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.