Poll: Most GOP Voters Want Trump to Keep Running

A new NPR/Marist University national poll reported that most Republicans want to see former President Donald Trump stay in the 2024 presidential race despite being indicted on federal charges.

According to the poll, 83% of Republicans and 43% of all voters say Trump should remain in the race, while 56% of all voters believe he should step down.

Democrats overwhelmingly believe Trump should exit the race, with 87% saying he should give the campaign up, as do 58% of independents, the poll reports.

“As former President Trump deals with his latest legal woes, Republicans are mostly standing with him, while Democrats are calling for him to exit the 2024 campaign,” Marist Institute for Public Opinion Director Lee M. Miringoff said. “Time will tell if this pattern holds; but for now, Republicans are grounded on where they stand on Trump, regardless of these unfolding events.”

Special counsel Jack Smith announced last week that a grand jury voted to indict the former president on 37 counts of mishandling documents and obstruction after leaving the White House in 2021.

“This indictment was voted by a grand jury of citizens in the Southern District of Florida, and I invite everyone to read it in full to understand the scope and the gravity of the crimes charged,” Smith said June 9. “The men and women of the United States intelligence community and our armed forces dedicate their lives to protecting our nation and its people.

“Our laws that protect national defense information are critical to the safety and security of the United States, and they must be enforced. Violations of those laws put our country at risk.”

Trump was arraigned in a Miami federal courtroom Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

According to the new poll, 73% of Americans perceive Trump’s actions as “wrong,” with 50% saying it is illegal, compared to 25% who said he did not do anything wrong.

Most Democrats, 78%, believe Trump broke the law, compared to 50% of both Republicans and independents, respectively.

Almost two-thirds of Republicans said they will still support Trump, as will 64% of GOP-leaning independents, with almost 75% of Republicans saying they have a favorable view of the former president.

The poll of 1,327 adults interviewed between June 12-14 has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, according to the university.