A recent poll has found that a majority of Americans feel the DOJ has a strong case against former President Donald Trump for his role in the events of Jan. 6 and his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
The Harvard University CAPS-Harris Poll found that not only do 57% of registered voters think the case against Trump is “very strong” or “somewhat strong,” but it also found that 55% thought a third indictment would be a good reason for him to drop out of the 2024 race.
Trump is facing two other indictments, making him the first former or sitting president to be charged with a crime, as well as the only one to be charged with multiple.
The poll found that regarding the most recent investigation, 42% of respondents thought Trump is likely guilty of the potential charges that he could face for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
On the other hand, 37% of respondents thought he was likely innocent and should not be charged, while 20% said he might be guilty of the charges but should not be indicted because it would be “too political.”
Trump announced last week that the Department of Justice was targeting him for the investigation, a sign that a possible charging decision could be coming soon.
When it comes to how Americans think this will affect his chance at winning a second term next fall, 55% thought he should drop out of the race if indicted for a third time, while 45% said he should keep running.
Political affiliations appeared to play a role in how respondents answered that question, as 80% of Democrats said the indictment would be a reason to drop out, along with half of independents. However, only 30% of Republicans said the same.
While his previous two indictments have only seemed to help the former president, the poll found that 56% of respondents thought a third could hurt him politically.
Additionally, almost two-thirds of voters said Trump actively tried to overturn the results of the last presidential election, but 56% think he will be acquitted if charged. Among Republicans, 55% agreed about his efforts to interfere in the 2020 election.
“I think a well detailed Jan 6th indictment will not be like the other Trump indictment — the public could react quite strongly against Trump if this indictment has new information, according to the poll,” Mark Penn, the co-director of the Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey, said in a statement. “This represents real danger to a Trump candidacy.”
The poll was conducted from July 19-20 and included responses from 2,068 registered voters.
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