Donald Trump’s favorability among Republican and Republican-leaning voters has fallen from 75 percent in July 2022 to 66 percent in July 2023, according to a new Pew poll.
Conversely, while only 24 percent of Republican voters surveyed thought of Trump unfavorably in July 2022, that is now up to 32 percent in the latest poll.
Among the broader voting public, the former president’s unfavorability has remained largely stable. Whereas 60 percent of Americans did not hold a strong opinion of him in July 2022, today, that is only 63 percent following his legal woes.
Trump’s favorability ratings place him in a similar league with President Joe Biden, who went from 43 percent to 39 percent during the same period. Vice President Kamala Harris experienced a similar decline in support.
The findings support similar public opinion research conducted in recent months. While the backing of the former president slipped from 53 percent in May to 47 percent in June, Trump still led the field of Republican hopefuls by a wide margin, a recent CNN poll found.
However, over half of Republicans polled insisted that Trump’s conduct did not impact their perception of him. Instead, many view his “effectiveness” as a president superseding such concerns.
Conservative voters were split over how the rest of the field of presidential contenders should have responded to the indictment over his alleged mishandling of classified documents in Florida. Nearly half (45 percent), believe that presidential contenders should not take a position on the matter, while another 42 percent argue that they should be outspoken in their condemnation of Trump’s prosecution.
Beyond the Republican Party, nearly 60 percent of Americans believe that the indictment is disqualifying and that Trump should terminate his presidential run. A majority (55 percent) believe that Trump acted illegally in the situation.
In early June, Trump was indicted on 37 criminal counts in relation to the mishandling of classified documents. If convicted, the former president could face years in prison.
Across the political spectrum, Americans of all stripes believe that political bias played a role in the indictment. Ranging from Democrats at the low end (53 percent), to independent voters (67 percent), all the way up to Republicans (92 percent), voters across the country view the Department of Justice’s investigation into the former president as politicized.
“Our laws that protect national defense information are critical for the safety and security of the United States, and they must be enforced,” special counsel Jack Smith, who is prosecuting Trump, said at a press conference on Friday. “Violations of those laws put our country at risk.”
“We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone,” he said. “Applying those laws, collecting facts, that’s what determines the outcome of an investigation, nothing more, and nothing less.”