In a new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, it has been revealed that the first criminal trial facing former President Donald Trump is the one in which Americans are least convinced he committed a crime. The trial, which involves hush money payments, has only about one-third of U.S. adults believing that Trump did something illegal, while close to half think he did something illegal in the other three criminal cases pending against him.
Despite the skepticism surrounding the trial, half of Americans would consider Trump unfit to serve as president if he is convicted of falsifying business documents to cover up hush money payments to a woman who alleged an affair with him. The poll suggests that a conviction could hurt Trump’s campaign, as he is set to enter a rematch with President Joe Biden as the first presumptive nominee of a major party to be under indictment.
Trump has made the prosecutions against him a focal point of his campaign, claiming without evidence that Biden engineered the cases. However, the poll indicates that public opinion of the trial proceedings could influence how many Americans perceive his candidacy, including independent voters and those long skeptical of Trump.
While the trial outcome remains uncertain, the poll found that a significant portion of Americans believe Trump did something illegal in various aspects of the case, including the hush money allegations and attempts to interfere in the 2020 election. The trial is expected to conclude in roughly six weeks, well before the Republican National Convention where Trump is set to accept the GOP nomination.