A recent AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey reveals that just over a third of American voters believe former President Donald Trump acted illegally in connection with the hush-money case prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin…
A recent AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey reveals that just over a third of American voters believe former President Donald Trump acted illegally in connection with the hush-money case prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The poll indicates that 35% of respondents view Trump's actions as illegal, while 31% consider them unethical but not illegal, and 14% believe he did nothing wrong.
Political affiliation significantly influences perceptions, with less than 10% of Republican respondents believing Trump committed a crime, compared to about 60% of Democrats and approximately 30% of Independents. These findings emerge as Trump faces the beginning of his criminal trial, which started with jury selection on Monday. This trial is the first among four criminal indictments Trump is contending with.
The case centers on allegations that Trump, through his former lawyer Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 in hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels to suppress details of a past sexual encounter during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty, faces a 34-count indictment for falsifying business records to conceal these payments.
Interestingly, this hush-money case is where Americans show the least conviction about Trump’s illegal activity compared to his other pending cases, with about half of the survey respondents believing he committed illegal acts in those instances.
Public confidence in the fairness of Trump’s trial is notably low, with only about 30% believing that the prosecutors are treating Trump fairly and merely 20% confident that the Manhattan judge and jury can remain impartial in what Trump has denounced as a politically motivated case.
Outside the New York City courthouse, Trump denounced the proceedings as "political persecution" and stated that it was "an assault on America," underscoring his view of the charges' gravity against him.
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