A majority of Americans aren’t confident that the jury in former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial can reach a fair verdict, a poll released Thursday evening found.
Only 44% of respondents said they were confident in the jurors’ ability to deliver a fair verdict compared to 56% who said they weren’t, according to a CNN/SSRS survey. The poll also found that only 33% of Americans think Trump acted illegally in the case where he faces 34 counts regarding alleged falsified business records in connection to reimbursing a hush money payment to former porn star actress Stormy Daniels.
The survey also found that respondents were split 34% to 34% on whether they believe Trump is being treated more leniently or more harshly by the criminal justice system in New York, and only 13% think he’s being treated “about the same as most other criminal defendants.” (RELATED: Alvin Bragg’s Legal Strategy Faces Serious Hurdles Under Questioning By Trump Defense)
An overwhelming majority of Americans at 73% don’t believe the charges should disqualify Trump from the White House, while 76% of registered voters who support the former president say they’ll back him regardless of whether he’s convicted of a crime or not, according to the poll.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 25: Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he leaves court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court. (Jefferson Siegel-Pool/Getty Images)
“Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrats’ entire strategy to defeat President Trump is to confine him to a courtroom and unconstitutionally silence him throughout this sham Biden Trial,” Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement.
“Crooked Joe Biden is a failed president running a losing campaign. Polling shows the American people see right through the Stalinist tactics employed by Crooked Joe and his allies. President Trump and our team will continue fighting for truth in the courtroom, while working to earn votes on the campaign trail,” Leavitt added.
Another recent poll, conducted by AP/NORC, yielded similar results as the trial began in Manhattan, with most Americans not thinking Trump acted illegally in regard to the case. Only 31% of respondents said they were “extremely” or “very confident” that the prosecution in New York is treating the former president fairly.
Trump is wrapping up his second week of the trial following jury selection and opening statements. Judge Juan Merchan is considering whether to hold Trump in contempt for 14 alleged violations of a gag order.
The CNN/SSRS poll surveyed 1,212 American adults nationwide between April 18 and April 23 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4%.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include comment from the Trump campaign.
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