A recent CNN poll conducted by SSRS reveals that a majority of Americans desire a verdict on the federal charges against former President Donald Trump, related to alleged election subversion in 2020, before the upcoming presidential election. The poll also indicates that many expect Trump to either pardon himself of any federal crimes he may be convicted of if he wins the presidency, or refuse to concede if he loses.
Public Opinion on Timing of Verdict
Approximately 48% of Americans believe it is crucial that a verdict is reached before the 2024 presidential election, with an additional 16% expressing a preference for this timeline. Only 11% advocate for postponing the trial until after the election, while a quarter of respondents are indifferent to the trial’s timing. The poll reveals a partisan divide, with 72% of Democrats and 52% of independents considering a pre-election verdict essential, while Republicans are more divided on the issue.
Trump’s Legal Challenges
Trump is currently facing four separate criminal indictments, including federal charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The trial date, initially set for March 4, has been postponed. Some aspects of the case are expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Trust in the Supreme Court
Only 42% of Americans express a significant or moderate amount of trust in the Supreme Court to make the right decisions on any legal cases related to the 2024 election. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to express at least a moderate amount of trust (52% to 36%).
Views on Trump’s Post-2020 Election Actions
Public opinion on Trump’s actions following the 2020 election remains largely unchanged from a year and a half ago. 45% believe he acted illegally, 32% unethically, and 23% believe he did nothing wrong. An 80% majority of Democrats say he acted illegally, while about half of Republicans (49%) say Trump did nothing wrong.
Expectations for Trump Post-2024 Election
Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming election, most Americans expect Trump to refuse to concede if he loses, or to use the power of the presidency to pardon himself for any federal crimes, launch investigations of his political rivals, and enact sweeping policy changes if he wins. These potential changes include deporting millions of undocumented immigrants, undoing the Affordable Care Act, and purging the federal workforce of civil servants who oppose his policies.
Acceptance of Election Results
The vast majority of the public (86%) continues to support the principle that American political candidates should accept the results of US elections. However, only 25% of Americans expect Trump to accept the results if he loses, down from 37% in October 2020.
Trump’s Potential Second-Term Agenda
If Trump secures a return to the White House, Americans broadly expect him to attempt to implement sweeping changes. These include detaining and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants, firing federal workers who oppose his policies, pardoning himself for any federal crimes, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, pardoning those convicted over their role in the January 6 attack, and directing the Department of Justice to investigate political rivals.
The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS from January 25-30 among a random national sample of 1,212 adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Contributors: Katelyn Polantz and Nicholas Anastácio