GOP support for Trump waning after his second indictment: poll

Republican support for former President Donald Trump has dipped since he was charged with 37 felony counts related to his alleged mishandling and concealment of classified White House documents, according to a new poll. 

The new CNN poll, released on Tuesday and conducted entirely after the 77-year-old former president’s arraignment in a Miami, Fla., federal court, shows that both support for his 2024 presidential candidacy and positive views of him among Republican and Republican-leaning voters have declined compared to last month. 

The survey found that 47% of Republicans and Republican-leaning registered voters say Trump is their first choice for the GOP’s standard bearer in 2024, down from 53% in May.  

In comparison, support for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis remained unchanged since last month, with 26% supporting the governor of the Sunshine State.

Former Vice President Mike Pence increased his share of support from 6% in May to 9% in CNN’s latest poll, while former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley dropped 1 point to 5% support. 

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott received 4% support and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was the preferred GOP candidate of 3% of likely voters surveyed. 

The remaining GOP primary candidates polled at 1% or less.

Trump’s favorability rating also fell from last month among Republican-aligned voters, dipping from 77% in May to 67% after his second arraignment. 

The percentage of Republicans who say they would not support Trump for the nomination under any circumstances also increased, from 16% in May to 23% in June.

DeSantis saw a similar increase in the percentage of GOP-aligned voters who say they’ll refuse to back his candidacy, going from 15% to 21% in June. 

A majority of Americans from parties believe politics played a role in Trump’s indictment in the government’s classified documents probe, including 53% of Democrats, 67% of independents and 92% of Republicans.

Only 26% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters say that Trump should end his campaign as a result of being charged by special counsel Jack Smith. 

Trump has vehemently denied any wrongdoing related to his handling of White House documents after his presidency and has argued that he faces a double standard compared to President Biden, whose alleged mishandling of classified information dating to his Senate years and vice presidency is also under investigation by the Justice Department.