Former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial begins today and according to a CBS/YouGov poll released earlier this morning, most Americans favor convicting him for inciting an insurrection against Congress.
The poll found 56 percent favor convicting Trump and the same percentage believe Trump encouraged the violence that resulted in his supporters storming the Capitol, an act that resulted in five deaths, including a Capitol Police officer who later died of his injuries.
Democrats and Republicans are split on the trial: Democrats largely view the trial as an opportunity to hold Trump accountable, whereas Republicans (and anyone opposed to the proceedings) view the trial as a “distraction.”
“In fact, amid the recent focus on the congressional GOP’s direction now, under one in five rank-and-file Republicans favor a conviction, while most still broadly value loyalty to Mr. Trump,” CBS reported. “Many current Republicans say they might even join a new party headed by Mr. Trump if he were to start one. And while almost all call violence unacceptable, most Republicans feel that efforts by Mr. Trump and some Republicans to overturn the 2020 results were justified.”
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A conviction would permanently bar Trump from running for office; Trump is rumored to be weighing a run in 2024, a move that would further fracture a party experiencing a divide between those loyal to Trump and those who want to bring back an era of more “traditional” conservatism.
Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.
