Former President Donald Trump's indictment last week has not stopped Republicans from rallying behind him as their candidate for the 2024 presidential election. Recent polling conducted before the indictment showed that a majority of Republican respondents still support Trump.
According to a survey conducted by Quinnipiac University, published one day before his indictment, only 10% of Republican respondents believed that Trump had done anything illegal. Meanwhile, 43% described his behavior as "unethical but not illegal." Similarly, a Morning Consult flash poll conducted after the news broke Friday showed that only 19% of Republican respondents thought that the charges against him were justified.
This unwavering support for Trump comes despite him facing criminal charges in New York related to hush money payments made during his 2016 campaign. On Tuesday, he is set to be arraigned in court – marking the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges.
Trump and his team have attempted to use this news to their advantage by painting it as part of a larger plot to derail his candidacy. They hope this will energize his loyal base even further and increase fundraising efforts for his presidential campaign.
Their efforts seem to be paying off: just one day after the indictment became public, Trump's campaign announced it had raised over $4 million in donations.
The favorable poll numbers indicate how dramatically he has upended democratic norms since entering politics and becoming president in January 2017. Despite legal troubles and controversy surrounding his time in office, many within the Republican party still view him favorably.
As America prepares for another election cycle leading up to November 2024 – with potential candidates already jostling for position – it seems clear that Donald Trump remains a potent force within conservative circles regardless of what happens next week at court or beyond.