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Poll: Most Americans Want Trump Stopped From Holding Future Office—Except Republicans

This article is more than 3 years old.
Updated Feb 15, 2021, 06:25pm EST

Topline

Three in four Republicans still want former President Donald Trump to remain “prominent” in the GOP despite his alleged role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol, a new Quinnipiac poll found, showing Trump’s continued hold on the party even as a majority of Americans believe he incited the Jan. 6 riot and should be barred from holding an elected position again.

Key Facts

The poll of 1,056 U.S. adults between Feb. 11-14 found 75% of Republican respondents think Trump should play a major role in the Republican Party, as compared with only 34% of voters overall.

It found 51% of respondents believe the U.S. Senate should have convicted Trump in his impeachment trial and 55% don’t want him to be allowed to hold office in the future.

Republicans disagree: Only 9% think he should have been convicted and 87% want him to be allowed to run for office again.

The survey found 54% overall believed Trump is responsible for inciting violence against the federal government, while 55% thought the Capitol riot wouldn’t have happened if Trump hadn’t spent months claiming the election was “stolen,” and 49% said the attack was caused by Trump’s rally speech directly before his supporters overtook the Capitol.

Though only 11% of Republicans blamed Trump for inciting violence, 28% believe the events on Jan. 6 wouldn’t have happened without Trump challenging the election results and 24% think Trump’s rally speech directly contributed to the siege.

Big Number

34%. That’s the percentage of Republicans who believe Trump did not do everything he could to stop the violence at the U.S. Capitol building (versus 68% of Americans overall), reflecting how Republicans don’t entirely absolve Trump of the attack even as they continue to support him.

Crucial Quote

Trump “may be down, but he is certainly not out of favor with the GOP,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement. “Twice impeached, vilified by Democrats in the trial, and virtually silenced by social media...despite it all, Donald Trump keeps a solid foothold in the Republican Party.”

Key Background

A bipartisan majority of 57 senators voted to convict Trump on Saturday after his impeachment trial, short of the two-thirds majority needed. The seven GOP senators who broke ranks have faced consequences from a Republican Party still loyal to the twice-impeached ex-president. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) were censured by their state Republican party chapters and the North Carolina Republican Party will meet Monday night to determine whether Sen. Richard Burr should face a similar consequence, though the Utah GOP stood by Sen. Mitt Romney. While Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voted to acquit Trump, the senator’s post-vote speech condemning his actions has also drawn criticism, with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) calling McConnell “the most dangerous” Republican who’s trying to “purge” Trumpism from the GOP on Fox News Sunday.

What To Watch For

A majority of Americans—57%—believe extremism in the U.S. is “growing” after the Jan. 6 seizure of the Capitol building, according to the Quinnipiac poll. That includes 60% of both Republicans and Democrats, as well as 52% of Independents.

Further Reading

Romney, Burr Face Censure As Backlash Grows Against GOP Senators Who Voted To Convict Trump (Forbes)

GOP Senators Who Voted To Convict Trump Face Rebuke, Censure By State Parties (Forbes)

Trump Says MAGA Movement Has ‘Only Just Begun’ In Celebratory Post-Acquittal Statement (Forbes)

Report: More Than 120 Republicans In Talks To Form ‘Anti-Trump’ Political Party (Forbes)

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