Republican support for former President Trump continues to grow after his second indictment on federal charges related to his handling of classified information, a new survey finds.
According to an NBC poll, Trump has widened his support among GOP voters, with 51 percent now saying they would back the 45th president if the Republican primary were held today, compared to 46 percent who said the same in April. But half of GOP primary voters said they are open to considering someone besides Trump as the party's nominee.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, has lost support since April, when 31 percent of Republicans backed the Florida Republican, compared to 22 percent who said the same between June 16-20, when the survey was conducted.
“For the first time in history, a former president has been indicted, and we can’t find a marker in this survey that it’s had an impact with his standing,” said Public Opinion Strategies’ Bill McInturff, who conducted the poll with Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates.
“Not only are they sticking with Trump post-federal indictment, there are several signs that his support is growing or others are losing ground, particularly Ron DeSantis," Horwitt told NBC, referring to GOP voters.
Among the general electorate, however, Americans are more skeptical, as a majority of registered voters have concerns about the former president post-indictment, including 55 percent of independent voters.
And while the survey’s hypothetical matchup for the general election shows President Biden leading Trump by 4 points, voters have reservations about the physical health and mental acuity of Biden, 80, and Trump, 77, as well as either serving another four years.