The FBI search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home was quickly blasted by the former president’s Republican colleagues and a crowd of supporters who rallied outside his Florida resort Monday to oppose the raid.
The unprecedented search of a former president’s home signaled an escalation of investigations into missing White House documents — one of several probes into Trump’s tenure, his role in the January 6 attacks and his business dealings.
Trump’s response — condemning the crackdown as “not necessary or appropriate” — has resonated with his legion of MAGA fans, many of whom say he won the 2020 election and that Democrats will do everything they can to help him do it prevent you from running again in 2024.
opinion poll
Do you agree with the FBI’s raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate?
- Yes 148 votes
- No 244 votes
Still, many Americans say that Trump is not above the law, that his actions at the White House warrant an investigation, and that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has a responsibility to carry out this difficult task.
With that in mind, highlights five recent polls that provide a snapshot of Americans’ attitudes towards Trump, the FBI, the DOJ, the Jan. 6 hearings and smoldering political divisions that could erupt into violence.
The poll suggests voters remain bitterly divided over the 45th President, whether he should be investigated and whether US institutions are operating fairly. While some Republicans have moved away from Trump, he retains a passionate and combustible base.
We’re also giving readers a chance to share their views and vote on whether they approve of the FBI’s decision to search Trump’s luxurious Palm Beach retreat and open his safe in search of missing papers.
POLL 1: Republicans trust the FBI less than Democrats
The FBI has an image problem. Overall, 47 percent of Americans distrust the National Crime Bureau and 46 percent trust it, according to a May Golden/TIPP poll.
Support is politically biased: Democrats and independents broadly trust the institution, but most Republicans (55 percent) lack trust, despite Trump’s appointment of FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Respondents expressed similarly mixed feelings about the DOJ.
POLL 2: The US is divided over Trump’s role in the January 6 insurgency
After weeks of televised hearings into the January 2021 Capitol attack, US voters remained divided over Trump’s role in the riot and whether he encouraged supporters to try to block lawmakers from confirming his election defeat.
About 53 percent of voters said Trump should face criminal charges on Jan. 6, but 54 percent of voters also said he should be allowed to run for president again, Harvard pollsters CAPS-Harris found this month out of here.
Pollster Mark Penn called it an “explosively divisive issue in the country.”
Members of the Oath Keepers on the east front of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington. Americans remain divided over then-President Donald Trump’s role in the uprising
POLL 3: The Jan. 6 hearings turned some Republicans against Trump
The televised hearings on the January 6 events took a toll on Trump’s popularity.
The bipartisan congressional inquiry offered fresh revelations that Trump was pressuring his vice president to reverse his election defeat and firing close aides who dismissed his false claims of massive voter fraud.
A Portal/Ipsos poll in late July found that 40 percent of Republicans blamed Trump for the deadly riot, compared with 33 percent who six weeks earlier blamed the former leader.
In an ad, Trump calls America a “nation in decline” but promises a political future in which “the best is yet to come.” His popularity was hurt by the January 6 hearings, but he remains popular with millions of voters
POLL 4: Trump remains popular with Republican base
Despite all the negative publicity about Jan. 6 and signs of fading support, Trump remains hugely popular with his die-hard base.
In a straw poll at the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas last week, Trump was favored by 69 percent of anonymous voters — well ahead of second-place Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 24 percent.
Supporters of former US President Donald Trump gather outside his home in Mar-a-Lago following the FBI raid. Despite negative publicity, he remains hugely popular with a die-hard fanbase
POLL 5: Americans – and particularly armed Republicans – are upset
Trump supporters who gathered outside Mar-a-Lago Monday night are showing their fervent support for the former president, much like those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
A recent University of Chicago poll revealed how angry and divided America had become and how this could lead to renewed violence.
A worrying 28 percent of respondents said they had so little faith in their government that it “may soon be necessary to take up arms” against Washington.
Among gun owners, 37 percent said they were ready for armed rebellion against a system many described as “corrupt and rigged” against them.
