A new NBC News poll released Sunday shows over two thirds of Republicans believe the investigations into former President Donald Trump are politically motivated and designed to stop him from becoming president again.
NBC polled Republican primary voters about their thoughts on Donald Trump’s legal battles and who they are supporting for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination. (RELATED: Trump Widens Lead Over DeSantis In One Of The First Post-Indictment Polls)
NEW NBC News poll: “A whopping two-thirds of Republican primary voters say they stand behind former President Trump and dismiss concerns about his electability, despite his recent criminal arrest and the other legal investigations into his past conduct” https://t.co/pN46VdlYuA
— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) April 23, 2023
“Which statement comes closer to your view on the investigations into Donald Trump and the Republican nomination for president?,” NBC asked. They provided one statement about nominating a candidate who will not be distracted and focused solely on defeating President Biden and another statement about whether the Trump investigations are politically motivated.
68% of the Republican primary voters surveyed said Trump’s legal battles are politically motivated and they must support him, compared to 26% who voiced concern about nominating a candidate who could be distracted from running against Biden.
The same group of voters was surveyed about who they are supporting for the Republican presidential nomination, with 46% choosing Trump and 31% selecting Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The next highest candidate was former Vice President Mike Pence, who received 6%.
DeSantis is the second choice of 33% of Republican primary voters, above 20% for Trump, 14% for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and 13% for Pence.
The NBC News polling was conducted from April 14-18 with 292 Republican primary voters and a 5.99% margin of error either way.