How serious are charges in Trump’s NY criminal trial? What Americans say in new poll
A majority of Americans believe that the criminal charges brought against former President Donald Trump in New York City are no small matter, new polling reveals.
A Yahoo News/YouGov poll found that 57% of respondents consider “falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to a porn star” a “serious crime.” An additional 30% said it was not serious, and 14% were undecided.
The poll, conducted April 11-15, surveyed 1,746 U.S. adults, and has a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.
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Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, which allege he illegally tampered with Trump Organization business records to cover up an extramarital affair with adult actress Stormy Daniels.
The trial began April 15 in a Manhattan courtroom, kicking off with jury selection.
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has maintained his innocence. In a Truth Social post on the first day of the trial, he wrote, “This Fake Case is solely meant to attack Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME…”
If convicted of all counts, he could face more than 10 years in prison, according to USA Today, citing legal experts.
Donald Trump’s other criminal cases
The poll also surveyed respondents on the three other criminal cases against Trump.
Respondents were asked whether “taking highly classified documents from the White House and obstructing efforts to retrieve them” was a serious crime.
A majority of respondents, 69%, said it is a “serious crime,” while 17% said it was not serious, and 14% said they were unsure.
Following a federal probe in Florida, Trump was charged with mishandling classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate. He allegedly hid records — including sensitive military plans — requested by investigators with the help of lawyers and aides.
Additionally, when asked about “conspiring to overturn the results of a presidential election,” 73% said it was a “serious crime.” Fourteen percent said it was not serious, and 13% were undecided.
Trump has been charged in Georgia — along with more than a dozen other people — with breaking an anti-racketeering law in an attempt to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Lastly, respondents were asked whether “attempting to obstruct the certification of a presidential election” was a serious crime.
Sixty-nine percent said it was a serious crime, while 16% said it was not and 15% said they were unsure.
Trump was charged in a four-count indictment in Washington, D.C., which charged him with, among other things, conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding.
The former president has vigorously maintained his innocence in all four criminal cases.
“Every one of the many Fake Cases that are perpetuated by the White House in order to help the Worst President in History, by far, get Re-Elected, are UNJUST SCAMS,” he wrote in an April 15 post on Truth Social.
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