Majority in new poll supports impeachment inquiry; almost half back Trump’s removal from office

A majority of respondents in a new poll supports the impeachment inquiry into President Trump while almost half back his removal from office.

The Washington Post–Schar School poll released early Tuesday found that 58 percent say the House was correct to launch the inquiry, compared to 38 percent who disagreed.

{mosads}Almost half — 49 percent — said lawmakers in the lower chamber should impeach Trump and call for his removal from office.

Just 6 percent support the inquiry, but not Trump’s removal from office.

Pollsters found a partisan divide on the issue, with more than 8 in 10 Democrats endorsing the inquiry and about 7 in 10 Republicans saying they do not support the inquiry. 

Nearly 8 in 10 Democrats favor a vote to recommend that Trump be removed from office, while almost one-fifth of Republicans agreed. 

More than half of independent voters — 57 percent — said they support the impeachment inquiry, and 49 percent said the House should vote to remove Trump from office. 

Support for an impeachment inquiry has risen among all three partisan groups since a July poll, with Democratic support rising 25 points from July, Republican support rising 21 points and independent support rising 20 points, based on the poll. 

The Post noted that previous polls earlier this year found support for an impeachment inquiry between 37 and 41 percent.

The House launched an impeachment inquiry after a whistleblower filed a complaint alleging Trump solicited foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election. 

A partial transcript of a July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shows Trump asking the foreign leader to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading 2020 candidate. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

The White House had held back military aid that had been approved for Ukraine weeks before the call. 

The majority of Americans in the new poll, 62 percent, said the contents of the call were inappropriate, compared to 32 percent who felt the contents were not.

The survey of 1,007 adults was conducted Oct. 1–6. It has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

Updated at 7:48 a.m.