Most in new poll support Trump impeachment, want Senate conviction

Majorities in a new poll support the House action to impeach former President Trump for a second time earlier this month and want the Senate to convict him in his upcoming trial

The survey released Monday from Monmouth University found that 56 percent said they supported the impeachment over Trump’s role in a deadly riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. Forty-two percent said they did not support his impeachment.

A slightly smaller majority — 52 percent — said they wanted the Senate to convict Trump, while 44 percent did not want to see a conviction.  

“There is somewhat more agreement that Trump did something wrong than there was with the first impeachment. But there are still a good number of Republican stalwarts who continue to stand with the former president regardless,” said the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, Patrick Murray.

Trump became the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice after the House vote on Jan. 13. He spoke to supporters just before they marched to the Capitol on Jan. 6, leading to rioting that resulted in the deaths of five people, including one Capitol Police officer. Ten Republican representatives joined in voting to impeach Trump, making it the most bipartisan impeachment vote in history.

The new poll found 53 percent said Trump’s actions were “definitely” grounds for impeachment, while 30 percent said his actions were improper and 15 percent said he did nothing wrong.  

Fifty-seven percent of respondents also stated they are in favor of the Senate barring Trump from holding any federal office in the future. 

Trump’s Senate trial is set to begin Feb. 8. With an even split in the Senate, Democrats would need 17 Republicans to vote in favor of impeaching Trump in order for him to be convicted.

On Monday it was reported that Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) would be presiding over Trump’s trial.

The Monmouth poll was conducted from Jan. 21 to 24 and surveyed 809 adults in the U.S. It has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.