Majority Of Americans Think Donald Trump Should Not Be Impeached, Gallup Poll Shows
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report about Russian election interference and possible obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump — and Mueller’s subsequent press conference, during which he all but directly called for impeachment — has not changed the minds of Americans when it comes to launching proceedings against the commander-in-chief.
That is the main takeaway from the latest Gallup poll released on Wednesday: a slight majority of Americans, 53 percent, believe that Trump should not be impeached.
The respondents were asked to share their opinion about impeachment “based on what you know about Robert Mueller’s investigation into Donald Trump’s activities,” and less than half, 45 percent, said that Trump should be impeached or removed from office.
Although a slim majority remains opposed to removing Trump from office, the support for his impeachment is higher than it was for Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon — support for Clinton’s impeachment never exceeded 35 percent, and support for Nixon’s impeachment only reached 38 percent during Watergate.
The questions respondents were asked during the Nixon and Clinton eras were similar to those asked in relation to Mueller’s findings.
Furthermore, the poll shows that support for impeachment varies among different demographics.
Thirty-seven percent of men support impeachment, as opposed to 52 percent of women. Thirty-six percent of white respondents support impeachment, while 64 percent of non-whites believe that Trump should be impeached or removed from office.
45% of Americans are in favor of impeaching Trump, says a new Gallup poll https://t.co/EhhjixYRPy
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) July 4, 2019
On the issue of impeachment, Americans are divided along party lines. Only 7 percent of Republicans support impeachment, as opposed to 81 percent of Democrats. Independents are more polarized, however, with 46 percent supporting impeachment and 51 percent opposed to it.
The respondents’ views on Trump’s job performance mirror their views on impeachment.
The president’s approval rating, which Gallup describes as “extraordinarily stable,” has not changed much since inauguration: 41 percent of Americans approve of the job Trump has been doing, including 29 percent who strongly approve.
Fifty-four percent of Americans surveyed by Gallup disapprove of Trump’s job performance, including 44 percent who strongly disapprove.
Of the 114 Democrats who sit on the six powerful committees investigating Trump's conduct, almost half — 50 — publicly support launching a formal impeachment inquiry, with several others privately considering joining them in the coming days or weeks. https://t.co/5z2Ouay4ri
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 30, 2019
As The New York Times reported, Mueller will testify before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees on July 17, so it remains to be seen whether the Special Counsel’s testimony will affect the public’s stance on impeachment, and President Trump’s overall approval ratings.
History suggests, however, that Mueller’s testimony will have little impact. As PBS reported following the release of the much-anticipated Mueller report, the document did not help sway the public’s opinion, and a slim majority of Americans remained opposed to the idea of impeachment, with polls consistently breaking down along party lines.
