GOP support for allowing criminals to be president rises after Trump conviction: poll

Support among Republican voters for allowing convicted felons to be president rose following former President Trump’s guilty verdict in New York last week, a new poll finds.

The searchconducted by YouGov, comes less than a week after a jury convicted Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, on all 34 criminal charges in his silence case.

Fifty-eight percent of Republican Party voters said in new search convicted criminals should be able to become president if elected. YouGov noted that just 17% of Republicans held this view in April.

Thirty-three percent of independents said a convicted felon should be able to be president, and just 12 percent of Democrats said the same in the recent poll.

The poll also found that fewer Republicans and independents now say crime is among their least desired traits in a president, compared with a February poll.

In February, 34 percent of Republican voters said crime was among their least desired characteristics. Now, 19 percent say the same. Fifty-two percent of independents said so in February, and now 38 percent say crime is not desirable.

Democrats have largely maintained their belief that criminality is not a desirable trait for a president to have.

The recent poll found that about half, 51 percent, of Americans believe Trump committed the crimes for which he was convicted: falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments before the 2016 election.

The conviction does not prevent him from returning to the White House if he emerges victorious in November.

The survey was conducted from May 31 to June 2 among 1,110 adults. It has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story