Trump supporters unfazed by new indictment: 'This is all political'
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[August 03, 2023]
By Jasper Ward and Gram Slattery
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The indictment of former President Donald Trump
for his efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election may be
unprecedented in the annals of American history, but it appears to have
done little to soften the resolve of Republican voters poised to support
his bid for another term in the White House.
Not only do those voters remain ready to back Trump in next year's
presidential election - he is the front-runner for the Republican
nomination to face Democratic President Joe Biden - but some also have
said they plan to donate to his legal defense against what they see as
politically motivated prosecutions.
"They want him gone, and I know they're afraid of him," said Robin
Bartholomew, 66, of Van Buren County, Iowa, the state that will hold the
first Republican nominating contest next year. "I think all the
indictments are just one thing after another to get rid of him."
National opinion polls have long shown overwhelming support among
Republicans for another Trump term. More than a dozen Republican voters
interviewed on Wednesday unanimously said the new charges would not
affect their 2024 election choice. These voters seemed to accept Trump's
contention that he is being targeted by Democrats because he is a
political threat.
"This is all political," said Bruce Silver, 68, a salesman from Myrtle
Beach, South Carolina, another early-voting state. "This indictment is
completely idiotic because everyone has freedom of speech, and he didn't
do anything illegal as far as I'm concerned."
Silver said he donates to Trump on a regular basis and that he "deserves
a good defense."
"The only way I'd vote for anyone other than Trump is if Trump dropped
dead before the primaries, and I don't see that happening," Silver said.
Trump, 77, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington on Tuesday
on charges that he conspired to defraud the United States by working
with others to try to block congressional certification of Biden's 2020
victory and deprive voters of their right to a fair election.
Trump was already the first former U.S. president to face criminal
charges. He has pleaded not guilty in a New York state case involving
hush money paid to porn star and to federal charges that he mishandled
classified documents. He may also soon be charged in Georgia as well for
his actions to undo his election loss.
The charges have allowed Trump to continue to portray himself as the
victim of a political witch hunt and rally voters to his side while
dominating news coverage of the Republican race to the point that his
rivals can barely get on television.
Brian Demer, 45, a program specialist from Loudoun County, Virginia,
called the indictment "just another example of trying to distract
citizens from what's going on, so it won't affect or impact my vote."
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Attendees react as former U.S. President
and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a campaign
rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 29, 2023. REUTERS/Lindsay
DeDario/File Photo
Demer, however, said he would not donate to Trump knowing the funds
could go to his legal expenses.
CIRCLING THE WAGONS
A New York Times/Siena poll released this week before the latest
indictment showed Trump as the top presidential choice for 54% of
Republican voters, far outpacing his closest competitor, Florida
Governor Ron DeSantis. Fewer than 20% viewed Trump as committing any
federal crimes.
The Republican voters who spoke to Reuters appeared unmoved by
arguments by Trump's rivals that he likely would lose a November
2024 rematch with Biden.
"If something bad happens to (Trump) where he's unable to run for
president, of course, you have to look for an alternative for a
candidate," said Steven Wolverton, 57, who works for Coca-Cola and
lives in St. Charles, Michigan. "But otherwise, no."
A June Reuters/Ipsos poll found that nearly 70% of Republicans
surveyed believed law enforcement officials were working to
delegitimize Trump through "politically motivated investigations."
Perhaps most critically for his re-election hopes, Trump's
relentless assertion that the 2020 election was fraudulent has
continued to resonate with Republican voters.
A March 2021 Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 56% of Republicans
surveyed believed the election was "rigged." In a similar poll taken
in March of this year, 58% said the election was "stolen" from
Trump.
Sharon Young, 27, of Newport News, Virginia, who described herself
as an independent, said her focus as a voter remains on the economy,
and that she was inclined to support Trump for that reason even
though he "doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."
"When he was president previously, my family lived a lot more
comfortably than we do now, and we made less than we do now," said
Young, who manages a homeowners association.
"I don't honestly personally think that he incited anything," Young
said.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery, Jasper Ward and Jason Lange; Writing by
James Oliphant; Editing by Will Dunham and Colleen Jenkins)
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