Donald Trump, Republicans Face Disapproval Over Handling Of Impeachment Inquiry, New Poll Suggests

Donald Trump and the Republican Party are getting low marks from voters over their handling of the impeachment inquiry, while Democrats are faring slightly better in a new poll released this week, HuffPost reports.

A new HuffPost/YouGov poll, conducted last week, reveals that Americans have wide-ranging opinions about the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry into Trump and the various ins and outs accompanying the process as well as the events that informed it.

For example, as for the handling of the impeachment inquiry in general, respondents are evenly split when it comes to how congressional Democrats are handling the impeachment inquiry, with 43 percent saying they approve of how Democrats are handling it, 43 percent saying they disapprove, and 14 percent responding that they’re not sure.

As for the Republican Party’s handling of the impeachment process, Americans’ opinions are far less charitable. Thirty-one percent approve of the party’s handling of the inquiry, 52 percent disapprove, and 18 percent are not sure. Donald Trump himself fares slightly more charitably, with 36 percent of Americans approving of his handling of the impeachment process, 50 percent disapproving, and 14 percent not sure.

The poll also went into some deeper issues surrounding the impeachment process. For example, on the question of whether or not the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry is a legitimate effort to uncover and, if necessary, punish wrongdoing by Trump, or if it’s “just playing politics,” 40 percent believe it’s legitimate, while 43 percent believe it’s playing politics.

Similarly, asked whether or not Democrats are focusing too much on impeachment, 44 percent say they are, while 40 percent say that impeachment is getting either just the right amount of attention it requires, or not enough of it. As to whether or not Donald Trump is doing enough to cooperate with the inquiry, 45 percent say he’s not doing enough, while 35 percent say he is.

Regarding Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — the phone call that started the impeachment inquiry in the first place — 36 percent say that it was a “very serious” issue, and over half say that it was either very serious or somewhat serious.

As to whether or not Trump will be removed from office following a formal vote to impeach (not whether or not he should be), only around 12-13 percent believe it’s going to happen.

Beyond the specifics, the poll results reveal something of a larger trend: Support for Trump’s impeachment has stabilized. In the early days following the news of the phone call first breaking, few Americans supported impeachment. That number has grown steadily over the weeks; however, as of this recent poll, which shows no real increase in support for impeachment, it seems that Americans’ support of the process has stabilized.