Has Donald Trump's standing among Republican voters improved? GOP supporters want him in major party role: Survey
Donald Trump’s wish to win a second term at the White House remained unfulfilled and it left his supporters devastated but they have not yet given up hope on the controversial former president. The GOP has found itself deeply divided over the businessman-politician’s legacy and political observers are apprehensive whether the party could implode to a point of no return. Trump, who recently set up an office of former president in Florida to oversee his post-presidency activities, has reportedly discussed floating a new party which might see his GOP loyalists flocking to him.
A couple of surveys have also indicated recently that Trump is far from being forgotten after his term got over. One of them said that a majority of the GOP voters believe that the mercurial individual will remain a “major political force” yet after the conclusion of his presidency. And now, 50 percent of Republican voters polled in a new Morning Consult/Politico survey (released on Wednesday, January 27) has said that Trump should play a “major role” in the party, which is nine percentage points more since his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6 to protest the victory of President Joe Biden. Trump repeatedly claimed that the election was stolen and refused to concede defeat. He also boycotted the inauguration of his successor and left for his resort in Mar-a-Lago hours before the latter took oath.
The nine-percent rise was driven by a 15-percent upward shift among the women voters of the GOP (from 41 to 56 percent).
When seen overall, it was found that 22 percent felt that Trump should play a big role, which has remained unchanged since January 6. But the percentage saying the former president no longer plays a role has gone up to 56 percent compared to 52 percent on January 6.
Three in 10 Republican voters ready to shift if Trump forms new party
When it came to Trump’s much-anticipated Patriot Party, the survey found that three in 10 Republican voters were open to join the outfit. While 36 percent of the GOP voters preferred to remain in the red party, 30 percent wanted to join the new party of Trump if it came into being. A quarter said they did not know what they would do. But when it came to Trump’s voters in 2020, more people wanted to join the Patriot Party (35 percent) as compared to the GOP (31 percent). Twenty-eight percent had no opinion.
81% of Republicans hold positive views about Trump
The survey also found that 81 percent of the Republicans hold positive views (54 percent of them had a strongly positive view) on the ex-president, five points more than that said the same about him in mid-January when Trump was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House.
Most Republican members of the Senate (except five) are, however, against pursuing the impeachment trial against the former president saying it is unconstitutional. With two-thirds majority unlikely to materialize for the Dems who control the Senate by the virtue of the fact that the vice president is a Democrat (the chamber is split 50-50), it is very much likely that Trump will escape impeachment in the upper chamber for the second successive time.
The survey also reflected the fact that the Republicans are least convinced about Trump’s conviction in the Senate after his presidency got over. The latest poll showed 18 percent of the GOP voters would approve if the Senate convicted the ex-president, two percent less than that seen in mid January. In the Democratic camp, the figure was 87 percent while overall, 55 percent said they would approve of the upper chamber convicting Trump while 37 percent said they would disapprove.