Majority of Americans want witnesses presented in Trump impeachment trial: poll
January 23, 2020
A bipartisan majority of Americans wish new witnesses to be presented and testify in the impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump and the public appears to be largely following the proceedings even after a bruising congressional inquiry that lasted several months, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling released Wednesday.
The poll — which ran from January 17-22 — also showed that US public opinion has moved little since the US House of Representatives impeached Trump in mid-December.
About 44 percent of adults in the United States say Trump should be removed from office, another 15 percent say he should be reprimanded formally with a congressional censure, and 31 percent said the charges should be dismissed.
Republicans and Democrats want to see people like Bolton and Pompeo tell Senate what they know about the Trump administration’s policies in Ukraine.
Trump so far has blocked the Democrats’ requests for documents related to the administration’s activities in Ukraine last year. He has also urged officials like former national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to participate.
Republicans in the Senate so far have backed up the president, rejecting requests for White House documents and interviews with administration officials.
Read more: Democrats, Republicans spar over witnesses in Trump impeachment trial
The poll showed that Republicans and Democrats want to see people like Bolton and Pompeo tell the Senate what they know about the administration’s policies in Ukraine.
About 72 percent agreed that the trial “should allow witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the impeachment charges to testify,” including 84 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of Republicans. And 70 percent of the public — including 80 percent of Democrats and 73 percent of Republicans — said senators should “act as impartial jurors” during the trial.
About 40 percent of Americans said they had a favourable view of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, while 60 percent said they have an unfavourable view of him.
About 46 percent agreed that journalists should be allowed to enter the Senate chamber with cameras and cover the trial.
The poll showed that two out of three Americans are paying attention to the proceedings, with Democrats more interested than Republicans.
About 12 percent said they plan to watch the trial every day, while 17 percent planned to watch a few times a week, and 36 percent said they would check in on the trial afterwards through news reports.
Despite their expressed interest in the trial, Americans were divided over giving the press more access to the Senate proceedings, which the Senate has largely restricted for the trial.
Also read: Trump impeachment — What happens next?
About 46 percent agreed that journalists should be allowed to enter the Senate chamber with cameras and cover the trial. Another 41 percent disagreed, and 13 percent said they did not know.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online, in English, throughout the US. It gathered responses in two waves: the first was conducted January 17-21 and asked 1,116 people about their interest in following the trial. The second was conducted January 21-22 and asked 1,108 people about whether to remove Trump from office.
Both polls have a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of about 5 percentage points.
Related:
Trump impeached for abuse of power in historic vote
