Originally Posted: Nov. 19, 2019
Presidential historian Jeffrey Engel was quoted in this article.
Days into public impeachment hearings, nearly half of Americans want Congress to impeach President Donald Trump and remove him from office, according to a new poll from the PBS NewsHour, NPR and Marist. The latest data does not show a significant change in public attitudes since the hearings began last Wednesday. But this next round of testimony could give Democrats more chances to sway public opinion — unless Americans stick to already rigid partisan lines.
Among U.S. adults, 45 percent said they support the impeachment and the ouster of Trump from office, with 82 percent of Democrats, 39 percent of politically independent voters and 7 percent of Republicans approving such a move in this poll. Another 44 percent said they disapprove of the prospect of impeachment and Trump’s dismissal.
The impeachment inquiry is focused on a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. After discussing U.S. military aid vital to Ukraine’s security, Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart for a favor: to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democratic presidential candidate in the 2020 election. A whistleblower lodged a complaint about the call, setting into motion the impeachment inquiry unfolding now in the House of Representatives.
Most Americans — 70 percent — said it is unacceptable for a president to ask a foreign country’s leader to help dig up dirt on a possible political rival. That included 95 percent of Democrats, 71 percent of politically independent voters and 37 percent of Republicans. Far fewer respondents — 22 percent — said that behavior is fine, while another 8 percent said they had no clue what to make of it. READ MORE