Indicted for bribery, Trump widens lead among Republicans for 2024.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, about 48% of self-identified Republicans say they want Trump to be their party's presidential nominee.
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump has widened his lead over his rivals in the 2024 Republican presidential race, even as he faces criminal charges in New York, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday.
About 48% of self-identified Republicans say they want Trump to be their party's presidential nominee, up from 44% in a poll conducted from March 14 to 20.
About 19% support his closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, down from 30% last month. Other likely rivals polled in the single digits.
>>> Trump arrives in New York and meets with advisors at Trump Tower, on the eve of his indictment.
The online survey was conducted between March 31 and April 3, following news that Trump would face criminal charges related to bribing a porn star before the 2016 election.
Trump is the first US president to face a criminal indictment. He must plead not guilty. in a Manhattan court on Tuesday.
In recent weeks, DeSantis has been the target of criticism because of a statement from March 13 in which he stated that it was not in the vital national interest of the U.S. to become "further involved in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia."
Trump intensified his attacks on DeSantis, who has not formally announced his candidacy but is expected to run.
About 71% of Americans, including 58% of Republicans, say it's credible that Trump paid porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an affair before the 2016 presidential election. Trump proclaimed his innocence and denied the affair, although he acknowledged paying Daniels.
At the same time, 51% of those surveyed, including 80% of Republicans, said they believed the accusations were politically motivated.
These numbers remain virtually unchanged compared to last month.
The survey of 706 American adults has a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of plus or minus 2,7 percentage points for all respondents and plus or minus 4,5 percentage points for Republicans.