Democrats’ Trust In Justice System Increased After Trump Conviction, New Poll Reveals

Democrats reported an increased trust in the justice system following former President Donald Trump’s conviction last month, according to a new Politico Magazine/Ipsos poll released Monday.

Trump was convicted May 30 on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the case brought forth by Democratic District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Democrats’ trust in state court judges increased from 48% in July 2023 to 61% in June 2024, according to the poll.

Republicans reflected on the trial differently, as their trust in state court judges decreased from 49% in July 2023 to 39% in June 2024, the poll shows.

Democrats reported a slight increase in trust of district attorneys, state attorneys and prosecuting attorneys, from 50% to 55%, while independents’ trust rose from 42% to 47%, according to the poll. Republicans’ trust dipped from 41% in July 2023 to 32% in June 2024.

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida grilled Attorney General Merrick Garland during a hearing on June 4 for refusing to answer whether or not the DOJ communicated with Trump prosecutors. Among Democrats, 20% responded the DOJ was involved in bringing charges against Trump while nearly half, 48%, said there was no involvement, according to the poll.

The majority of Republicans, 59%, responded the DOJ was involved, according to the poll. Additionally, 80% of Republicans think the Biden administration used the department to investigate political enemies.

President Joe Biden’s campaign spent $50 million on an ad buy that flaunts the Trump conviction, Axios reported on Monday.

Democrats also saw an increase in trust in citizen juries, rising from 58% in July 2023 to 67% in June 2024, while trust among Republicans fell from 60% to 42%, according to the poll. Nearly 80% of Republicans say Bragg’s decision to charge Trump was to gain a political advantage for Biden, while 87% of Democrats disagree with the assertion.

Independents were split on the issue, with 44% saying there was a political motivation and 50% saying there was not, according to the poll.

The Politico/Ipsos poll sampled 1,027 U.S. residents from June 7 to June 9. The poll has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.