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59% Say Trump Should Not Be Allowed To Hold Office In Future, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; 2 Out Of 3 Republicans Do Not Think Biden's Victory Is Legitimate

As Donald Trump finishes his term in the White House just days after becoming the first President of the United States to be impeached twice, a majority of voters (59 - 38 percent) say he should not be allowed to hold elected office in the future. Surveys throughout Trump's presidency have shown stark political divides, and this last survey of his time in office is no different. Republicans say 80 - 18 percent that Trump should be allowed to hold elected office in the future, while Democrats say 96 - 3 percent and independents say 59 - 38 percent that he should not be allowed to hold elected office.

In the same week President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn into office, a majority of voters say 64 - 31 percent that his victory in the 2020 presidential election is legitimate. However, Republicans say 67 - 28 percent that Biden's victory is not legitimate, while Democrats say 97 - 0 percent and independents say 62 - 32 percent that Biden's victory is legitimate.

This is up slightly from a December 10, 2020 poll when voters said 60 – 34 percent that Biden’s victory was legitimate. In that poll, Republicans said 70 - 23 percent it was not legitimate.

"A seething President Trump seems poised to slip out of D.C. by the back door while the transition takes place, leaving a wary capital encircled by troops, a weakened country assaulted by a murderous virus, and a weary population disillusioned and divided, wondering if the person next door is a friend or an enemy," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.

IMPEACHMENT

Following the riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, a majority of voters approve of the House of Representatives' recent vote to impeach President Trump, 55 - 42 percent.

This is an increase from a January 2020 poll when Trump was impeached for the first time by the House of Representatives over different charges involving the president's actions involving Ukraine and U.S. elections. In January of 2020, voters said in a slightly different question that they approved 51 - 46 percent of the House of Representatives voting to impeach Trump.

Asked whether the Senate should vote to convict President Trump or not, a majority, 54 - 42 percent, say yes, the Senate should convict. In a related question about whether or not the Senate should remove Trump from office after he was impeached in January 2020, voters were split, with 48 percent saying he should not be removed and 46 percent saying he should be removed from office.

Separately, voters say 59 - 39 percent that President Trump is responsible for inciting violence against the government of the United States.

Just over half of voters say, 51 - 43 percent, that President Trump's actions following the 2020 presidential election warrant criminal charges.

PRESIDENT TRUMP & REPUBLICANS

In the final measure of Donald Trump's job approval as President of the United States, voters give him a negative approval rating for the way he's handling his job as president, 34 - 61 percent. This is essentially unchanged from a week ago, when he received a negative 33 - 60 percent approval rating, tying his all-time low. In comparison, former President Obama's final job approval on January 10, 2017 was a positive 55 - 39 percent, one of his highest approval ratings.

In today's poll, Republicans say 73 - 21 percent they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president.

Just last month, Trump received one of his highest job approval ratings following the November election when voters gave him a negative 44 - 51 percent approval rating. In that December 10th poll, Republicans approved 89 - 9 percent.

"Though he has taken a hit with the base, no matter what legal issues he faces, Donald Trump can take some solace in the fact that almost three-quarters of the GOP still support him and nearly that same percentage believe the election was stolen from him," added Malloy.

Voters are divided on whether Donald Trump represents the Republican party. Forty-nine percent say he does not, while 45 percent say he does. Sixty-nine percent of Republicans say Trump does represent the GOP.

On whether Trump should continue to play a prominent role in the Republican party after he leaves office, voters say 65 - 29 percent he should not. Republicans say 61 - 33 percent that he should.

Asked about the Republican members of Congress who attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, roughly six in ten voters (63 percent) say those members should face consequences, while roughly two in ten (22 percent) say they should be celebrated. Among Republicans, just under half (49 percent) say they should be celebrated, while 26 percent say they should face consequences. Another 24 percent of Republicans say they are unsure. Democrats say 94 - 2 percent and independents say 62 - 23 percent that they should face consequences.

CONCERNS ABOUT VIOLENCE

Broadly, voters say they are more concerned about violence in the nation's capital than they are about violence in their own state this week.

Sixty-nine percent of voters say they are either very concerned (42 percent) or somewhat concerned (27 percent) about further violence in Washington, D.C. around the time of President-elect Job Biden's inauguration, while 28 percent say they are not concerned (11 percent) or not concerned at all (17 percent).

When asked about violence in their states around the time of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, 52 percent of voters say they are either very concerned (20 percent) or somewhat concerned (32 percent), while 47 percent say they are not so concerned (19 percent) or not concerned at all (28 percent).

Asked about the role that white supremacy played in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 51 percent of voters say it played a major role, while 18 percent say it played a minor role and 24 percent say it played no role at all.

1,131 self-identified registered voters nationwide were surveyed from January 15th - 17th with a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts gold standard surveys using random digit dialing with live interviewers calling landlines and cell phones. The Quinnipiac University Poll conducts nationwide surveys and polls in more than twenty states on national and statewide elections, as well as public policy issues.

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