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Americans See Federal Criminal Charges Against Trump As Serious, 51% Say He Should Be Prosecuted, 62% Say Politics Is Motivating DOJ's Case, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Supreme Court Job Approval Hits All-Time Low

In the week since former President Donald Trump was arraigned on federal criminal charges involving his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, 65 percent of Americans think the charges are either very serious (45 percent) or somewhat serious (20 percent), while 29 percent think they are either not too serious (13 percent) or not serious at all (16 percent), according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University national poll released today.

Americans indicate they are paying close attention to news about the charges. When Americans were asked how closely they have been following news regarding the federal criminal charges filed against Trump in connection with the way he handled classified documents after leaving the White House, 34 percent say very closely, 37 percent say somewhat closely, and 27 percent say not too closely.

Six in 10 Americans (60 percent) think former President Trump acted inappropriately in the way he handled classified documents after leaving the White House, while 26 percent think he acted appropriately.

Democrats (95 - 2 percent) and independents (62 - 23 percent) think Trump acted inappropriately in the way he handled classified documents after leaving the White House, while Republicans 58 - 25 percent think he acted appropriately.

Americans 51 - 41 percent think former President Trump should be prosecuted on criminal charges over his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, similar to Quinnipiac University's national poll in August 2022.

Just over one quarter of Americans (27 percent) think former President Trump has given satisfactory answers on this matter, while 60 percent think there are serious questions that remain to be answered.

Roughly 6 in 10 Americans (62 percent) think the Justice Department's case involving former President Trump's handling of classified documents after leaving the White House is mainly motivated by politics, while 34 percent think the case is mainly motivated by the law.

Close to 9 in 10 Americans (87 percent) think that if secret military information is shared with people who do not have a security clearance, it is either a very serious problem (69 percent) or a somewhat serious problem (18 percent), while 9 percent think it is either a not so serious problem (4 percent) or not a problem at all (5 percent).

"From the seriousness of the indictment, to the possible national peril posed by exposure of classified documents, to the way Trump has responded, Americans think Trump comes up short and they want to know more from him. That said, a majority say it's all just politics," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.

Roughly one-third of Americans (32 percent) say they have read the indictment that was made public detailing the Justice Department's case against former President Trump in connection with his handling of classified documents after he left office, while 65 percent say they have not read the indictment.

A majority of Americans (58 percent) say they have been getting most of their information about the federal criminal charges filed against former President Trump from news organizations, 21 percent say from social media, and 11 percent say from the indictment itself.

Close to two-thirds of Americans (64 percent) think television cameras should be allowed in the courtroom for former President Trump's trial related to his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, while 29 percent think television cameras should not be allowed.

"Only about one third of voters have bothered to read the Trump indictment, but a good majority of them would like to watch the drama play out on TV," added Malloy.

SUPREME COURT

Americans give the Supreme Court a negative 29 - 58 percent job approval rating.

Registered voters give the Supreme Court a negative 30 - 59 percent job approval rating. This is the lowest approval rating that the Supreme Court has received among registered voters since Quinnipiac University first asked the question in 2004.

"American voters drop the gavel and prove harsh judges as a drip, drip, drip in approval gives the Highest Court its lowest marks," added Malloy.

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans (68 percent) think that the Supreme Court is mainly motivated by politics, while 25 percent think that the Supreme Court is mainly motivated by the law.

A majority of Americans (63 percent) support limiting the number of years a Supreme Court Justice can serve on the Supreme Court, while 29 percent oppose it.

POLITICAL DIVISIONS

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans (68 percent) say political divisions in the United States make them worry a lot about the nation's future, 22 percent say they worry some, 5 percent say they worry not too much, and 5 percent say they worry not much at all.

Nearly 6 in 10 Americans (59 percent) say they talk about politics with their family and friends, while nearly 4 in 10 (38 percent) say they avoid talking about politics with their family and friends.

PGA TOUR & LIV GOLF

Slightly more than half of Americans (51 percent) disapprove of the partnership between the PGA Tour, which runs golf tournaments for professional golfers based in the United States, and LIV Golf, a league backed by Saudi Arabia and its Public Investment Fund, while 21 percent approve of the partnership and 29 percent did not offer an opinion.

When asked whether an American sports organization should be doing business with a sports organization backed by Saudi Arabia, Americans are split, with 45 percent saying it should not, 44 percent saying it doesn't matter to them, and 11 percent not offering an opinion.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65 percent) approve of investigations by both the United States Senate and the Justice Department of the PGA Tour's deal with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, while 18 percent disapprove and 16 percent did not offer an opinion.

"Half of Americans say the PGA Tour was out of bounds hooking up with the heavily funded, Saudi- backed, LIV Golf. Now, after a fractious relationship, a vast majority of Americans support probes looking into how and why they became partners," added Malloy.

1,776 U.S. adults nationwide were surveyed from June 15th - 19th with a margin of error of +/- 2.3 percentage points. The survey included 1,560 self-identified registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Doug Schwartz, Ph.D. since 1994, conducts independent, non-partisan national and state polls on politics and issues. Surveys adhere to industry best practices and are based on random samples of adults using random digit dialing with live interviewers calling landlines and cell phones.

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