America wants Trump back, plain and simple!
A recent survey conducted by The Washington Post and the University of Maryland reveals a shifting perspective on the responsibility assigned to former President Trump for the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The findings, published on Tuesday, build upon a similar survey conducted in December 2021. Notably, there is a discernible decrease in the proportion of Republicans holding Trump accountable for the insurrection, indicating a trend that transcends party lines.
Approximately half of the overall U.S. adult population, just over 50 percent, now believes that the former president bears either “a great deal” or “a good amount” of responsibility for the events of January 6. This marks a decline from the 60 percent reported in the December 2021 survey. The notable shift is particularly evident among Republicans, with only 14 percent attributing responsibility to Trump, down from 27 percent in the previous year. Democrats also showed a decrease, with 86 percent now holding Trump responsible compared to 92 percent in 2021.
Interestingly, independents displayed minimal change, as around 56 percent maintained that Trump bears responsibility, a mere 1-point decrease from the December 2021 survey. These findings arrive at a crucial juncture, coinciding with legal challenges faced by Trump, including two criminal indictments related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Despite these legal concerns, Trump continues to dominate the GOP landscape as the leading candidate for the 2024 presidential primary. In the latest national polling average by Decision Desk HQ, Trump commands 63.1 percent support among GOP voters, with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis trailing behind.
As the Iowa caucuses loom just two weeks away on January 15, this evolving perspective on Trump’s accountability adds a layer of complexity to the political landscape. The Post-UMD survey, conducted from December 14-18 among 1,024 U.S. adults, carries a margin of error of 4.1 percentage points, with higher error margins among subgroups.