“The overwhelming majority” of Republican primary voters do not believe former President Donald Trump sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll, according to a poll conducted the day he was found liable in their civil trial, which they also believe was unfair.
The Co-Efficient poll, an internal survey commissioned by the Trump campaign, shows that Trump’s favorability rating among likely Republican primary voters is 63 percent – “the strongest” in the GOP primary field. He holds a net favorability rating of plus 37 percent.
Of those who find Trump favorable, not a single percent say they believe Carroll. Conversely, 87 percent of the sub-demographic believes Trump, as do 14 percent of those who find Trump unfavorable, while 50 percent believe Carroll. Another 36 percent are unsure of who to believe. Among those who have a neutral view of Trump, nearly six in ten say they believe him, versus just two percent who believe Carroll.
The polling outfit also asked voters if they think Trump received a fair trial, again finding the vast majority of those who perceive him positively (90 percent) do not. One in four Republicans who feel negatively about him says that he received an unfair trial, as do 77 percent of those who have neutral feelings toward the 45th president.
Only two percent of Trump-favorable voters think his trial was fair. They are accompanied by fifty percent of those who see him as unfavorable and four percent who view him impartially.
The poll also asked participants if they think the trial was “Part of a witch hunt,” finding 91 percent of those who like the 45th president, 23 percent of those who dislike him, and 68 percent of neutral voters “definitely” view it as a “witch hunt.”
According to Co/Efficient, “These events moved some detractors back to supporting Trump on the ballot.” Of Trump-favorable voters, 70 percent are “More likely” to vote for him, while none of them are less likely to support him. Another 30 percent of the population said the lawsuit and trial made “no difference.” Among those with unfavorable views of Trump, two percent are more inclined to back him, while 39 percent are less likely. He performs better with neutral voters, with 22 percent more inclined to back him versus 12 percent less likely.
The poll also found that he holds a majority of support among the GOP electorate in both a crowded field and hypothetical head-to-head with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). In a field of six, the 45th president garners 53 percent of support, more than doubling DeSantis at 19 percent. Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) sits in third place with five percent, followed by former Vice President Mike Pence at four percent. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) round out the rest for the field at two percent and one percent, respectively.
In a hypothetical two-way race, Trump leads DeSantis 53 percent to 30 percent, with another 17 percent undecided.
While Trump has contended he did not know Carroll, he was photographed with her in the 1990s, and the image was presented as evidence in the trial.
Co-Efficient sampled “2,295 likely GOP primary voters on May 9,” and the margin of error is plus or minus 3.05 percentage points.