Trump impeachment

More than 50% of Americans say former President Donald Trump should be convicted by the Senate of inciting an insurrection and barred from holding public office, according to a new poll.

Iran PressAmerica: The national public opinion poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos on Wednesday and Thursday found that 51% of Americans think Trump should be found guilty for inciting the deadly storming of the US Capitol on Jan. 6. His trial in the Senate is expected to begin in the coming weeks.

Another 37% said Trump should not be convicted and the remaining 12% said they were unsure.

When asked about the former Republican president’s political future, 55% said Trump should not be allowed to hold elected office again, while 34% said he should be allowed to do so and 11% said they were unsure.

If the Senate votes to convict Trump, it would need to hold a second vote to bar him from holding office again.

The responses were almost entirely divided along party lines. While nine out of 10 Democrats say Trump should be convicted and barred from holding office again, less than two in 10 Republicans agreed, the poll showed.

The poll also found that 55% percent of Americans approved of President Joe Biden, who took office on Wednesday. In comparison, 43% approved of Trump during his first week of office in 2017, and Trump’s level of approval never rose above 50% in weekly polls conducted throughout his four-year term.

The US House of Representatives, which impeached Trump a second time earlier this month, is expected to send the Senate the one article of impeachment on Monday, charging him with incitement of insurrection. 

Trump, the only US president to be impeached twice, will also be the first former president to face an impeachment trial in the Senate after leaving office.

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