According to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll conducted after the House of Representatives voted Wednesday to impeach Donald Trump, majorities of registered voters agree that the president both abused his powers and obstructed Congress — the two offenses cited in the House’s articles of impeachment.
Asked whether Trump abused his powers as president, 53 percent of registered voters said he did; only 40 percent said he did not. Fifty-one percent said Trump obstructed Congress; again, only 40 percent said he did not.
The bottom line is that registered voters favor the House’s decision to impeach the president by a 50 percent to 45 percent margin. Previous Yahoo News/YouGov polls found slightly lower levels of support for impeachment among registered voters: 48 percent in November and 49 percent earlier this month. The belief that Trump abused his powers has also ticked up slightly over time, rising two percentage points since November. And a majority of registered voters (52 percent) say that by pressuring Ukraine to launch investigations, Trump was primarily acting in his own personal and political self-interest.
Majorities this slim, however, do not represent the sort of groundswell of popular support needed to change the political calculus in the Republican-controlled Senate, which will hold a trial and vote on removal after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi forwards the articles of impeachment. That could happen as soon as next month. Indeed, the Yahoo News/YouGov poll found that support for removing Trump from office falls just short of a majority: 48 percent of Americans overall (and 49 percent of registered voters) said they support removal, compared to 40 percent of Americans (and 45 percent of registered voters) who said they oppose it.
Originally Posted on Yahoo News