Earlier this year, polling data revealed that a significant portion of Americans considered the classified document case against former President Donald Trump to be a matter of concern regarding his suitability for office. The findings indicated that while many viewed the charges seriously, not all believed they were disqualifying.
In an April poll, 38% of US adults expressed the opinion that the charges related to classified documents discovered at Trump's residence should disqualify him from the presidency. Meanwhile, 25% felt that these charges raised doubts about his fitness for the role but did not necessarily render him ineligible. Additionally, 37% of respondents believed that the charges were not relevant to Trump's presidential fitness.
Comparatively, a higher percentage of individuals considered the classified document charges as potentially disqualifying (38%) than those who held a similar view regarding the hush money charges for which Trump was later convicted (28%). However, a larger share of respondents deemed charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election (43%) or Trump's involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack (47%) as disqualifying if proven true.
Notably, opinions on the matter were heavily influenced by political affiliation. A significant majority of Democratic-leaning adults (69%) believed that the document charges, if true, should disqualify Trump, while only 7% of GOP-aligned adults shared this sentiment. Among the latter group, 25% thought the charges cast doubts on Trump's fitness, and 67% considered them irrelevant.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted in April, 70% of US adults regarded the allegations of Trump unlawfully removing classified documents from the White House and storing them in a private residence post-presidency as at least somewhat serious, with nearly half (49%) deeming them very serious.
