Republican Congressman Tim Burchett expressed amazement at the resilience of President Donald Trump’s primary polling numbers despite facing four indictments. Burchett, from Tennessee, contrasted this with his own hypothetical situation and stated that if he were in a mugshot, his popularity would plummet. However, Trump’s popularity continues to rise despite legal challenges.
Burchett believed that voters are upset about the multiple investigations into Trump and view the prosecutors’ motivations as politically driven. Despite Trump surrendering to prosecutors in Georgia and his mugshot being taken after a grand jury indictment, Burchett highlighted Trump’s strong polling numbers.
An average of major national GOP primary polls, as analyzed by FiveThirtyEight, revealed that Trump’s support averaged at 51.6%, giving him a significant 36.8 percentage point lead over the second-place candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Throughout 2023, Trump’s national poll support increased from 43% at the beginning of the year to 51.6%, despite the four indictments.
Trump’s popularity is so substantial among Republican voters that he chose not to participate in the first GOP presidential debate. He stated he would watch to assess potential running mates. During the debate, candidates were questioned about supporting Trump if he won the nomination but faced convictions for alleged felonies. Among the candidates, only Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie stated they wouldn’t back Trump in that scenario. Hutchinson expressed moral concerns about Trump’s suitability for the presidency, while Christie argued against normalizing his behavior.
