Most voters want verdict on Trump election subversion charges before Election Day: Poll

Former President Trump’s legal drama over his role in attempting to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election is weighing heavily on voters as they prepare to cast their ballots this year, according to a new survey.

Federal prosecutors have charged Trump with four felonies related to the 2020 vote, but he has argued he has immunity from criminal prosecution during his time as president.

A CNN poll released Monday and conducted by independent firm SSRS found that 48 percent of respondents said it is “essential” that a verdict be reached by Election Day, and another 16 percent that they’d prefer to know the outcome of the case ahead of Nov. 5.

President Biden is running for a second term, while Trump is seeking a 2020 rematch. Trump is the clear front-runner for the GOP nomination, despite his ongoing legal issues. The two candidates have been neck and neck in hypothetical match-ups.

The judge overseeing Trump’s federal interference case has put off a March 4 trial date, as an appeals court weighs his claims of immunity.

Special federal prosecutor Jack Smith had previously asked the Supreme Court to immediately take on the issue, leapfrogging the appeals panel, but the request was denied.

Among those surveyed in the CNN/SSRS poll who said they want a verdict in the election subversion case, just 35 percent said they trust the Supreme Court on election-related cases.

Forty-two percent of respondents said they have a great deal or a moderate amount of trust in the Supreme Court to make the right decisions on potential cases related to the 2024 election.

More than 4 in 5 people surveyed said they think that the candidate who loses after states have certified their results “has an obligation to accept the results and concede.”

Trump has refused to publicly concede his 2020 loss to Biden. Instead, he’s engaged in several failed lawsuits challenging outcome in key states. Just a quarter of Americans said in the CNN poll that they think Trump will accept defeat if he loses to Biden again in November.

Three-quarters of Americans think that if Trump wins his second election bid, he will try to pardon himself for any federal crimes.

The survey was conducted among 1,212 adults from Jan. 25-30; its margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.