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For the First Time Ever, a Majority of Americans Support Impeaching President Trump
Douglas Barclay, PRRI Staff,
10.28.2019

A majority of Americans support the impeachment and removal of President Donald Trump for the first time throughout his presidency.

According to supplemental data from PRRI’s 2019 American Values Survey —which was collected shortly after House Democrats’ announcement of an impeachment inquiry— 51% of Americans said Trump should be impeached and removed, up from 47% who said the same in September, and 30% who said the same in February 2017. Unsurprisingly, support for impeachment among Republicans remains low when compared to other parties. Just 7% of Republicans support impeachment, compared to 88% of Democrats and 49% of independents. In just a few weeks, the number of Democrats who support impeachment has risen from 78% to 88%, helping to tip the scale for a majority of Americans who support impeachment.

Prior to the announcement of an impeachment inquiry, 99% of white evangelical Protestants did not support impeachment, along with 98% of Fox News viewers.

The survey data coincides with a tumultuous time in Washington, amid the ongoing impeachment inquiry brought against Trump. Trump is alleged to have withheld foreign aid to Ukraine as leverage in hopes that they would investigate 2020 presidential candidate(and) former Vice President Joe Biden.

Though Trump’s base may firmly disagree with impeachment proceedings, there is a recent increase in support for impeachment among several subgroups. Nearly four in ten (37%) non-college-educated whites support impeaching Trump and removing him from office, up from 31% in mid-September. This change is driven by non-college-educated white women, 40% of whom favor impeachment, up from 29% in mid-September. Non-college-educated white men have not moved substantially from 32% in mid-September to 35% in mid-October.

Americans who are waiting to see who the Democratic nominee is to determine their vote are split on impeachment. Half (50%) of these voters say Trump should be impeached and removed from office, up from 41%.

Reports indicate that House Democrats had initially hoped for impeachment proceedings to begin in earnest by Thanksgiving. As the inquiry progresses and the scope becomes wider, it appears that the process will take longer and potentially have a greater impact.