Whether you see it as a “witch hunt” or not, a majority of likely voters do not believe that former President Donald Trump will get a “fair” hearing in the “hush money” trial opening in New York on Monday.
Just hours before opening arguments were set to begin in the case featuring former porn star and dancer Stormy Daniels, Rasmussen Reports shared with Secrets its finding that 51% do not believe Trump will get a “fair trial.” Among those, 31% said that a fair trial is “not at all likely.”
Just 42% see a fair trial as likely, according to Rasmussen.
Trump spent the past week decrying the trial and the trial judge. Jurors were picked last week.
New York is seen as a hostile environment for Trump, even though it is where he made his billions in real estate. In the past, jurors, prosecutors, and even judges have criticized the former president.
Trump has seized on that and efforts by judges in New York-based cases to stop him from speaking. He has brushed aside many of those gag orders to make daily statements and claims that he is the target of “witch hunts” by allies of President Joe Biden, his rival in the 2024 presidential election.
A majority of likely voters agree.
In addition to asking about the chances of getting a fair trial in the coming weeks, Rasmussen also asked voters if they believed that Trump was being persecuted.
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By a margin of 54%-40%, most voters agree with Trump that he is the target of a “witch hunt.” The partisan divide was sharp, though the poll weighs Democrats heavier than Republicans: 35% to 33%.
Of note in the new survey is the opinion of Hispanics that Trump is not getting a fair shake. For example, 63% of Hispanics said that they do not expect Trump will get a fair hearing, and 67% called it a “politically motivated witch hunt.”
