A Washington Post–ABC News poll released Friday morning shows a majority of Americans want outgoing and twice-impeached President Donald Trump to face criminal charges for inciting the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol last week, an attack that left five people dead.
According to the new survey, 54% of Americans — including one in eight Republicans — feel that Trump “should be charged with the crime of inciting a riot” for delivering an unhinged speech ahead of the attack urging his supporters to march on Capitol Hill and “show strength.”
“You’ll never take back our country with weakness,” Trump said as Congress prepared to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. “The radical left knows exactly what they were doing. They are ruthless and it’s time that somebody did something about it.”
While Trump earlier this week denied any responsibility for the mob attack and claimed his remarks were “totally appropriate,” the Post-ABC poll found that 57% of Americans believe the lame-duck president bears a “great deal” or a “good amount” of blame for the deadly invasion of the Capitol Building.
The survey also found that 56% of Americans want the Senate to remove Trump and bar him from holding office again in the future.
The poll results come two days after the Democrat-controlled House on Wednesday made Trump the first-ever U.S. president to be impeached twice, approving by a 232-197 vote a resolution charging him with “inciting violence against the government of the United States.”
With Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) refusing to reconvene the Senate early to begin the trial before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has yet to transmit the article of impeachment to the upper chamber, leaving the timeline for the beginning of the conviction proceedings unclear.
“Calling the Senate back into session, convicting Trump, and removing him from office for inciting insurrection can’t wait,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, tweeted Thursday. “Mitch McConnell needs to act now.”
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $120,000 in one-time donations and to add 1383 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
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