59 percent say Trump misled public about election's outcome before Jan. 6: poll

A majority of respondents in a new poll said that they believe former President Trump misled the public about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

Forty-five percent said Trump “definitely” misled the public about the election results ahead of the rioting, while 14 percent say he “probably did,” according to the Politico-Morning Consult survey.

Fifteen percent of Republicans agreed that Trump misled the public about the 2020 election. 

One-third of all respondents said Trump did not mislead the public about the results in the 2020 election, which he has still refused to concede to President Biden a year and a half later. 

Almost 6 in 10 — 59 percent — also said that believe Trump was “very responsible” or “somewhat responsible” for the rioting at the Capitol. 

The new polling comes as the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack is scheduled to hold its seventh public hearing on Tuesday.

The committee has presented witnesses and evidence regarding Trump’s actions leading up to the riot, such as not accepting the election results and calling on protesters to come to Washington on Jan. 6. In its hearing on Tuesday, the panel is expected to focus on extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and their role in the attack. 

Pollsters also found that 52 percent of respondents would cast their ballot for Trump if the 2024 Republican presidential primary was held today, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) coming in second with 21 percent support. 

Trump has teased running for president in 2024 multiple times but has not made an official announcement on the topic. 

The poll surveyed 2,005 U.S. adults from July 8 to July 10. The margin of error is 2 percentage points.