Nearly two-thirds of Americans think Trump acted illegally—boosting him in GOP primary

Nearly two-thirds of Americans think Donald Trump is criminal, including 53% who say he intentionally violated the law and another 11% who believe he did so unintentionally.

To no one’s surprise, the new ABC News/Ipsos survey also found large partisan disparities, with 87% of Democrats saying Trump intentionally did something illegal and 57% of independents agreeing, while just 19% of Republicans think Trump intentionally violated the law.

The poll also showed public opinion modestly increasing against Trump since news of the charges first broke on March 30, and the 34 counts were revealed on April 3. As of April 1, 50% of the public said the charges against Trump were either very or somewhat serious, while 52% believe that now.

But the poll found meaningful movement among independents, with the number who said the charges against Trump are very or somewhat serious increasing 11 points since April 1, from 43% then to 54% now.

While the charges have likely done little to improve Trump’s chances in a general election, they appear to be helping his quest to win the GOP nomination, though it’s perhaps too early to say decisively. Civiqs tracking of Trump’s favorable ratings shows Trump’s standing improving slightly among both Republicans and independents since he announced on March 19 that he expected to be arrested.