Majority of voters ready for Republican Party to move on from Trump, CNN poll finds
Trump's approval rating has fallen to 34%, an all-time low for a CNN poll conducted by independent firm SSRS
With only three days left under the Trump presidency, a new poll shows that Americans are ready for the GOP to put President Donald Trump in the rearview mirror.
In a CNN poll facilitated by SSRS, an independent research agency, 77% of participants in a telephone survey said they would like to see the Republican Party ditch Trump as its leader while just 19% would like to see him remain. Among Republicans, however, the spread is tight with 48% wanting him to move on and 47% wanting him to stay as the face of the party.
The poll also disclosed new insight into how Americans view Trump on the job. Trump’s approval rating, which was taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 14, came in at a CNN poll all-time low of 34%, while 62% disapproved. The favorability rating for the Republican Party fell to 32%, a 9-point fall since before the election, CNN reports.
The dip in these ratings come in the aftermath of the siege on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building by thousands of Trump supporters. Prior to that, Trump’s approval rating clocked in at 42% approval and 55% disapproval ratings in a similar poll conducted by SSRS back in October.
READ MORE: Trump tells aides not to pay Giuliani’s legal fees following Capitol riots
The desire to disassociate from Trump has been reflected by a number of elected members of his own party since the attack on Capitol Hill as congressional members and senators met to certify President-elect Joe Biden‘s election victory. Last week, Congress moved to impeach the 45th president for a second time within the span of 13 months, charging him for incitement of an insurrection.
According to NPR, 10 GOP representatives joined Democrats in voting to impeach Trump impeached for the second time, compared to zero House Republicans that supported his 2019 impeachment.
READ MORE: Trump reportedly acknowledges some blame in deadly Capitol riot
One of those members was Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina, a state that Trump won in November’s presidential election, claiming 59% of the popular vote. Rice said, despite his longtime support of Trump, the Capitol riots were a step too far.
“I have backed this President through thick and thin for four years,” Rice said in a statement defending his vote. “I campaigned for him and voted for him twice. But, this utter failure is inexcusable.”
The impeachment stems from Trump’s rhetoric during his Jan. 6 rally in front of the White House, in which he told a crowd of his supporters that he wanted to try to overturn the election results on the day the electoral college votes were to be certified.
“We’re going to the Capitol,” Trump said during his rally.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
