Polls show close divide over impeachment, removal
WASHINGTON — Americans are following impeachment proceedings closely and are slightly more likely to approve than disapprove of the inquiry itself. But the public is more closely split over whether President Trump should be removed from office.
Several polls published since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the start of an impeachment inquiry on Sept. 24 show a shift in views from earlier this year as the House of Representatives investigates whether Trump violated his oath of office in asking the government of Ukraine to investigate a political opponent.
Polls find support for impeachment has shifted significantly from earlier this year. The public is now more closely divided after earlier polls showed majority opposition to impeachment.
A Fox News poll conducted Sunday through Tuesday found 51% of Americans now say Trump should be impeached and removed from office, up from 42% who said that in July.
Trump wasted little time deriding the poll and Fox News, which he has accused in recent weeks of going soft in its support of his presidency.
“Whoever their Pollster is, they suck,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
Likewise, a Washington PostSchar School survey conducted in early October shows 58% of Americans are supportive of the decision by Congress to initiate an inquiry, including 49% who say Congress was right to begin an investigation and should also take the next step to remove Trump from office. Earlier this year, Post-ABC polls found less than half saying Congress should begin impeachment proceedings.
And polls show that the shift was closely tied to Pelosi’s announcement of the inquiry. An early October poll from Quinnipiac University finds 45% of voters say Trump should be impeached and removed from office, up from 37% in a poll conducted immediately before that announcement.
Approval of Trump’s overall performance has remained steady, as it has over the course of his presidency. The Quinnipiac poll shows Trump’s approval rating standing at 40%, where it was in its poll conducted just before the inquiry began.