Support for Impeachment

Support for Impeachment Has Nearly Doubled Among Independents

A slim majority of Americans want to impeach, censure, or investigate the president.

NATHALIE BAPTISTE

A small majority of Americans are now in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump, censuring him, or continuing investigations into his actions, according to a new poll. And among key group, political independents, support for impeachment has nearly doubled in the past month.

In April, when asked what Congress should do with the findings of the Mueller report, only 14 percent of independents believed that legislators should begin the impeachment process. But the latest Marist/NPR/PBS News Hour poll shows that 23 percent of independent voters support impeaching the president.

The shift in opinion came after Robert Mueller made a rare public statement about his findings in the inquiry into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election. Since the investigation began and even after the Mueller report was finally released, Trump has been claiming exoneration. But in his statement to the press, Mueller reiterated that if he had been confident the president did not commit a crime, the report would have made that explicit. 

“Case is closed!” Trump tweeted after Mueller’s press conference last month. But to the 52 percent of Americans who now support impeachment, censure, or continued investigations, the case is anything but.