A plurality of Americans believe a state appeals court was right to lower former President Donald Trump’s bond in his New York civil fraud case from $454 million to $175 million, according to a new survey conducted exclusively for Newsweek.
A Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey of 4,000 eligible voters across the U.S. in April found that 25 percent of Americans said they “strongly support” the decision by the New York Court of Appeals to cut Trump’s bond to $175 million, with another 19 percent saying they “support” the move.
The ruling by a panel of state appellate division judges came after Trump’s attorney claimed that paying the original bond was a “practical impossibility.” In February, New York Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay $355 million in damages after concluding he had engaged in fraud, with the final figure coming to $454 million once interest was included. Trump has strongly denied any wrongdoing and is appealing the ruling.
Engoron found Trump, his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, and The Trump Organization liable for a scheme in which the value of Trump’s net worth and assets were unlawfully inflated in order to obtain more favorable business deals.
Trump attempted to pay his $175 million bond with financial backing from Knight Specialty Insurance, an insurance company, but it was rejected by a court as it couldn’t confirm the finances of the company’s posting. He was given until Monday to prove he can pay the bond, otherwise New York Attorney General Letitia James could attempt to seize some of Trump’s assets.
In March, Trump became the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee following a string of primary victories, increasing attention on his policies and ongoing legal difficulties. The former president has pleaded not guilty to an array of charges in four distinct criminal cases, which he argues are part of a politically motivated conspiracy against him.
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What The Polling Found
In the survey, 11 percent said they opposed the bond reduction, with another 25 percent “strongly opposed” and 19 percent who “neither support nor oppose” the move. In total, 44 percent of Americans backed the move to reduce the bond against 36 percent who were opposed.
However, in more troubling news for the former president, a slim plurality of Americans said Trump’s “ongoing legal issues” will make his election in November less rather than more likely.
Asked whether they thought Trump’s “ongoing legal issues” make his election as president in November more or less likely, 14 percent said “significantly more likely” with another 15 percent for “more likely” to produce a positive result of 29 percent.
By contrast, 16 percent of respondents said Trump’s legal difficulties would make it “significantly less likely” that he wins a second term, with a further 19 percent saying it would be “less likely,” giving a total negative result of 35 percent. Another 29 percent of those surveyed said “neither more nor less likely,” while 8 percent answered “don’t know.”
Newsweek has contacted representatives of Trump‘s 2024 presidential election campaign for comment by email.
However, Thomas Gift, a political scientist who heads the Centre on US Politics at University College London, told Newsweek the poll is unlikely to have much “predictive value” in terms of what actually happens in November.
He said: “Considerable research from across the behavioral sciences suggest that voters, not to mention elites, often drastically misperceive public opinion. This bias could stem from many factors, including political disengagement, being embedded in unrepresentative social circles, which or exposure to partisan media echo chambers.
“For those reasons, polling on what impact other Americans think Trump’s legal woes will have in November likely has little predictive value.”
In addition to his civil cases Trump is facing four criminal cases over claims he falsified business figures to hide the payment of hush money to an adult film star, mishandled classified documents and broke the law attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election nationwide and in Georgia. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts and strongly denies any wrongdoing.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.