Donald Trump should be impeached and removed from office, 51% of Americans say in a new poll. But that may not be the number in the ABC News/Ipsos poll that should most worry Trump.
Trump was wrong to demand that a foreign leader investigate Trump’s political rivals, say 70% of the people polled. Just one in four people say Trump did nothing wrong. (That would be the contingent that wouldn’t think it was wrong if Trump shot someone on Fifth Avenue.) That leaves 19% of people who think Trump did something wrong but don’t—yet—support impeachment and removal.
That’s why maybe the most important numbers are these: 58%, 21%, 60%. The first, 58%, is how many people are currently following the impeachment hearings somewhat or very closely. The second, 21%, is how many people made up their minds about impeachment after the first two days of public hearings. And the third, 60%, is how many of that 21% decided that Trump should be impeached and removed from office. With the impeachment hearings moving people toward thinking Trump should be removed from office, look forward to Republicans ratcheting up their efforts to depress viewership.