Democrats Want Harsh Punishment for Trump

Nearly half of American voters think former President Donald Trump is guilty of attempting to overturn the 2020 election, and Democrats in particular want to see Trump punished. Additionally, many support criminal punishment for members of the media who alleged that fraud tainted the 2020 outcome.

A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and The Heartland Institute finds that 47% of likely U.S. voters believe Trump is guilty of crimes associated with an alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election, while 41% don’t think Trump is guilty and 13% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Trump is scheduled to stand trial in March 2024 for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, a case prosecuted by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Seventy-two percent (72%) of Democrats believe Trump is guilty of crimes in the case, as do 20% of Republicans and 45% of voters not affiliated with either major party.

If Trump is found guilty of crimes for attempting to overturn the 2020 election, 34% of all likely voters believe his punishment should be a fine, while 44% want the former president sentenced to prison, including seven percent (7%) who want him imprisoned for life. Three percent (3%) would exile Trump from the country, two percent (2%) think he should get the death penalty. Another 18% are not sure.

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The survey of 1,085 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on November 30-December 6, 2023 by Rasmussen Reports and The Heartland Institute. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Eighteen percent (18%) of Democrats support the harshest punishments for Trump, with 12% saying he should get life in prison if found guilty, four percent (4%) wanting him to be exiled and two percent (2%) in favor of the death penalty.

“If we needed any more evidence of the political left’s troubling descent into authoritarianism, this poll provides it in spades," said Jack McPherrin, research editor and a research fellow for The Heartland Institute. "The number of Americans – especially Democrats – who already presume Trump’s guilt is already highly concerning. And, if he’s found guilty, more than three-quarters of Democrats believe he should be banned from public office, with approximately one-fifth opting to jail him for life, put him permanently in exile, or execute him."

Forty-eight percent (48%) of all likely voters say that, if Trump is found guilty of crimes associated with attempting to overturn the 2020 election, members of the media who also alleged that fraud tainted the election results should also be criminally punished. Thirty-three percent (33%) disagree and 19% are not sure. Among voters who think the media members who cast doubt on the 2020 election should be punished, 32% believe the punishment should be a fine, 23% support banning them from public speaking, 16% want them sent to prison, while 18% say they should get both a prison sentence and a ban on public speaking.

Among other findings of the Rasmussen Reports/Heartland Institute survey:

– Fifty-four percent (54%) of likely voters say if Trump is found guilty of crimes associated with attempting to overturn the 2020 election, he should be banned from running from public office again. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Democrats, 29% of Republicans and 54% of unaffiliated voters favor banning Trump from office if he is convicted.

 – Forty-three percent (43%) of white voters, 53% of black voters, 47% of Hispanic voters, and 67% of other minorities believe Trump is guilty of crimes associated with an alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Forty-nine percent (49%) of white voters, 63% of black voters, 65% of Hispanic voters, and 64% of other minorities believe that if Trump is found guilty, he should be banned from running from public office again.

– Breaking down the electorate by income categories, those in the highest bracket – earning more than $200,000 a year – are most likely to think Trump is guilty of crimes in trying to overturn the 2020 election.

– President Joe Biden’s strongest supporters are most in favor of banning Trump from politics. Among voters who strongly approve of Biden’s job performance as president, 89% say that if Trump is found guilty of crimes associated with attempting to overturn the 2020 election, he should be banned from running from public office again. By contrast, among those who Strongly Disapprove of Biden’s performance, 76% oppose banning Trump from running again.

– Among Democrats, 57% favor criminal punishment for media members who have claimed fraud tainted the 2020 election. 

“Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are integral to an open society,” said Chris Talgo, Editorial Director at The Heartland Institute. “Incredibly, almost one in two self-identified Democrats believe that anyone in the media who raised concerns about the veracity of the previous presidential election should be punished through a ban on public speaking, prison time, or a combination of both. This is quite distressing and reflective of the increasing aversion to freedom of speech that is becoming all too common throughout our education system and society at large.”

More that 20% of voters who used mail-in ballots in 2020 admit they participated in at least one form of election fraud.

Less than a quarter of voters believe Congress is doing anything to make their lives better.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to the public as well as to Platinum Members.

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