Public support for Trump conviction at all-time high, poll finds

Public support for Donald Trump’​s removal from office is the highest it has ever been, according to a new poll.

Fifty-five per cent of those asked said they were in favour of the US president’s conviction by the Senate, a figure which has shot up from 48 per cent the week before.

Meanwhile, the number of people against Mr Trump’s removal has dropped to an all-time low, according to the MSN poll.

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On Christmas Day, 40 per cent were opposed to the Senate voting to convict the president, who has been impeached over his dealings with Ukraine and an alleged subsequent attempt to obstruct congress.

The gap between the two views has become much wider since last week, when there was little to divide them (48 per cent in favour of Mr Trump’s removal, 47 per cent against).

Shape Created with Sketch. Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Show all 29 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves 1/29 Trump styles his 'You're fired!' pose in his Trump Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice Diane Bondareff/Invision/AP 2/29 He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition Getty 3/29 Early signs of Trump's ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book 'Time to get tough: Making America #1 again' Getty 4/29 Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and Trump are good friends Getty 5/29 Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011 Getty 6/29 Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women's group Getty 7/29 Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg Getty 8/29 Given that this Trump store is in the lobby of Trump Tower, it can be said that Trump sells merchandise of himself out of his own home Getty 9/29 Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin Getty 10/29 He didn't end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney AFP/Getty 11/29 Trump's golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn't install turbines off the shore by his new course Getty 12/29 He even gave evidence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy AFP/Getty 13/29 He still found time for a round of course AFP/Getty 14/29 On 16 June 2015, Trump announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican Getty 15/29 His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016 Getty 16/29 Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October Getty 17/29 Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016 AFP/Getty 18/29 Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect Trump swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters Getty 19/29 News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that Trump's victory spelled AFP/Getty 20/29 Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November. Obama had fiercely denounced Trump during the election campaign, at one point even swearing that he would not leave the White House if Trump won AFP/Getty 21/29 Donald Trump and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Trump Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with Trump after the election LeaveEUOffical/Twitter 22/29 The inauguration of Donald Trump took place on 20 January 2017. Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the 'largest ever' to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true Getty 23/29 In his first 100 days as leader, Trump signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president AFP/Getty 24/29 One of Trump's most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall Getty 25/29 Trump's meetings with other world leaders have provided no short supply of photo opportunities Getty 26/29 Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour Reuters 27/29 Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019 EPA 28/29 One of the most significant meetings Trump has held with another leader was with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea Getty 29/29 2020 will see president Trump fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring? Getty 1/29 Trump styles his 'You're fired!' pose in his Trump Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice Diane Bondareff/Invision/AP 2/29 He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition Getty 3/29 Early signs of Trump's ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book 'Time to get tough: Making America #1 again' Getty 4/29 Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and Trump are good friends Getty 5/29 Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011 Getty 6/29 Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women's group Getty 7/29 Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg Getty 8/29 Given that this Trump store is in the lobby of Trump Tower, it can be said that Trump sells merchandise of himself out of his own home Getty 9/29 Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin Getty 10/29 He didn't end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney AFP/Getty 11/29 Trump's golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn't install turbines off the shore by his new course Getty 12/29 He even gave evidence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy AFP/Getty 13/29 He still found time for a round of course AFP/Getty 14/29 On 16 June 2015, Trump announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican Getty 15/29 His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016 Getty 16/29 Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October Getty 17/29 Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016 AFP/Getty 18/29 Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect Trump swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters Getty 19/29 News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that Trump's victory spelled AFP/Getty 20/29 Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November. Obama had fiercely denounced Trump during the election campaign, at one point even swearing that he would not leave the White House if Trump won AFP/Getty 21/29 Donald Trump and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Trump Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with Trump after the election LeaveEUOffical/Twitter 22/29 The inauguration of Donald Trump took place on 20 January 2017. Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the 'largest ever' to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true Getty 23/29 In his first 100 days as leader, Trump signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president AFP/Getty 24/29 One of Trump's most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall Getty 25/29 Trump's meetings with other world leaders have provided no short supply of photo opportunities Getty 26/29 Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour Reuters 27/29 Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019 EPA 28/29 One of the most significant meetings Trump has held with another leader was with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea Getty 29/29 2020 will see president Trump fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring? Getty

The percentage of respondents who neither supported nor opposed conviction also grew.

David Rothschild, an economist at Microsoft Research, said the numbers of people shifting from opposition to removal to “don’t know” was significant. “When you follow polling daily, you learn people rarely make big jumps from Opposition to Support,” he said.

“This polling is a clear sign that [the] Republican policy of complete obstruction is not selling well to [the] voting public.”

Republicans and Democrats have disagreed over how the Senate should conduct the trial into the US president. Mr Trump is accused of asking a political favour from Ukraine – to investigate his 2020 rival Joe Biden – in return for aid and a state visit to the White House.

Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, has not yet sent the impeachment case to the Republican-controlled Senate given the strong likelihood that the upper house would find in Mr Trump’s favour.

The party leaders of the Senate have clashed over the trial’s witnesses, after Republican Mitch McConnell said he would not allow top White House officials to testify in line with Democrat requests.