Former President Donald Trump is already being rehabilitated in Republicans' minds.
In the days after hundreds of Trump's supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol building, the outgoing president's approval rating was at an all-time low. Republicans who once indicated they'd support him in 2024 were pulling away. A good fifth of his own party supported impeachment, and even more blamed him for the attack.
But more than a month and an impeachment acquittal later, that has changed, a Morning Consult/Politico poll out Tuesday reveals. While just 42 percent of Republicans said they'd support Trump in a potential 2024 run just days after the riot, 54 percent said this past weekend they'd back him again — the same proportion that supported Trump in the weeks after the 2020 election.
Trump Emerges From Impeachment Trial With Sturdy Backing From GOP Voters https://t.co/fygcXv0eGd via @eyokley pic.twitter.com/A2prSeGot3 — Morning Consult (@MorningConsult) February 16, 2021
Republicans have also shifted the blame for the Capitol riot over the past few weeks. While 47 percent of the GOP said Trump was at least partly responsible for the riot when asked Jan. 6–7, just 27 percent said so when asked Feb. 14–15. Now, 46 percent of those Republican respondents actually blamed President Biden and 58 percent blamed Democrats in Congress. Just 27 percent blamed Republicans in Congress — many of whom had challenged the Jan. 6 electoral college vote certification.
Even before this poll was released, Trump's allies saw his reputation was back on the rise, and were amazed at just how quickly it was happening.
Morning Consult surveyed 1984 registered voters online Feb. 14–15, with a margin of error of two percent. Kathryn Krawczyk
livefreeordont on February 17th, 2021 at 01:33 UTC »
Where was Obama on 9/11? Why wasn’t he in the Oval Office?
sincerityghost on February 17th, 2021 at 00:17 UTC »
Republicans before election: He's senile and borderline dead he can't run the country.
Republicans after election: He orchestrated the largest coup likely in world history in multiple states at the same time. Including states that are traditionally red ones.
Republicans a month later: He created an attempted coup to stop his own inauguration.
We are witnessing peak leaves of logical degradation. I don't think even the Nazi's could post hoc rationalize like this.
AquaFlowlow on February 16th, 2021 at 22:23 UTC »
“If he didn’t beat Trump in the election, none of this would have happened!”