Trump Impeachment Poll: 3-In-4 Americans Want Trump To Testify At Senate Trial

Three in four Americans believe president Donald Trump and his officials should be invited to testify at the ongoing Senate impeachment trial that began Tuesday. In addition, 40 percent of respondents to a new Monmouth University Poll say Trump must be compelled to testify at his own impeachment trial.

Conducted from January 16 to 20, the poll also saw 51 percent of respondents say members of the Trump administration that refused to testify before the House inquiry should be compelled to testify in the Senate trial. Twenty-nine percent say these people should be asked to testify but not necessarily compelled. Only 16 percent say they shouldn't even be asked to appear.

Apart from 40 percent saying Trump himself should be compelled to testify, 36 percent say he should be asked but not compelled. Only 22 percent say Trump shouldn't be asked at all.

The partisan political divide as to whether Trump should be compelled to testify was apparent in the survey. Among Democrats, 64 percent say Trump must be forced to testify. Thirty-nine percent of Independents support this while only 13 percent of Republicans agree to this ever taking place.

The poll says members of the Trump administration should also be compelled to testify. It shows 83 percent of Democrats saying these people should be compelled to testify. Among Independents, this figure stood at 48 percent but was only 21 percent among Republicans.

The first day of the impeachment trial in the Senate saw both political parties argue for and against the presentation of new evidence at the Senate trial. The Monmouth poll shows 57 percent saying the House managers arguing for Trump's removal from office should be able to present new evidence in the Senate trial. A further 37 percent say the managers should be limited to sharing only what was revealed during the impeachment inquiry in the House that lasted from September to December 2019. Support for allowing new evidence was evident among 87 percent of Democrats, 56 percent of Independents, and 24 percent of Republicans.

“Public opinion on allowing new evidence and compelling witness testimony in the Senate trial breaks sharply along partisan lines," said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute. "But it is interesting that solid majorities in every partisan group would like to see Trump and members of his administration at least asked to appear."

The poll reveals 53 percent of Americans approve of the House of Representatives decision to impeach Trump on Dec. 18, 2019 while 46 percent disapprove. The percentage of Americans saying the U.S. Senate should remove Trump comes to 49 percent. On the other hand, 48 percent say Trump shouldn't be removed.

“The process has now moved on to the Senate and there are some new revelations, but public opinion on impeachment and Trump’s overall performance has shifted only slightly,” said Murray.