Most Americans believe Donald Trump is not being treated equally as other criminal defendants in the legal system — but are evenly split about whether the former president is being treated "more harshly" or "more leniently," a new poll has found.
The CNN survey released Thursday shows that 34% believe Trump is being treated "more leniently" than others in the legal system and 34% think he is being treated "more harshly" than others.
Only 13% of those surveyed believe Trump is being treated "about the same as most other criminal defendants," while 19% say they "haven't heard enough to say."
Trump is currently on trial in criminal court in New York City regarding hush-money payments made weeks before the 2016 presidential election to former porn star Stormy Daniels allegedly made to buy her silence about an alleged sexual affair they had years earlier.
Asked about the trial, 33% of Americans say the payments were illegal, another 33% said they were "unethical, not illegal," and 12% say they are "not wrong at all."
Slightly more than a fifth of those quizzed, 21%, say they aren't so sure.
The poll, conducted between April 18-23, days after jury selection began on April 15, also showed that a majority (56%) are "not too confident" or "not at all confident" that the jury will be able to reach a fair verdict.
Forty-four percent say they are "very confident" or "somewhat confident" the jury will be able to render a fair verdict.
A majority of those who support Trump over President Joe Biden in the 2024 election say they will remain in his corner regardless of the verdict.
But 24% said a conviction might make them reconsider their support.
