6 in 10 Americans Think Trump Should Be Charged for Capitol Riots, Believe Jan. 6 Investigation Is Fair: Poll

A new poll conducted by ABC News and Ipsos suggests that public opinion has slightly shifted against Donald Trump since the Jan. 6 committee hearings began

Riots at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images

Nearly six in 10 Americans believe former President Donald Trump should be criminally charged for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.

According to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll, 58% of the nation now supports charging Trump, who helped incite the mob that breached the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop Joe Biden from becoming president.

That percentage is up from a similar ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted in late April — before the Jan. 6 committee began hosting public hearings on its investigation — that revealed 52% of Americans wanted to see Trump charged.

New responses are divided mostly on party lines — 91% of Democrats surveyed believe he should be charged with a crime, compared to 19% of Republicans who feel the same way.

The most recent poll was taken after the third hearing, which detailed how Trump turned his supporters against then-Vice President Mike Pence, making him a target during the riots.

"Approximately 40 feet. That's all there was, 40 feet between the vice president and the mob," Rep. Pete Aguilar, a member of the committee, said in the session last week. "Make no mistake about the fact that the vice president's life was in danger."

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty

The new poll also determined that 60% of Americans believe the Jan. 6 committee has conducted a "fair and impartial" investigation thus far, up from 40% who responded that way before the hearings. (In the previous poll, 20% had no opinion on the issue. Now, only 2% have no opinion.)

While the results are again divided mostly on party lines (85% of Democrats and 31% of Republicans believe the committee is acting fairly), less than one in 10 Americans say they have been following the hearings "very closely," ABC News reports.

The next public hearing is scheduled to begin Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET. Committee members are expected to demonstrate that Trump pressured top officials in Georgia and Arizona to overturn the 2020 election results so that he could remain in office.