The week-long poll, which closed on Tuesday, found Trump’s Republican Party appears divided on where to draw the limits on presidential power that help define American democracy.
Forty-six percent of Republican respondents agreed with a statement that “the country is in a crisis and needs a strong president who should be allowed to rule without too much interference from courts and Congress,” while the same share disagreed. The rest were unsure.
Among Democrats, 25% agreed with the statement, while 64% disagreed and the rest were unsure.
Trump, who is facing dozens of charges for alleged crimes committed during and after his 2017-2021 White House term, is currently arguing in federal court that he should be largely immune to prosecution for actions taken while in office. His lawyer told a panel of judges this week that a president who used commandos to assassinate a political rival could be prosecuted only if he had first been impeached by the House and convicted in the Senate.
While the poll question did not name Trump, some 47% of respondents who said they would vote for him if the presidential election were held today agreed with that statement. Some 23% of people who said they would vote for Biden said they agreed.
To Republicans, it’s just a proxy for asking “Do you want your guy to have more power?” To them, all problems can be solved with more power.
Well, Bidens currently the guy that’ll get the magic wand… So… Maybe not so great?
It was phrased as a hypothetical though, so I get it. Still silly, as eventually the pendulum comes back.