America Divided: Republicans say Mar-a-Lago raid was abuse of power, 84% of Democrats approve

Almost half of registered voters approved of the FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s luxury estate on Monday, according to a new poll.  

The poll, conducted by Politico and Morning Consult and released Thursday, found that 49% of voters surveyed “strongly” or “somewhat” approved of the FBI’s search, while 37% “strongly” or “somewhat” disapproved.

There was a clear partisan bias in the divide – 84% of Democratic voters approved of the FBI’s decision to search Mar-a-Lago, compared to just 15% of Republicans. A little under half of independents approved as well (47%).

Similar divides were seen when respondents were asked about the details of the raid. 63% of Republicans considered the FBI’s decision to conduct a search warrant on Trump’s Florida home to be an abuse of power that should be investigated, while only 24% of Democrats and 35% of independents believed the same, according to the survey.

69% of Republican respondents said they believe the search was politically motivated, compared to only 11% of Democrats. 81% of Democratic respondents said the FBI conducted the raid primarily due to evidence that Trump committed a crime – a claim only 16% of Republicans agreed with.

However, a clear majority of voters told pollsters that they believed Trump “definitely” or “probably” broke the law during his presidency (58%).

But the poll showed support for the embattled former president remains strong despite the recent search on his Florida home. 39% of voters – including 71% of Republicans – said Trump should run for president in 2024. Only 28% of those polled – including 53% of Democrats – said the same of Biden.

There was also a notable enthusiasm gap in Millennials on the two party standard bearers. 46% of those born between 1981 and 1996 said Trump should run a third time, with 33% saying he “definitely” should. 29% of Millennials felt Biden should run again, with only 16% saying he “definitely” should.

Trump also trounced his potential rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a hypothetical GOP primary. 58% of Republican voters in the survey said they would back the former President, with DeSantis only pulling 16%.