Poll: Most Michigan voters think Trump broke the law by taking classified documents

Former president accused of taking classified documents from White House

FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) (Mary Altaffer, Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

DETROIT – A majority of Michigan voters say they think former President Donald Trump broke the law by taking classified documents from the White House, according to a new WDIV/Detroit News poll.

Results from a survey of Michigan voters conducted between Sept. 26-29 found that most voters believe Trump did not have the right to take classified documents with him when he left the White House.

Recommended Videos



Related: Archives: Records from Trump White House staffers remain missing

Here are some of the key findings from this portion of the survey:

Trump taking classified documents

  • When asked if they believe Trump broke the law by taking classified documents, or if they believe he had a right to take the documents, most Michigan voters (54.5%) said Trump broke the law.
  • 21.9% of Michigan voters said they believe Trump had the right to take classified documents with him when he left the White House.
  • 20.3% of voters were undecided on the issue.
  • 97.3% of voters who identify as strong Democrats and 88.3% of leaning Democrats said Trump broke the law.
  • 51.3% of Independent voters said Trump broke the law.
  • 51.3% of voters who identify as strong Republicans and 33.8% of leaning Republicans said Trump had the right.

Trump’s favorability

  • Donald Trump has a low favorability rating among Michigan voters -- a number that remains largely unchanged over the last month.
  • 52.2% of Michigan voters view Trump unfavorably, while 33.9% view him favorably.
  • 37.6% of Michigan voters said Trump’s endorsement of a candidate would make them less likely to vote for the candidate. 49.8% of voters said Trump’s endorsement wouldn’t matter to them, and 11.3% of voters said Trump’s endorsement would make them more likely to support a candidate.

Methodology

The Glengariff Group, Inc. conducted a Michigan statewide survey of November 2022 likely general election voters. The 600 sample, live operator telephone survey was conducted on September 26-29, 2022, and has a margin of error of +/-4.0% with a 95% level of confidence. 25.9% of respondents were contacted via landline telephone. 74.1% of respondents were contacted via cell phone telephone. This survey was commissioned by WDIV Local 4 News and the Detroit News.


More: Poll: Where Michigan voters stand on governor race 1 month before election


About the Author

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.

Recommended Videos