Public split on whether Trump should face prison time for hush money conviction

The country is evenly divided on whether former President Donald Trump should serve prison time for his felony conviction in the New York hush money case, according to a new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Half of the survey respondents think Trump should not be sentenced to time in prison, while 48% think he should, according to the poll. Opinions are heavily split along partisan lines, with 78% of Democrats in favor of the former president spending time in prison and 86% of Republicans opposed.

When it comes to the conviction itself, 46% approve and 27% disapprove. These figures have remained relatively stable since June, when 48% approved and 29% disapproved.

The public is also about evenly split on whether Trump received fair treatment from the judge, jury, and prosecution. Most Democrats think the former president was treated fairly, while most Republicans disagree.

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Trump was originally scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday after being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in May, but his sentencing was delayed until September after the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity last week. The former president could face up to four years in prison, although legal experts have said it’s unlikely he will spend time behind bars given his status as a first-time offender.

Most people have heard or read about Trump’s conviction in recent weeks, according to the poll. Democratic respondents were the most likely group to have paid attention to the conviction at 81%, compared to 76% of Republicans, 68% of independents, and 77% of the overall population.