Former President Donald Trump is already being rehabilitated in Republicans' minds.
In the days after hundreds of Trump's supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol building, the outgoing president's approval rating was at an all-time low. Republicans who once indicated they'd support him in 2024 were pulling away. A good fifth of his own party supported impeachment, and even more blamed him for the attack.
But more than a month and an impeachment acquittal later, that has changed, a Morning Consult/Politico poll out Tuesday reveals. While just 42 percent of Republicans said they'd support Trump in a potential 2024 run just days after the riot, 54 percent said this past weekend they'd back him again — the same proportion that supported Trump in the weeks after the 2020 election.
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Republicans have also shifted the blame for the Capitol riot over the past few weeks. While 47 percent of the GOP said Trump was at least partly responsible for the riot when asked Jan. 6–7, just 27 percent said so when asked Feb. 14–15. Now, 46 percent of those Republican respondents actually blamed President Biden and 58 percent blamed Democrats in Congress. Just 27 percent blamed Republicans in Congress — many of whom had challenged the Jan. 6 electoral college vote certification.
Even before this poll was released, Trump's allies saw his reputation was back on the rise, and were amazed at just how quickly it was happening.
Morning Consult surveyed 1984 registered voters online Feb. 14–15, with a margin of error of two percent.
