Jun 22, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Democrats, Republicans united in opposition to presidential self-pardons

Michael Sykes

President Trump speaking with mayors — President Trump meeting with mayors across the country. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

The majority of Americans on both sides of the political spectrum agree that presidents should not be able to pardon themselves, and if they do, most think they should be impeached, according to a new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.

The big picture: Earlier this month, President Trump said he has the "absolute right" to pardon himself, and had his legal team write a memo to confirm as much.

By the numbers:

85% of Americans surveyed think presidential self-pardons when charged with a crime are "unacceptable," while 13% said they are "acceptable."
Just below that, 76% believe Congress should take steps to remove a president from office if they did so, while 20% they should not.
Splitting party lines, 75% of Republicans think a president shouldn't self-pardon if criminally charged, and 56% believe that president should be impeached. More than 90% of Democrats agree.

Go deeper: Reactions to Trump's self-pardon tweets.

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Democrats, Republicans united in opposition to presidential self-pardons

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