Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Iowa State Fair on August 12. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Former President Trump's broad support among Republicans has grown with the news of his latest indictment, according to polls.
Why it matters: Even as the GOP prepares to kickoff its primary debates this week, Trump's GOP rivals have failed to gain national momentum and many have been reluctant to criticize the former president, who faces 91 criminal counts.
In Iowa, Trump enjoys a more than 20-point lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis among likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers, according to an NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll released Monday.
- The poll — conducted Aug. 13-17 — echoed a new CBS News/YouGov poll published Sunday, which showed 62% of likely GOP primary voters support Trump while 16% support DeSantis.
- 77% of likely GOP primary voters believe Trump's indictment in the Georgia case is politically motivated, according to the CBS News/YouGov, which was conducted Aug. 16-18.
Zoom in: Interviews conducted from Aug. 13-14 for the NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll showed Trump beating DeSantis by 18 percentage points, 38% to 20%.
- However, survey interviews for the poll that were conducted after the Aug. 14 indictment in Georgia showed Trump's lead widen to 25 percentage points, 43% to 18%.
The big picture: Other polls highlight the stark partisan divides governing Americans' views of Trump, and the difficulty Trump faces in getting some Independent voters to side with him.
- 85% of Republicans think Trump should not be prosecuted, while 95% of Democrats and 57% of Independents believe he should be, according to a national polling report from Quinnipiac University published last week but conducted before the Georgia indictment came down.
- An AP/Norc poll released last week found that 16% of Republicans approved of the DOJ indictment over Jan. 6 compared to 85% of Democrats and 47% of Independents.
Zoom out: Several major GOP donors still hope to lure another alternative to Trump to enter the 2024 Republican primary race.
- Meanwhile, Trump and 18 co-defendants have until Aug. 25 to voluntarily surrender in the Georgia case.