Hunter Biden, accompanied by Jill Biden (left) and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, leaving court in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 10. File Photo.
In Summary:
- Despite Hunter Biden’s conviction on gun charges, most U.S. voters remain unaffected in their voting decisions.
- The verdict marks a first for a sitting president’s child, but opinions on its impact differ from Trump’s recent legal troubles.
Hunter Biden’s ongoing trial on criminal gun charges in Wilmington has garnered significant attention among U.S. voters, yet an overwhelming majority indicate that the outcome will not sway their decisions in the upcoming Nov. 5 election, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Approximately 67% of registered voters surveyed over two days reported being aware of Hunter Biden’s trial, where he was convicted on Monday for misleading authorities about his drug use in purchasing a firearm.
Despite this high awareness, a striking 80% stated that Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict would not influence their likelihood to vote for President Joe Biden, who seeks re-election later this year.
Comparatively, former President Donald Trump’s recent conviction related to attempts to conceal payments to Stormy Daniels had a slightly more pronounced impact on voter sentiment.
Only 61% of respondents indicated that Trump’s conviction would not affect their voting decisions.
Independent voters, a critical demographic for both Biden and Trump, mirrored the broader sentiment, with four out of five stating that Hunter Biden’s conviction would not sway their vote, and three out of five expressing the same about Trump’s legal troubles.
Interestingly, while 16% of registered voters noted that Hunter Biden’s conviction would make them less likely to support his father’s candidacy, a mere 4% claimed it would increase their support.
In contrast, opinions on Trump’s conviction were split, with 24% indicating it would decrease their likelihood of voting for him, and 14% suggesting it could bolster their support.
The online poll, which surveyed 930 registered voters nationwide, carried a margin of error of approximately 3 percentage points.
Trump and Biden currently appear evenly matched in national polls, with Trump maintaining a lead in several crucial battleground states pivotal for the November election.
Trump faces a sentencing hearing scheduled for July and potential incarceration.
Meanwhile, Hunter Biden’s sentencing timeline remains undecided, although it is projected to conclude roughly a month before the presidential election.
Regarding public sentiment on the trials, 57% of those polled believed Hunter Biden should be imprisoned for his offenses, surpassing the 46% who held a similar view of Trump’s legal situation.
Notably, a majority (65%) of respondents deemed Hunter Biden’s trial fair, in contrast to 48% who viewed Trump’s trial as impartial.