Court of public opinion: Most Americans now believe Trump did falsify hush money records

As Donald Trump's New York hush money trial continues into its fifth week, recent polling shows that – despite the best efforts of a parade of Republican opportunists decrying the trial as a sham – most Americans believe the former president falsified records to cover up his alleged payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

A new Yahoo News/YouGov survey, released on Tuesday, shows that while most Americans – 52 percent – believe Mr Trump paidoff Ms Daniels, fewer than half, 40 percent, believe the crime warranted an indictment and a trial.

The poll includes data showing that Americans' attitudes about the trial have shifted over time. In April 2023, only around 45 percent of Americans believed Mr Trump falsified records, and approximately 30 percent believed the alleged crime was serious enough to warrant the proceedings.

All of those numbers spiked in the weeks since the trial began.

The polling results indicate Republican leaders trying to cast the trial as a Democrat-led witch hunt are failing to turn the tide of public opinion against the Justice Department.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday the trial was intended to keep Mr Trump from campaigning for re-election.

“This is the fifth week that President Trump has been in court for this sham of a trial,” he said.

“The conviction or acquittal — either way, the American people see this as a sham, and rightfully so,” Senator JD Vance told Fox News on Tuesday.

The numbers don’t reflect their sentiment. Only 37 percent of respondents disapprove of the trial — the only polling number that has remained fairly consistent since April of last year.

Respondents who say Mr Trump did not falsify records or did so but did not commit a crime in doing so account for