Former President Donald Trump‘s lead among the Republican field has grown despite multiple indictments and investigations, according to a new NBC News poll out Sunday.
According to the poll, Trump’s lead among Republican primary voters grew by five points, from 46 percent in April to 51 percent in May. Trump’s next closest rival is Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who saw his support slip nine points from 31 percent to 22 percent.
Despite the growth in the polls, half of the Republican primary voters say they would pick another leader other than Trump while 6 out of 10 Republicans believe the indictments and investigations Trump faces are politically motivated.
While Trump’s path to the nomination appears to be strong, a bigger concern for Republicans comes in the general election. Nearly all registered voters have concerns about Trump after his indictment on federal criminal charges along with other looming charges.
President Joe Biden leads Trump in a hypothetical rematch 48 percent to 44 percent with 12 percent unsure or undecided.
The poll also finds that 49 percent of Republican voters want Trump to continue as the face of the GOP while 21 percent say it’s time to consider another person as the next generational leader. That is split among DeSantis, Pence, Christie, and other candidates.
Meanwhile, the poll also shows concerns for Biden among general election voters due to his age and mental and physical health to be president. 60 percent are concerned about Biden being re-elected while 58% say they’re concerned about Trump being elected again and serving another four years.
When the hypothetical contest is between Biden and DeSantis, the two men are tied at 47% each.
The President’s approval and disapproval ratings are at 43% approve, 53% disapprove, unchanged from April. That leads to 48% of registered voters prefer Democrats in control of Congress to 46% who want Republicans to have control of the chamber.
The poll was conducted June 16-20 — a week after Trump’s latest indictment on criminal charges for mishandling classified documents.
