Prison inmates cheer on felon Trump as he battles prosecutor Harris: survey
Donald Trump has built up a massive support network among a part of society that can't help him at the ballot box, according to a new report.
The November election has been framed as a contest between a prosecutor, Kamala Harris, and a convicted felon — and a pair of surveys conducted by The Marshall Project show other felons are cheering him on.
The research shows 60 percent of white inmates support Trump, though just 30 percent of Black respondents backed the former president — who was himself convicted of felonies during the hush money trial earlier this year, reported Slate.
“I’d say there is a majority of open support for Trump within the inmate population here, especially among the whites,” wrote Enrique Banda-Garcia, a Trump supporter who is incarcerated in Washington State Penitentiary. “And yes, we understand that Republicans are very tough on criminals and even tougher on us during our incarceration, nevertheless, Trump remains very popular here.”
More than 54,000 people in 785 prisons and jails in 45 states and the District of Columbia responded to the survey, which was conducted along with two tablet providers to prisons and jails, Edovo and Pay Tel. It found 35 percent of respondents identified as independents, while 22 percent leaned Republican and 18 percent are Democrats.
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Incarcerated respondents were more inclined than those outside prison to be lenient toward Trump's convictions for falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Only about a third of respondents said he should be sentenced to prison — though some thought it would be an experience he should get.
“Donald Trump needs to see with his own eyes what normal people suffer here in prison, and how unjust is all the laws and the prison system,” one respondent wrote.
A significant number of incarcerated Republicans, roughly 73 percent, said Trump should make good on his pledge to be a dictator on Day One of his presidency, nearly the same share as the 74 percent of Republicans on the outside who agree.