A YouGov poll released this week gauged Americans’ views of Hunter Biden’s sentence (his 2018 felony conviction in connection with his handgun purchase). Roughly two-thirds of Americans approve of the sentence, while fewer than one in 10 disapprove. Among Republicans, perhaps predictably, more than three-quarters approve of the sentence and a roughly equal number of respondents disapprove.
Among Democrats? Six in 10 support it, and one in 10 oppose it. The president’s son being convicted on three federal charges is considered fine by his party.
A YouGov poll conducted this month measuring opinions on convicting Trump showed a decline in Americans overall who support the sentence, with the gap between support and opposition at 13 points. The gap on Hunter Biden’s sentence was 57 points, largely because fewer people expressed an opinion. Now, on to more recent, less publicized rulings.
Democrats were slightly less likely to say they would support a Trump conviction than Republicans were to say they would support a Hunter Biden conviction, but Republicans were much less likely to say they would support a Trump conviction than Democrats were to say they would support a Hunter Biden conviction.
Similar discrepancies emerged when YouGov asked about the men’s criminal histories. A new poll found that three-quarters of Americans, including two-thirds of Democrats, believe Hunter Biden probably or definitely committed a crime at some point in his life — a logical conclusion, given both his substance abuse record and the criminal convictions he has admitted to.
Fewer Americans seem to say Trump has ever committed a crime. That’s mainly because Republicans are much less likely to say he has. Even though a jury has convicted Trump on criminal charges — not to mention his other indictments, impeachment, past investigations and recent civil lawsuit losses — only 1 in 8 Republicans say Trump has definitely committed a crime in his life.
Of course, there are many reasons why the two convictions are not entirely comparable. Democrats may not have been as optimistic if it had been President Biden, not his son, who was convicted. This is especially true if Trump had been president. Had Biden been convicted of federal crimes under the Trump Justice Department, there would likely have been more skepticism from Biden’s party.
Trump’s sentence was also met with disapproval from Republicans for similar reasons: The former president claimed, without any credible evidence, that the Biden administration was the driving force behind his prosecution and conviction, and he also spent years deliberately undermining everyone involved in the investigation of his conduct, from judges to lawmakers to the FBI.
Both cases had one thing in common: Supporters of Trump and Hunter Biden argued that the charges were excessive and arose from each defendant’s position. Trump’s charges, like those of Hunter Biden, were portrayed as unusual or unusual. Biden’s charges were also sometimes portrayed as politically motivated, as they were the result of Republican pressure on special counsel David Weiss.
Despite this, or perhaps because they are unfamiliar with the allegations in Hunter Biden’s case, Democrats are finding him guilty. Republicans are not finding Trump guilty. In about five months, Republicans may vote to send Trump back to the White House and make clear their opposition to his conviction.
