Quick Hit:

A recent AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll reveals that the majority of Americans do not believe former President Donald Trump broke the law his hush money case. The poll also indicates a general skepticism about the fairness of the prosecutors, judge, and jurors involved in the case.

Key Details:

• Only about one-third of U.S. adults believe Trump committed an illegal act in the hush money case. 35% think Trump acted illegally, 31% see his actions as unethical but not illegal, and 14% believe he did nothing wrong.
• Only 31% are confident that Trump is being treated fairly by the prosecution, and about 20% trust the fairness of jurors and judges.
• Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt described the trial as "political persecution" and claimed it is part of a strategy to undermine Trump politically.

Diving Deeper:

The first criminal trial facing a former president is also the one Trump case in which Americans are least convinced committed a crime, according to a new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. Only about one-third of U.S. adults say Trump did something illegal in the hush money case for which jury selection began Monday, while close to half think he did something illegal in the other three criminal cases pending against him.

Trump enters a rematch with President Joe Biden as the first presumptive nominee of a major party — and the first former president — to be under indictment. A verdict is expected in roughly six weeks, well before the Republican National Convention, at which he will accept the GOP nomination. Trump has made the prosecutions against him a centerpiece of his campaign and argued without evidence that Biden, a Democrat, engineered the cases.

However, a cloud of doubt hangs over all the proceedings. Only about 3 in 10 Americans feel that any of the prosecutors who have brought charges against Trump are treating the former president fairly. And only about 2 in 10 Americans are extremely or very confident that the judges and jurors in the cases against him can be fair and impartial.