How Did Trump's Arrest and Debate Absence Impact His Poll Numbers?

After skipping the first Republican debate and having his mugshot taken while being arrested on election fraud charges in Georgia, how is former president and 2024 GOP frontrunner Donald Trump doing in the polls? 

Details: A survey from Emerson College Polling found that Trump’s support among Republican voters dropped from 56% to 50% after he skipped the debate, with roughly a third of those polled stating that Trump skipping the debate made them less likely to vote for him. Meanwhile, a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll of Georgia voters found that Trump’s arraignment last week did not hurt his favorability in the state. He remains at 57% support among Georgia Republicans. Across all voters, the arraignment did hurt Trump’s approval rating. A POLITICO Magazine/Ipsos poll found that 51% of voters believe Trump is guilty of election subversion, including 53% of Independent voters. Additionally, 59% of voters believe Trump is being treated fairly by the Department of Justice, which is behind two of the indictments he is facing. 64% of Independents stated they believe Trump is being treated fairly. 

Key Quotes: Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, stated, “There appears to be a softening of support for Trump since last week’s survey, where 82% of Trump voters said they would definitely support him, compared to 71% after the debate.”

How the Media Covered It: Coverage of Trump’s approval rating is divided, with different conclusions drawn based on which polls outlets are citing.