Half of Americans said they think President Trump should be impeached and removed from office, according to a CNN survey released on Tuesday that marks a new high in polling on the issue.

In the poll, 50% said Mr. Trump should be impeached and removed from office, compared to 43% who said they didn’t think so. That’s up from a 47%-45% split from last month.

Nearly nine-in-10 Democrats said they favor impeachment, as do 50% of independents. But just 6% of Republicans said they support impeaching and removing the president, lower than the 14% who said so last month.

Still, more people (43% to 39%) now say Mr. Trump did not use the presidency improperly in his interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to gain an advantage against a potential 2020 political opponent.

That shift included a 16-point increase among Republicans, from 71% to 87%, who said Mr. Trump didn’t improperly use his office.

Congress is investigating whether Mr. Trump abused his authority when he suggested in July that Mr. Zelensky investigate former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

More people now think both parties are either supporting or opposing impeachment because they want to attack or defend the president at all costs, according to the poll.

Forty-two percent said they think most Democrats in Congress support impeaching Mr. Trump because they are out to get the president at all costs, compared to 48% who said it’s because Democrats think the president committed impeachable offenses.

That’s a change from the 38%-49% split from last month.

And 50% believe most Republicans in Congress oppose impeachment because they’re out to protect the president at all costs, compared to 40% who said it’s because Republicans don’t think he committed impeachable offenses.

That’s a change from a 42%-43% split from last month.

A plurality, 49% to 43%, said they disapprove of how Democrats in Congress are handling impeachment.

A majority, 57% to 30%, said they disapprove of how Republicans in Congress are handling impeachment.

Mr. Trump’s overall approval rating was 41% in the poll, compared to 57% who said they disapprove. That’s about in line with a 39%-55% split from last month.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who announced last month that the House was formalizing its impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump, saw an increase in her favorability rating.

Forty-four percent said they have a favorable view of Mrs. Pelosi — her highest mark since April 2007 — compared to 46% who reported an unfavorable view.

That shift is largely due to an increase among independents. In May, 32% of independents had a favorable view of Mrs. Pelosi, compared to 42% now.

The national survey of 1,003 adults was taken from Oct. 17-20 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

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