A majority of Americans say they oppose calls for congress to launch impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump in the wake of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether the president sought to interfere with the probe.

Currently 37 per cent of Americans favour starting the process that could lead to impeachment, a slight dip over the past month, while 56 per cent say they oppose the idea, about the same as a month ago, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

House Democrats are grappling with the question of how to proceed in the light of Mueller’s findings and the public release of the redacted report, which detailed multiple examples of potential obstruction of justice.

The new survey highlights the dilemma faced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leaders in her caucus: while party leaders have sought to play down impeachment talk, worried that engaging in such a process would backfire in the 2020 elections, their political base supports it.

Roughly 6 in 10 Democrats say they support the initiation of such an investigation in the House, with 53 per cent saying they hold that view strongly.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

Meanwhile, nearly 9 in 10 Republicans oppose impeachment, with 78 per cent strongly opposed.

About 6 in 10 independents are against impeachment now and independents are more opposed today than they were when measured in a January poll – a sign of the potential political danger for Democrats as they seek to win back key centrist voters in their goal of beating Trump next year.

House Democratic leaders have said they will pursue various investigations, including possible obstruction of justice by the president, although they have so far stopped short of embracing the idea of impeachment itself.

But some Democratic presidential candidates say the Mueller report justifies pursuing such proceedings and are urging house leaders to move ahead.

Trump has repeatedly denounced the investigation, both as it was taking place and since, calling the entire matter a “witch hunt” and allegations of collusion a “hoax”.

The president’s credibility is called into question by a majority of Americans, with 58 per cent saying they believed he has lied to the public about matters under investigation by the special counsel.

One in three say they believe he has told the truth.

Overall, however, the survey found that partisan allegiance colours the views of Americans about what the Mueller report found, what it means and what should be done as a result.

But on one question there was agreement across the political spectrum.

Mr Mueller receives positive marks from both Democrats and Republicans, with 53 per cent of Democrats, 56 per cent of Republicans and 51 per cent of independents saying they believed the report was fair and even-handed.

Fewer than three in 10 of any partisan group says the report was not fair.

That marks a significant shift in attitudes since January, when barely one-fifth of Republicans (22 per cent) thought Mr Mueller’s report would be fair while 62 per cent of Democrats had confidence in the special counsel to issue an evenhanded report.

US attorney general William Barr says there was no collusion between Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election

Mr Mueller’s report said the investigation did not establish that there was a conspiracy among Trump campaign officials to work with the Russians to sabotage the 2016 election, though there were many contacts between campaign associates and Russians with ties to the government detailed in the report.

On the question of obstruction, the report cited a series of examples in which Mr Trump appeared to seek to interfere with Mueller’s investigation, but Mueller said he believed Department of Justice policy that says the president cannot be indicted in office also meant he should draw no conclusion as to whether the president committed a crime.

For that reason, investigations did not offer a conclusion as to whether the president’s actions constituted obstruction.

Attorney General William Barr declared that the findings did not justify a criminal charge of obstruction.

The evidence of interference presented in the report has spurred Democrats to push for documents, hearings and testimony from some current or former Trump administration officials, which is seen as a prelude to possible impeachment proceedings.

Mr Trump said earlier this week he opposes such testimony and will fight any subpoenas issued by house Democrats, setting up a lengthy legal clash and a standoff between the executive and legislative branches.

The president has declared “total exoneration” by the Mueller report, despite the clear statement in the report that investigators did not reach that conclusion.

Asked their view of whether the report cleared Mr Trump of all wrongdoing, 53 per cent of Americans say it did not while 31 per cent say it did.

Among Republicans, 61 per cent say they believe Mueller’s investigation cleared Mr Trump of all wrongdoing, while 87 per cent of Democrats say it did not.

On the question of whether Trump did or did not try to obstruct Mr Mueller’s probe, 47 per cent say he did try to interfere while 41 per cent say he did not.

This finding masks lopsided opinions among partisans.

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Roughly eight in 10 Democrats say Trump tried to interfere with the investigation in a way that amounts to obstruction of justice while almost eight in 10 Republicans say he didn’t do this.

In the current Post-ABC poll, Mr Trump’s overall approval rating stands at 39 per cent, a statistically insignificant change from January when it was 37 per cent.

Among registered voters, his approval rating is 42 per cent. His disapproval rating among all adults (and among registered voters) is at 54 per cent, down slightly from 58 per cent in January.

At the time of the earlier survey, Trump and congressional Democrats were in a dispute over funding for a border wall, which had led to a partial shutdown of the government.

A 58 per cent majority of Americans say the Mueller report has not changed their impression of the Trump administration.

Among those whose views have changed, 23 per cent say they view the administration more negatively while 11 per cent view it more positively.

Slightly more than one in three Americans say the Mueller investigation makes them less likely to support Trump’s re-election in 2020, while 14 per cent say they are more likely and a plurality of 46 per cent say the findings are not a factor in their choice for the next election.

Not surprisingly, the biggest block of those who say they are more likely to oppose Trump for re-election is among Democrats.

The survey found a clear partisan split on the question of whether, based on the Mueller report and other available information, the Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election undermine the legitimacy of the outcome.

Overall, 49 per cent say it did not rise to that level while 42 per cent said the Russian role undermined the election’s legitimacy.

Roughly seven in 10 Democrats say it did while about eight in 10 Republicans said it did not.

Looking forward, 76 per cent of Democrats say possible Russian interference represents a threat – either major or not so major – to the legitimacy of the 2020 election while 61 per cent of Republicans said it does not.

Support for impeachment is higher among Americans under the age of 40 than among those older.

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It is highest among African Americans, 69 per cent of whom say they favour it.

The strongest opposition comes from white evangelical Christians, white men without college degrees, white mainline Protestants and white Catholics. Support is higher in the northeast and the west than it is in the south and midwest of the US.

The poll was conducted by telephone from 22-25 April among a random national sample of 1,001 adults, with 65 per cent reached on cellphones and 35 per cent on landlines.

Overall results have a 3.5-percentage-point margin of sampling error for the full sample.