Washington: Donald Trump’s lead over his Republican primary rivals widened in a poll conducted after his fourth indictment, showing the kind of support that’s prompting him to deride this week’s GOP debate.

The CBS News/YouGov poll of likely Republican primary voters found 62 per cent support for the former president and 16 per cent for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, his closest competitor in the race for the GOP nomination, who declined 7 percentage points from a CBS poll in June. Trump polled 61 per cent in the earlier survey.

Donald Trump. Credit: Reuters

Trump’s support among his base has held up throughout his growing legal entanglements, most recently a 19-person indictment in Atlanta that charges him and top aides with seeking to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. Asked about the latest indictment, 77 per cent in the CBS poll said they view it as “politically motivated”.

Part of Trump’s campaign strategy has been to deprive his competitors of attention. He has repeatedly questioned the point of participating in the first Republican primary debate on Wednesday, citing his polling lead. He swiftly touted Sunday’s poll on his Truth Social platform, including its headline asserting that “GOP voters dismiss indictments”.