Full Breakdown
Trump Faces Growing Opposition: Base Support for Impeachment and Pushback on Library Funding Cut
4/25/2026, 8:49:16 PM
Rising Impeachment Support Among Trump’s Base
A Strength in Numbers/Verasight poll commissioned by pollster G. Elliot Morris found that 55 % of all respondents favor a House vote to impeach President Donald Trump, while 37 % oppose and 8 % are unsure. Notably, 21 % of Republican voters and the same share of 2024 Trump supporters say they would back impeachment. Among Democrats, support soars to 88 %. Morris highlighted that “one out of every five of the people who put him back in office” now want him removed.
Proposed Elimination of IMLS Funding
In the FY 2027 budget request, the administration asked for a $6 million line item to cover “necessary expenses to carry out (its) closure” of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the federal agency that distributes roughly $292 million annually to libraries and museums. The request follows a similar, rejected FY 2026 proposal.
Background & Context
Trump’s recent conduct—including aggressive rhetoric about Iran, profanity-laden Truth Social tirades, and a self-portrait as a messianic figure—has intensified scrutiny from both his supporters and external stakeholders. Simultaneously, his budget agenda seeks to curtail federal programs he deems expendable, exemplified by the IMLS funding cut.
Key Figures & Groups
- G. Elliot Morris – pollster for Strength in Numbers/Verasight.
- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) – chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies.
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) – ranking member of the Senate subcommittee overseeing IMLS.
- Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) – ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee.
- Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) – chair of the House subcommittee with jurisdiction over IMLS.
- American Library Association (ALA) and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) – cultural-worker unions that settled with the DOJ to protect IMLS.
- EveryLibrary and American Alliance of Museums – advocacy groups defending library and museum funding.
Data & Statistics
- Impeachment poll: 55 % support, 37 % oppose, 8 % unsure.
- Republican support for impeachment: 21 %; Democratic support: 88 %.
- IMLS FY 2027 request: $6 million for closure; FY 2027 baseline funding: $292 million.
Official Statements & Responses
Sen. Capito emphasized her long-standing support for libraries, noting the administration’s proposal “will be reviewed” alongside congressional priorities. Sen. Baldwin called IMLS “an incredibly valuable entity” and pledged to defend it “tooth and nail.” Rep. DeLauro dismissed the budget request as “just neanderthal.” Rep. Aderholt described the process as “member-driven” and signaled a forthcoming review. The DOJ settlement with ALA and AFSCME ensures continued grantmaking, and the department has withdrawn its appeal in a case brought by 21 state attorneys general.
Criticism & Opposition
Library and museum organizations condemned the cut as a “direct threat to the infrastructure that millions rely on.” Sam Helmick of the ALA warned that the proposal shows the administration’s “tone-deafness” to essential public services. The American Alliance of Museums labeled the request “misguided and out of step with the American public and Congress.” Conservative media figures, including Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, have publicly turned against Trump, citing his erratic behavior and foreign-policy gambits.
Why It Matters
The poll indicates a measurable erosion of loyalty among Trump’s base, potentially reshaping the political calculus for a 2027 impeachment vote. Simultaneously, the IMLS funding battle underscores broader tensions over federal support for cultural institutions, with implications for literacy, workforce development, and community health nationwide.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The White House declined comment on the impeachment poll, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services offered no response to the FY 2027 request, leaving official positions on both issues undocumented.
Verbatim Quotes
- “That net +18 verdict puts Trump in the neighborhood of the numbers Richard Nixon saw at the peak of the Watergate scandal in August 1974,” — G. Elliot Morris, pollster
- “I personally have always been a fan of libraries, and it does a lot for local communities,” — Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, U.S. Senator (WV)
- “ The Institute of Museum and Library Services declined to comment on Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget request.” — Sen. Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Senator (WI)
- “I put certain people on the Supreme Court who totally misrepresented who they were, and the true ideology for which they stand!” — Donald Trump, former President
What’s Next
House leaders are expected to schedule impeachment deliberations in early 2027, while the FY 2028 appropriations process will revisit IMLS funding, with bipartisan advocacy groups preparing testimony to influence the outcome.
