STORY: A new Reuters/Ipsos poll out Thursday found that about half of Republicans say the U.S. needs a strong president who is not unduly restrained by courts or Congress or - in other words - the checks and balances that define American democracy.  

The week-long poll, which closed on Tuesday, is a possible sign of support for Republican frontrunner Donald Trump's pitch that if re-elected he should be able to operate with minimal legal constraints. 

TRUMP: "I'm gonna be a dictator for one day for drilling and for closing the border. And after that, I'm not going to be a dictator."

Here's Reuters Correspondent Jason Lange on the poll results:

"We asked respondents whether they agree with a statement that the U.S. needs is a strong president who can operate with little interference or without too much interference from the courts or Congress. And what we got was, um, a little surprising in that there was a marked difference in how people responded based on what party they identified with. So nearly half of respondents who identified themselves as Republicans said that they agreed with this statement, and only about a quarter of Democrats did so."

Experts told Reuters that such a significant slice of Republicans in favor of a largely unfettered president is worrying.

"One political scientist that I talked to, he thought that this could be a warning sign for the relative, for the strength of US democratic institutions." 

While the poll question did not name Trump, some 47% of respondents who said they would vote for him if the presidential election were held today agreed with the minimal-checks-and-balances statement. 

That contrasts with the 23% of people who agreed with the statement and said they would vote to re-elect Democratic President Joe Biden.   

BIDEN: "Is democracy still America's sacred cause?"

The Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Biden and Trump were neck-and-neck in the race so far, each getting 35% support and the rest saying they were undecided or would vote for someone else or no one at all.  

BIDEN: "He proudly posts on social media the words that best describe his 2024 campaign quote, 'revenge,' quote 'power,' quote 'dictatorship.' There's no confusion about who Trump is.'

Still, Trump's many legal challenges are a key risk for his shot at winning back the presidency, with 49% of independents saying they would not vote for him if he were convicted by a jury, compared to 12% who said they would still back him. 

Conviction could even cost Trump voters from his own party, with 28% of Republican respondents saying they wouldn't support him if he were convicted, compared to 43% who said they would still back him.