Poll after poll shows voters across party lines reject Trump’s self-dealing as families pay the price
WASHINGTON, D.C. — When asked about profiting off the presidency in January, President Trump told the New York Times, “I found out that nobody cared. I’m allowed to.” Americans have a response to Trump’s corruption: they see it, they reject it, and they are demanding accountability. While working families struggle with rising costs, Donald Trump has turned the presidency into his family’s most profitable business, using public power to enrich himself, his family, and his loyalists.
National polling released in the final weeks before Election Day makes the public’s view unmistakable. Voters rank government corruption among their top concerns, believe Trump puts his own interests ahead of the country, and connect his self-dealing directly to the costs hitting their budgets. That alarm crosses party lines, with Republicans, independents, and even Trump’s own voters rejecting this administration’s corruption.
What the polls are saying:
Corruption ranks at the top of voters’ concerns
- Corruption tops the list, alongside grocery prices. In the CNBC All-America Economic Survey (Oct. 14-18), 36% of registered voters named government corruption as their top issue, narrowly ahead of food costs at 34%, with protecting democracy and gas prices each at 23%.
- Six in 10 voters are extremely concerned. The Fox News Poll (Oct. 9-12) found government corruption led all voter concerns, with 60% extremely concerned, ahead of inflation (58%) and gas prices (50%).
- Perceived corruption is at a record high. According to Gallup (May 1-June 10), a record 89% of Americans say government corruption is widespread, the highest level in 20 years and a 10-point jump from last year.
Americans see a president cashing in on the presidency
- Most Americans say Trump is profiting unethically or illegally. In the AP-NORC poll (Sept. 24-28), about 6 in 10 adults believe Trump is either illegally profiting from the presidency or behaving unethically, while only about 2 in 10 think he is doing nothing wrong.
- His businesses come first, and working families come last. The same AP-NORC poll found 56% say Trump has put “a lot” of emphasis on his personal businesses, while only about one-quarter say the same of the country as a whole and roughly 1 in 10 say so of people like them.
- Voters say his business deals drive his decisions. The Reuters/Ipsos poll (Aug. 14-17) found 63% say it was inappropriate for Trump and his family to profit from cryptocurrency, and 69% believe his private business interests are influencing his presidential decisions.
- “Corrupt” is the word voters choose. In the Economist/YouGov poll (Sept. 11-14), “corrupt” was the word voters most often chose to describe Trump, at 53%.
Voters connect Trump’s corruption to the cost of living
- Concern about self-dealing runs high as budgets shrink. The Financial Times/Focaldata poll (Oct. 16-18) found 69% of registered voters are concerned about corruption, self-dealing, or conflicts of interest in the Trump administration. Nearly half say corruption has been a bigger problem in Trump’s second term than under previous administrations. Meanwhile, 56% say they are worse off financially since Trump took office, and more than a quarter have cut back on essentials like groceries or health care.
- Voters see corruption and high prices as twin concerns. The Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll (Oct. 13-19) places corruption alongside high prices as voters’ most serious concern heading into Election Day. Misusing taxpayer money ranks among the forms of corruption that worry voters most (35%), and nearly a third say a moral leader is one who does not use public office for personal gain.
The outrage crosses party lines
- Republicans and independents share the concern. In Gallup’s survey, 90% of independents and 83% of Republicans say corruption is widespread in government. Reuters/Ipsos found half of Republicans believe Trump lets his business interests influence his decisions.
- Even Trump’s own voters are worried. Almost half of Trump’s 2024 voters surveyed by the Financial Times said they are very or somewhat concerned about corruption in his administration.
- Voters overwhelmingly support reform. Ninety-three percent of voters told CNBC that elected officials, including the president and members of Congress, should not be allowed to own or trade stocks in companies with federal contracts.