A majority of US adults say President Trump and his family have inappropriately profited from presidency.
Published On ۱۳ Oct ۲۰۲۶
Most US adults believe President Donald Trump has placed his personal financial interests and those of his inner circle ahead of the country’s since returning to the White House in ۲۰۲۵, according to a new nationwide poll.
The poll, conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and released on Tuesday, suggests that public perception of the Republican president leans heavily critical: Over half of surveyed adults view Trump’s second term as self-serving by investing in his own business and commercial pursuits “a lot”. Roughly one quarter believe he focuses on national interests, but only ۱۱ percent feel Trump represents regular Americans. Fifty-five percent of Republicans surveyed said that Trump has prioritised his personal business interests “a lot” or “some”.
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Half of the respondents report that Trump has placed zero priority on people “like them”.
As Trump’s family business pulls in record funds from new ventures helped by his policies, the poll results suggest that most US adults think growing his own finances has been the north star of Trump’s presidency, at least to some extent.
Trump’s June financial disclosure revealed massive post-election influxes of foreign and corporate capital into his business empire, stemming primarily from over $۱bn in cryptocurrency ventures after he loosened regulation on the industry, as well as from international real estate.
During his first year as president, the Trump Organisation – Trump’s multinational family-owned enterprise dedicated to property development and global brand licensing – made eight real estate deals with authoritarian or one-party foreign states. Some speculate these countries were highly motivated to maintain favourable relations with the US to keep Trump happy on fronts like trade tariffs, military protection and private business dealings.
The administration, meanwhile, has repeatedly dismissed concerns over Trump’s business conflicts of interest, maintaining that he acts solely in the interest of Americans.
In late September, a separate Reuters/Ipsos poll found that Trump’s approval rating has fallen to ۳۲ percent – the lowest of his political career – as his fellow Republicans soured on his handling of the cost of living crisis amid the deeply unpopular Iran war.
The dip in performance and approval ratings follows a high point in January ۲۰۲۵, when the newly inaugurated president boasted a ۴۷ percent approval rating right after taking office.
According to the AP-NORC poll, which surveyed more than ۲,۰۰۰ US adults in late September, general sentiment around the administration’s ethical conduct is highly polarised, with far more citizens feeling that the president has neither prioritised the country as a whole nor everyday Americans.
Just over ۴۰ percent of respondents believe Trump has “done something illegal” vis-a-vis allegations of personal enrichment while in office, with another ۱۸ percent viewing his financial dealings as “unethical but not illegal”.
Opinions surrounding the lawfulness of the president’s financial practices split sharply along party lines, with Democrats overwhelmingly viewing the actions as illegal, compared with about three in ۱۰ independents and about one in ۱۰ Republicans, who largely see his behaviour as justified.
