More than half of Americans believe US President Donald Trump is placing his personal wealth ahead of the country’s interests, while roughly six in 10 think he is profiting from the presidency in ways they consider illegal or unethical, a new poll has found.
According to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 56% of US adults believe Trump has placed “a lot” of emphasis on his personal business interests since returning to the White House.
By comparison, only about one-quarter said he had given the same level of attention to the interests of the country as a whole, while roughly one in 10 said he had focused heavily on people like them.
The survey also found that around 60% of Americans believe Trump is either illegally profiting from his presidency or engaging in unethical behavior that does not necessarily break the law.
About 40% said they believe he is doing something illegal, while approximately 20% considered his conduct unethical but not illegal. Only about one-fifth said he was doing nothing wrong.
“His wealth increases,” said Barbara Thaxton, an 87-year-old independent voter from Florida. “But the people in the country are just barely getting by.”
The findings come as Trump’s family business expands into new ventures, including cryptocurrency and overseas real estate deals, raising renewed questions about potential conflicts of interest between his private financial activities and his public responsibilities.
Trump has relaxed restrictions on his family’s overseas business activities that were in place during his first term and launched several cryptocurrency ventures since returning to office.
In a financial disclosure filed in June, the president reported receiving more than $1 billion from new cryptocurrency businesses, according to the report.
One major venture received a $500 million investment from a United Arab Emirates business linked to the country’s royal family after Trump’s election victory.
The Trump Organization has also pursued eight foreign real estate deals during the first year of his presidency, including projects in countries where governments exert considerable influence over private business.
The White House has repeatedly rejected allegations that Trump or his family are improperly benefiting from his position, maintaining that the president has no conflicts of interest and acts in the country’s best interests.
Trump himself dismissed concerns about potential conflicts early in his second term, telling The New York Times that he had “found out that nobody cared.”
Oscar Delgado, a 50-year-old Michigan factory worker who voted for Trump in 2024, said he had hoped the president would improve conditions in the country but now believes personal enrichment has become a priority.
“He’s not putting the country first,” Delgado said. “I wanted a change, but I didn’t expect this change.”
Sharp partisan divisions over Trump’s conduct
Opinions differ considerably along party lines. Around eight in 10 Democrats believe Trump has done something illegal, compared with roughly three in 10 independents and one in 10 Republicans.
Most Republicans either believe Trump has done nothing wrong or say they lack enough information to make a judgment.
Republican voter Audra Pelsue, 52, argued that criticism of Trump’s family overlooked similar controversies involving political opponents.
“His family has probably benefited, but I don’t think he has,” said Pelsue, who lives in Syracuse, New York.
Other Republicans maintain that Trump continues to prioritize national interests. John Bartus, a 67-year-old part-time supermarket worker from Idaho, pointed to the president’s decision to donate his $400,000 annual salary.
However, the poll suggests that even among Republicans, concern about whether Trump is sufficiently attentive to ordinary Americans remains.
Only about one-quarter of Republican respondents said he had focused “a lot” on people like them.
For Lisa Fernandez, a 57-year-old retired teacher from Texas, the issue goes beyond whether the president has violated any laws.
“He’s exploiting it for his own needs and his family and making a profit off the people who he is supposed to be serving,” she said. “His whole reason for being is to enrich himself and take what he can take without consequences.”
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