Trump enriching himself poll: 66% of Americans believe he uses presidency for personal gain
A new Washington Post-ABC poll has found 66% of Americans believe Donald Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself. His approval rating in the same poll stands at 33%, a new low ahead of November's midterm elections.
Trump enriching himself poll: 66% of Americans believe he uses presidency for personal gain
Most Americans see self-enrichment
The Washington Post-ABC poll, the trump enriching himself poll making headlines ahead of the midterms, asked Americans directly whether the president is profiting from office. Two-thirds answered yes.
- 66% believe Donald Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself
- 34% of Republicans share the view
Approval at 33% before the midterms
The same survey put Trump's approval rating at 33%, a new low with the midterm elections due in November. His response has been a campaign blitz: Trump was due to appear in Kansas on Monday on behalf of Roger Marshall, an embattled Republican incumbent senator, with back-to-back events planned in North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, Georgia and Michigan over the coming days.
Economy judged worst since 1986
The economy weighs heavily in the numbers. When Trump returned to power in January 2025 he promised a "new golden age" for the US economy, but nearly half of respondents say their own finances have gone the other way.
- 48% said they were financially worse off than when Trump returned to office
- According to the Washington Post, that is the highest percentage saying this about any president in the poll series since 1986
- 75% rate economic conditions as either "not so good" or "poor"
- 37% trust Democrats more on the economy, against 28% who trust Republicans
Press freedom and election doubts
Scepticism extends to institutions. Two-thirds of those surveyed, 67%, said Trump is not committed to protecting freedom of the press. The finding follows a protracted battle to ban CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House grounds; a federal judge has since issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the ban.
On democratic norms, 61% of Americans said Trump is not committed to free and fair elections, up five percentage points from October 2025. The Department of Justice sued California after the state declined to supply citizenship status information for about 20,000 people it claimed were non-citizens; the justice department did not explain how it created the list of names.
