A majority of U.S. adults believe President Donald Trump has put his own financial interests and those of his inner circle ahead of the national interest since returning to the White House in 2025, according to a newly released nationwide survey.
The poll, conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and released on Tuesday, shows public perceptions of the Republican president tilting sharply toward criticism. More than half of respondents described Trump's second term as self-serving, saying he has devoted substantial attention to his business and commercial ventures. About a quarter said he has focused on the national interest, but only 11% felt Trump represents ordinary Americans. Among Republicans surveyed, 55% said Trump has prioritized his personal business interests either "a lot" or "somewhat."
Half of respondents said Trump gives no priority at all to people "like them."
The findings come as Trump's family business pulls in record sums from new ventures, partly aided by his own policies, suggesting that a majority of U.S. adults see the accumulation of personal wealth as, at least to some degree, a guiding force of his presidency.
Trump's financial disclosure filed in June showed a sharp influx of foreign and corporate money into his business empire after the election. The revenue flowed chiefly from cryptocurrency ventures worth more than $1 billion after he loosened regulations on the industry, along with international real estate activity.
During his first year in office, the Trump Organization — the family-owned multinational real estate development and global branding company — completed eight real estate deals with authoritarian or one-party states. Some observers argue those countries have strong incentives to maintain favorable relations with the United States to stay in Trump's good graces on matters such as trade tariffs, military protection and private business dealings.
The administration, meanwhile, has repeatedly rejected concerns about conflicts of interest in Trump's business dealings, insisting he acts only in the interests of the American people.
In late September, a separate Reuters/Ipsos survey put Trump's approval rating at 32% — the lowest of his political career — as Republican voters grew dissatisfied with his handling of the cost-of-living crisis amid strong opposition to the war in Iran.
The slump in performance and approval follows a January 2025 peak, when the newly inaugurated president stood at 47%.
According to the AP-NORC survey, conducted with more than 2,000 U.S. adults in late September, overall perceptions of the administration's ethics are deeply polarized, with many citizens saying the president prioritizes neither the country as a whole nor everyday Americans.
Just over 40% of respondents said they believe Trump has "done something illegal" in connection with allegations of self-enrichment while in office, while another 18% regarded his financial dealings as "unethical but not illegal."
Views on the legality of the president's financial activities split sharply along partisan lines: Democrats overwhelmingly see the actions as illegal, compared with about three in ten independents and roughly one in ten Republicans, who largely view his conduct as legitimate.
