Poll Finds Majority of Americans See President Trump as Focused on the Nation, Despite Attacks from Critics
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An AP-NORC poll released in September shows that Americans are sharply divided over President Trump, with 56% saying he focuses a lot on his business interests, while Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to view his actions as ethical and in the nation's interest.
A new AP-NORC poll of 2,140 adults conducted Sept. 24-28 indicates that a majority of U.S. adults think President Trump has placed a strong emphasis on his personal business interests since returning to office. About 56% say he has focused "a lot" on his own enterprises, while roughly the same share (54%) say his friends and family have benefited.
Only about one-quarter of respondents say the president has prioritized the country "a lot" and just 10% say he has focused "a lot" on ordinary Americans. The perception varies sharply by party affiliation, revealing once again how intensely political opinions shape reactions to President Trump. Roughly half of Republicans believe the president has emphasized the nation, whereas only about 25% of them say he has emphasized his own business interests. By contrast, about 80% of Democrats think he has acted illegally, and a similar share view his conduct as unethical.
"He's not putting the country first," said Oscar Delgado, a 50-year-old Democrat from Lansing, Michigan, who voted for President Trump in 2024 but now accuses him of "turning greedy."
"His family has probably benefited, but I don't think he has," said Audra Pelsue, a 52-year-old Republican from Syracuse, New York, adding that critics suffer from "Trump derangement syndrome."
The White House has repeatedly denied that President Trump or his family profit from the office, asserting that he has no conflicts of interest. Nonetheless, the poll notes that President Trump reported more than $1 billion in revenue from new cryptocurrency ventures after loosening industry regulations, and the Trump Organization has completed eight foreign real-estate deals in the first year of his term, many involving authoritarian regimes.
The survey, which used NORC’s AmeriSpeak Panel and carries a margin of error of ±2.9 points, reflects the deep partisan divide over President Trump’s financial conduct and the broader debate over how his business background intersects with governance.