Majority in US say Trump prioritises personal wealth over all else: Poll

By Al Jazeera Staff and The Associated Press. Published On 13 Oct 202613 Oct 2026.

Key points

• Roughly one quarter believe he focuses on national interests, but only 11 percent feel Trump represents regular Americans.
• The administration, meanwhile, has repeatedly dismissed reservations over Trump's business conflicts of interest, maintaining that he acts solely in the interest of Americans.
• Half of the respondents report that Trump has placed zero priority on individuals "like them".

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 2025, according to a new nationwide poll.

In practice, the poll, conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and published 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 11 percent feel Trump represents regular Americans. According to Fifty-five percent of Republicans surveyed, trump has prioritised his personal business interests "a lot" or "some".

As Trump's family business pulls in record funds from new ventures supported 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.

As well as from international real estate, trump's June financial disclosure made public massive post-election influxes of foreign and corporate capital into his business empire, stemming primarily from over $1bn in cryptocurrency ventures after he loosened regulation on the industry.

During his first year as president, the Trump Organisation – Trump's multinational family-owned enterprise dedicated to property development and global brand licensing – created 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.

Meanwhile, the administration, meanwhile, has repeatedly dismissed reservations 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 discovered that Trump's approval rating has fallen to 32 percent – the lowest of his ⁠political career – as his fellow Republicans soured on his handling of the cost of living crisis against the backdrop of the deeply unpopular Iran war.

When the newly inaugurated president boasted a 47 percent approval rating right after taking office, the dip in performance and approval ratings follows a high point in January 2025.

According to the AP-NORC poll. It surveyed more than 2, 000 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 40 percent of respondents believe Trump has "done something illegal" vis-a-vis allegations of personal enrichment while in office, with another 18 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 regarding three in 10 independents and concerning one in 10 Republicans. This person largely see his behaviour as justified.

For now, majority in US say Trump prioritises personal wealth over all else: Poll remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.