59% of Americans say Trump is using his office for personal gain

Donald Trump remains deeply unpopular, with less than 40% of Americans approving of how he's handling his job as president — as has been the case for 10 consecutive Economist / YouGov Polls. This week's poll finds that 37% strongly or somewhat approve of Trump's job handling and 57% disapprove, for a net job approval of -21.

Trump's net approval has been below -20 for four consecutive Economist / YouGov Polls. His average net approval over the past three weeks is -22, near the record low for his second term set last week.

Several questions in this week's Economist / YouGov Poll shed light on Americans' disapproval of Trump. About half (53%) of Americans say that America's standing in the world has worsened since Trump became president again in 2025. That's double the share who say that America's standing has improved (26%).

Most Democrats (90%) and a majority (57%) of Independents say that America's standing has worsened since Trump took office in 2025. In contrast, a majority (62%) of Republicans say it has improved and only 13% say it has worsened. Among Republicans, there is a divide between those who say they are MAGA supporters and those who say they are not. While three-quarters (76%) of MAGA Republicans say the U.S.'s standing has improved in Trump's second term, only 29% of non-MAGA Republicans say the same. In fact, more non-MAGA Republicans say America's standing has worsened since Trump retook office than say it has improved (39% vs. 29%).

Many Americans also say that Trump has been self-serving during his presidency. A majority (59%) think that Trump is using his office for personal gain. Only 30% think he is not. The share of Americans who say Trump is using the presidency for his own benefit has grown since the Economist / YouGov Poll last asked this question in November 2025. At that point, 56% thought he was using his office for personal gain and 32% thought he was not.

Almost all Democrats (93%) and nearly two-thirds (64%) of Independents say Trump is using his office for personal gain. In contrast, over two-thirds of Republicans (71%) say he is not while only 19% say he is. MAGA Republicans overwhelmingly say that Trump is not using his office for personal gain (82% vs. 11% who say he is), but non-MAGA Republicans are about evenly split (41% vs. 44%).

One example of the ways that Trump's presidency could personally benefit him is a $10 billion lawsuit he brought against the IRS after an unauthorized leak of his tax returns. The attorney general, appointed by Trump, is in charge of the IRS's defense in the lawsuit. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Americans say the IRS should not pay Trump $10 billion. Only 19% say it should. Majorities of Democrats (92%), Independents (68%), and Republicans who do not identify as MAGA supporters (59%) say the IRS should not pay Trump. In contrast, a majority of MAGA Republicans (58%) say the IRS should pay $10 billion to Trump; 23% say it shouldn't.

Image: Getty

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