Daniel Wolfram
Trump dismissed ethics concerns by claiming “nobody cared,” but a new survey reveals 56% of Americans believe he cares more about his private wealth than working families.
A new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reveals that about six in ten Americans believe Donald Trump is profiting from his office through illegal or unethical conduct.
Only about two in ten believe he has done nothing wrong.
This poll comes as Trump has amassed a staggering increase in wealth during his nearly two years as president for the second time.
Follow the money
The data highlights widespread skepticism among the 2,140 people asked in this survey.
More than half of adults, 56 percent, say Trump focuses heavily on his own private wealth, while barely 10 percent believe he pays strong attention to regular working people.
“His wealth increases,” said Barbara Thaxton, an 87-year-old independent retiree from Florida, to the AP, “but the people in the country are just barely getting by.”
No more conflicts of interest
Trump has dismissed conflicts of interest and ended self-imposed bans on trading all throughout his second term, telling The New York Times, “I found out that nobody cared.”
Financial disclosures show that Trump has raked in over $1 billion in crypto revenue while entering into eight foreign real estate partnerships during his first year back.
The White House keeps denying that Trump is using the presidency to profit and insists that he works solely for the nation. Trump is also fond out pointing out that he has not yet accepted a presidential salary.
Even so, former supporters feel let down. “He’s not putting the country first,” said Oscar Delgado, a Michigan factory worker who voted for Trump in 2024. “I wanted a change, but I didn’t expect this change.”
A divided nation
Views remain split across party lines. Roughly eight in ten Democrats say Trump has broken the law, compared to only one in ten Republicans.
Many conservatives defend the president. Republican Audra Pelsue from New York dismissed the backlash, saying, “His family has probably benefited, but I don’t think he has,” before adding, “It’s Trump derangement syndrome.”
Others see a darker motive. Lisa Fernandez, a retired teacher from Texas, accused him of abusing his position, warning that “his whole reason for being is to enrich himself and take what he can take without consequences.”
