WASHINGTON: A majority of Americans believe President Donald Trump is not committed to protecting freedom of speech, ensuring a fair criminal justice system or preserving free and fair elections, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.
Despite Trump’s efforts to portray himself as a champion of freedom of speech and an opponent of a weaponized justice system, he has failed to convince most Americans of his dedication to those principles, the poll shows.
The Democratic Party, however, has only a modest edge on these same issues, the poll found. That finding points to a potential problem for Democratic efforts to make an issue of Trump’s attacks on long-standing norms in the justice system.
The poll also found a widespread belief that Trump is going too far in trying to expand the powers of the presidency, with nearly two-thirds of Americans saying so. A 58 percent majority say he is going too far in targeting his political opponents.
Americans by a large margin also oppose the idea of Trump receiving a large payment from the government to compensate him for federal investigations into his conduct. In 2023 and 2024, Trump filed claims demanding a total of $230 million in compensation and, more recently, suggested that he could direct the Justice Department to pay those claims.
About 1 in 5 American say they would support such a payment, while 63 percent opposed it, including 53 percent who say they strongly oppose the idea. Democrats and independents heavily oppose the idea, while Republicans are mixed, with 48 percent in favor, 31 percent opposed and 16 percent not sure.
The poll, conducted between Oct 24 and 28, found that Trump remains fairly unpopular, with 41 percent of Americans approving of the job he is doing and 59 percent disapproving. Self-identified Republicans continue to heavily support him — 86 percent approve of his job — while 95 percent of Democrats disapprove.
A similar partisan divide appears on questions about Trump’s commitment to a fair justice system and free and fair elections.
Overall, 43 percent of American adults believe Trump is committed to free and fair elections, while 56 percent disagree. Ninety-one percent of self-identified Democrats think Trump is not committed, while 87 percent of self-identified Republicans believe he is, the poll found. Self-identified independents break against Trump on that question, with 65 percent saying he is not committed to free and fair elections, while 32 percent say he is. The breakdown is almost identical on the question of his commitment to a fair justice system.
Most Americans also doubt Trump’s commitment to protecting freedom of the press. By contrast, more than 7 in 10 believe he is committed to preserving the freedom to own firearms. The Democratic Party overall draws more positive marks than Trump on several of these issues, albeit with narrow majorities. About 53 percent of Americans believe the party is committed to freedom of speech, compared with 45 percent who disagree, for instance. Just over half — 51 percent — think the party is devoted to free and fair elections, while 47 percent disagree.
By 60 percent to 37 percent, however, the public does not believe Democrats are committed to protecting the freedom to own guns. Since retaking the White House earlier this year, Trump and his administration have focused intently on taking aim at his perceived opponents. Trump has issued executive orders seeking to sanction law firms that employed his foes, pushed the Justice Department to bring criminal charges against his nemeses and ordered investigations into his opponents’ actions.
By 56 percent to 42 percent, Americans say Trump is not committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of people who are Democrats. By contrast, 65 percent of the public believes Trump is committed to protecting people who are Republicans.
The public is less certain about what to think of recent high-profile prosecutions of Trump foes James B Comey, who was FBI director until Trump fired him in his first term, and John Bolton, who was one of Trump’s national security advisers. Both became outspoken critics of Trump.
Comey was indicted in September on allegations he lied to Congress. Bolton was indicted last month on charges of mishandling classified and sensitive material. Trump has publicly excoriated both men, who have each pleaded not guilty.
In Comey’s case, one in four Americans say the charges were justified, while nearly 4 in 10 say they were politically driven, the poll found. In Bolton’s case, roughly one in five say the charges were justified and a little more than one in three say they were politically motivated.
Notably, in both cases, a significant portion of Americans say they are simply not sure — 36 percent in Comey’s case and 41 percent in Bolton’s. Republicans were more likely to say they were unsure about the prosecution of Bolton, a longtime GOP official, than they were about Comey.
The poll did not address the indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), another Trump foe, who was accused of bank fraud and has also pleaded not guilty. Trump’s administration has spent much of the year defending his actions and initiatives against a battery of legal challenges, leading to court hearings, judicial orders and injunctions.
Trump and his allies have repeatedly castigated judges for blocking or slowing his desires, with prominent administration officials — including Attorney General Pam Bondi — accusing judges of wrongdoing and overstepping their authority. Numerous judges and plaintiffs, meanwhile, have accused the Trump administration of flouting court orders.
Despite the high-profile debate and the continuing wave of judicial opinions blocking Trump’s actions and administration officials responding with caustic criticisms, public opinion seems largely settled on the issue.
A significant majority, 60 percent, say federal judges are trying to enforce existing limits on Trump’s authority, compared with 35 percent who back the administration’s assertion that judges are trying to interfere with Trump’s authority. Public sentiment on that issue was nearly the same in a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll taken in April.
The same basic breakdown exists among people asked whether the Trump administration is trying to comply with or dodge court orders. The poll found that 32 percent of people think the administration is trying to comply, compared with 64 percent who believe the administration is trying to avoid complying. On both sides, the numbers are almost identical to those found in April.
The Post-ABC-Ipsos poll was conducted online among 2,725 U.S. adults. The sample was drawn through the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, an ongoing panel of U.S. households recruited by mail using random sampling methods. Overall results have a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.