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.
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