A new survey of thousands of adults showed a slight majority view President Donald Trump as a “dangerous dictator” needing his power to be curbed. Their sentiments, among others, came as Trump made mass deportations a top priority, cut positions and departments in the federal government and negotiated sometimes-contentious trade deals with various countries.
The nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) asked 5,543 adults their opinions about statements on Trump’s leadership and policy actions, federal government operations, the Supreme Court of the United States and cultural trends in the country for its American Values survey. Findings showed that about 56% of people felt Trump is a “dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy.”
Sentiment from that statement appeared in protests held across the nation, declaring “No Kings” in several chants and denouncing many of Trump’s policies. PRRI President and founder Robert Jones said in a release that the results came in the midst of Trump’s “unprecedented actions.”
“A growing majority of Americans, including two-thirds of independents, now view the president as a dangerous dictator, but most Republicans continue to approve of Trump’s actions,” Jones said.
About 41% of adults agreed that Trump is a “strong leader” and should be given the power needed to “restore America’s greatness.” The survey considered all whom they spoke to as Americans, but said in the methodology that respondents only had to live in the U.S.
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Nearly nine months into Trump’s second term, several major events and policy actions have occurred, potentially influencing public perceptions of Trump’s ability to lead the country.
That included starting trade wars with a large number of countries, intensifying immigration enforcement actions, managing wars outside of the U.S., legal challenges and the operation of the Department of Defense. The survey was conducted online from Aug. 15 to Sept. 8 this year and has a 1.79 percentage points margin of error.
Public opinion on Trump
The research group noted that Trump’s approval rating among the group isn’t in the president’s favor, with about 56% disapproving of how he has run the country. However, about 86% of all Republicans approved of his handling.
That includes the latest controversy seen across the country with how the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies are enforcing the nation’s immigration laws, often conducting raids in major cities to detain believed unauthorized immigrants.
PRRI found that roughly 81% of Republicans agreed that the manner in which the federal government is dealing with unauthorized immigrants is heading in the right direction. Among the punitive measures taken against immigrants, 62% of Republicans supported deporting unauthorized immigrants to foreign prisons, which happened in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. DHS accused Abrego Garcia of being part of the Los Angeles Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, gang in April.
Independents and Democrats were less likely to support the measure at 25% and 10% respectively.
The political parties differed, however, in permitting Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conceal their identities and vehicles when conducting raids. Both Democrats and independents — 84% and 64% respectively — agreed that the agents shouldn’t hide their faces, according to the survey. So far, California is the only state to bar federal agents from wearing facial coverings while executing their official duties.
Opinion of Trump’s performance
The overall opinions people shared with PRRI for their survey showed that 54% of respondents, on average, considered Trump to be conducting an “assault on constitutional checks and balances” with how he’s running the federal government. Sentiment was prevalent amongst Democrats, 87%, and independents, 62%.
Trump enlisted the help of billionaire Elon Musk to run the Department of Government Efficiency, aiming to reduce federal government staffing and address claims of wasteful, unchecked spending. That resulted in the complete closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the cancellation of several offices and grants within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the laying off of 600 employees in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which impacted the National Weather Service.
Republicans overwhelmingly agreed that Trump’s actions are a “long-overdue correction of disastrous policies pushed by elites at the expense of ordinary Americans,” PRRI reported.
A possible point of unity is shown in the survey, with an average of 83% of all respondents feeling that political violence isn’t necessary to “save” the country.
The survey was conducted before the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old conservative influencer who started Turning Point USA and whom Trump credited for helping him win the 2024 election. More recent polls revealed a split in how people view the necessity of political violence.
The CBS News/YouGov poll found that 86% of Americans viewed using violence to achieve political goals as unacceptable. Meanwhile, an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found that while most people considered political violence to be unnecessary, the average number of people who viewed it as necessary grew from 20% to 30%.
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A survey of 5,543 adults showed that most people disagree that political violence is necessary for the country, while 30% agree.
The New York Times cautioned its readers against putting too much faith in polling numbers, as what’s considered political violence varies from person to person, and the timing and justification of such violence are subject to respondents’ varying perspectives. The newspaper doesn’t ask people’s opinions about political violence in any of its polls.
For surveys like PRRI’s that were conducted wholly online, there’s a high probability that people aren’t paying attention to the questions.
“In a great illustration of this phenomenon, a Pew Research study found that 12 percent of online survey respondents ages 18 to 29 said they were licensed to operate a nuclear submarine,” the Times wrote.
