More Americans say Trump has prioritized his personal business interests than the country as a whole

October 13, 2026

Most Americans say President Trump has prioritized his personal financial interests, and the interests of people close to him since taking office again in 2025. Far fewer say he has prioritized the country as a whole or people like them. Four in 10 believe he has done something illegal and another 18% see his actions as unethical but not illegal, though views diverge sharply by party.

More adults see Trump as focused on his own business interests and those of his inner circle than on the country as a whole or people like them. A majority, 56%, say Trump has prioritized his personal business interests “a lot,” and 54% say the same about the business interests of his friends and family. By comparison, only 23% say he has prioritized the country overall “a lot,” and just 11% say he has prioritized people like them “a lot.” Half of Americans say Trump has not prioritized people like them at all.

Democrats and independents overwhelmingly say Trump has prioritized his own business interests and those of his friends and family “a lot” or “some,” and about half of Republicans agree. Republicans are much more likely than Democrats or independents to say the president has prioritized the country overall or people like them.

When it comes to allegations that Trump has personally profited from the presidency, 41% say he has done something illegal, and another 18% say his conduct has been unethical but not illegal. Another 18% say he has done nothing wrong, while 21% say they don’t know enough to say.

Views differ significantly by party, with about 8 in 10 Democrats believing he has done something illegal, compared with about 3 in 10 independents and about 1 in 10 Republicans. A 2023 AP-NORC poll asked a similar question about how former President Joe Biden handled the overseas business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, and found similar highly partisan splits.