Findings from the AP-NORC poll reveal the American public perceives greater overreach from the president compared to judges.
In the heart of Washington D.C., the ongoing saga of President Donald Trump's power play unfolds, as a new poll reveals Americans are more likely to question Trump's authority rather than the federal courts. According to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, nearly half of U.S. adults believe the president holds too much power in the current government structure[1]. In contrast, Americans are more likely to believe the federal courts maintain an appropriate amount of power, with only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults expressing concern over excessive power from the judiciary[1].
The survey comes as Trump continues to push boundaries and assert presidential power, confronting Congress' constitutional authority on spending decisions and defying court orders on immigration. Trump's aggressive tactics have extended to his adversaries, with the Department of Justice targeting perceived enemies and pressure on law firms seen as antagonistic[1]. Conversely, Republicans largely take the opposing view, with about half believing the federal judiciary has too much power, while only around 2 in 10 expressing similar concerns about the president[1].
The courts have emerged as the primary point of resistance to Trump's plans, while the GOP-controlled Congress has largely deferred to the president[1]. Democracts and Independents are most vocal in their concerns that Trump has gone too far in utilizing presidential power to achieve his agenda, with only 25% of Republicans sharing the same sentiment[1].
"He's been able to do unprecedented things," said Brie Horshaw, a 35-year-old Los Angeles esthetician and Democrat. "He's got too much power. It goes beyond what a president would normally do." Democrats appear united in their beliefs that Trump has overstepped his bounds, with about 9 in 10 expressing concern[1]. Meanwhile, independents largely echo the sentiments of Democrats, with around 6 in 10 expressing worry[1].
The poll is only the latest in a string of surveys indicating growing unease among Americans due to Trump's actions. A Pew Research Center poll found that around half of U.S. adults believe Trump is issuing too many executive orders, while only about 3 in 10 think he is using the right amount[1]. Moreover, a CNN-SSRS poll revealed that only 46% of Americans have confidence in Trump's ability to wield presidential power responsibly, a significant drop from the 54% reported in December[1].
The poll indicates a rising sense of apprehension among Democrats as Trump continues to take bold steps to implement his agenda. Since last year, the share of U.S. adults who believe the president holds too much power has increased significantly, with Democrats and independents largely driving this increase[1].
Despite these concerns, Republicans remain divided, with some believing Trump's actions are within the realm of acceptable presidential power. Linda Seck, a retired nurse, compares Trump's behavior to driving on a two-lane road, asserting that Trump isn't exceeding his authority, but rather operating close to the edge[3]. Seck, like many Republicans, worries about the excess of individual federal judges' power, arguing that district judges should not have the authority to overrule the federal government[3].
Other polls suggest that Americans are generally more concerned about presidential overreach than judicial overreach[4]. For example, a Fox News poll found that about half of Americans are more worried about Trump ignoring rulings from the judicial branch, while only 3 in 10 are concerned about the judicial branch overstepping its bounds[4]. Furthermore, most Americans, including two-thirds of Republicans, believe that if a federal court rules that a Trump administration action is illegal, the administration would need to abide by the court's ruling[4].
Lynn Cohee, a 48-year-old Texas-based database administrator and Democrat, takes issue with a lack of congressional oversight and the intensifying partisan divide, which he believes undermines the system's checks and balances[5]. Cohee states that the political climate has moved away from prioritizing what's best for the country and transformed into a competition akin to sports, with each party vying for supremacy[5].
Rosenfeld and Riccardi reported from Denver[6].
The AP-NORC poll of 1,260 adults was conducted from April 17-21 using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which focuses on representing the U.S. population as a whole[6]. The margin of sampling error for adults is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points[6].
[1] http://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-government-and-politics-1cfd5a8d9cc02300877984c8029ea0bb[2] http://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-barack-obama-judiciary-b3d98b473413d14887ffde3c1b2a403c[3] http://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-elon-musk-government-and-politics-c7752d5ff8ad6f64b263b2530af6d1c6[4] http://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-supreme-court-executive-orders-e9bc0ab20eac9bc2f6c68b83e20f7074[5] http://apnews.com/article/speeches-politics-democrats-team-sports-2a36002cd7f1de30b76303d2b00a5324[6] http://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-government-and-politics-4c205341134d5942ba30dc45cb686aff
- The government structure in the United States is under scrutiny due to concerns about the concentration of power in President Trump's hands.
- A recent poll shows that a majority of Americans are questioning President Trump's authority, while they believe the federal courts maintain an appropriate amount of power.
- The poll comes at a time when President Trump is pushing boundaries and asserting presidential power, frequently confronting Congress and defying court orders.
- The courts have emerged as the primary point of resistance to Trump's plans, while the GOP-controlled Congress has largely deferred to the president.
- Democrats and Independents are vocal in their concerns that Trump has overstepped his bounds, with only 25% of Republicans sharing the same sentiment.
- The poll is part of a growing unease among Americans due to President Trump's actions, with surveys indicating concern about the number of executive orders issued by him.
- Republicans remain divided, with some believing Trump's actions are within the realm of acceptable presidential power, while others worry about the excess of individual federal judges' power.
- Most Americans, including two-thirds of Republicans, believe that if a federal court rules that a Trump administration action is illegal, the administration would need to abide by the court's ruling.
- The political climate has shifted away from prioritizing what's best for the country and transformed into a competition akin to sports, with each party vying for supremacy, according to Lynn Cohee, a Democrat from Texas.
