The AP‑NORC poll, conducted between May 5 and 15, surveyed 2,500 adults nationwide and revealed that 38% view Trump as breaking the law and 20% see his actions as unethical but not illegal, while only 10% think he is entirely clean.
Trump’s return to the White House in 2024 has coincided with a surge in his family’s business ventures, notably a $1 billion influx from new cryptocurrency entities that benefited from the administration’s relaxed regulatory stance. One of these ventures secured a $500 million investment from a UAE firm tied to the royal family, while another received backing from a Chinese billionaire whose own company faces U.S. legal scrutiny.
The White House has repeatedly denied any conflict of interest, with President Trump stating to The New York Times that he “found out that nobody cared” about potential ethical breaches.
Democrats are sharply divided: 80% of them say Trump is doing something illegal, whereas only 10% of Republicans hold that view. Republican Audra Pelsue of New York argues that while his family may have benefited, the former president himself has not, dismissing critics as suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome.”
The poll also highlighted a generational divide, with 87‑year‑old Florida voter Barbara Thaxton expressing that as Trump’s wealth climbs, ordinary Americans are barely getting by.
With these stark public perceptions, Congress is expected to move forward with a comprehensive audit of Trump’s financial disclosures, and the Treasury Department may soon launch a detailed review of his crypto‑related income streams.