A majority of US registered voters have described President Donald Trump as “corrupt”, “dangerous” and "out-of-touch", according to a new Economist/YouGov poll.
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The poll, conducted from September 11-14 among 1,461 registered voters, found that 53% used “corrupt” to describe Trump, while 51% chose “dangerous”. The survey had a margin of error of 3.3%.
Other descriptions selected by voters included “out-of-touch” at 47%, “cruel” at 46%, and “bold” at 45%. Only 37% described Trump as “strong”, while 35% called him “intelligent” and 33% “effective”.
Just 23% chose “honest”, while 19% described Trump as “inspiring” and only 18% as “steady”.
The results showed a sharp partisan divide. Some 91% of Democrats and 62% of independents described Trump as corrupt, compared with 10% of Republicans.
Even among Republicans, however, fewer than half, 49%, said “honest” described Trump. On the word “steady”, 38% of Republicans agreed, while 53% had no opinion.
The findings come as Trump remains the central figure in the run-up to the November midterms. Axios reported that Republicans are concerned about the president’s prominence in the campaign, with Democrats seeking to make his record and controversies central to the election debate.
Trump’s overall approval rating has also remained weak. A recent Reuters-Ipsos poll put his approval at 35%, up from 33% in late August.
The Economist/YouGov survey also found that 57% of respondents believed Trump would probably or definitely not follow through on his proposal to send a $5,000 payment to every adult US citizen if Republicans retain control of Congress.
The White House has defended Trump’s record, with spokesperson Davis Ingle saying the president had launched an “all-out war on fraud” across the federal government and was saving taxpayers billions of dollars.
The poll comes against a wider backdrop of concern over corruption in the US government. A Gallup survey cited by Axios found that 89% of Americans believed corruption was widespread in the federal government, the highest level recorded in two decades.
The Economist/YouGov poll surveyed US adult citizens who were registered to vote or planned to register before the November election. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel and weighted to represent the US adult population.
