Trump considered dangerous, corrupt by majority in new poll

Axios ^ | 09/15/2026 | Avery Lotz

[Responsibility2nd]

A slight majority of registered voters describe President Trump as corrupt and dangerous, a recent poll found, while just 14% say he isn't divisive.

The big picture: Simply put, polling hasn't been pretty for the president — or for his Iran war, tariffs or other top priorities. Still, with the midterms weeks away, Trump has centered himself, making the election a referendum on his presidency.

 

 

By the numbers: "Corrupt" (53%) and "dangerous" (51%) led the list of descriptors voters applied to Trump in the Sept. 11-14 The Economist-YouGov poll of 1,461 U.S. registered voters.

• Those words were followed by "out-of-touch" (47%), "cruel" (46%) and "bold" (45%).
• Just 18% said they'd use the word "steady" to describe the president.

Worth noting: Democrats are testing an anti-corruption midterm message as Americans' perceptions of government corruption hit a 20-year high, per Gallup's trend, and polls show Americans believe the president has inappropriately profited from cryptocurrency while in office.

• The results broke sharply by party — 91% of Democrats and 62% of independents said Trump was corrupt, compared with 10% of Republicans.
• Republicans weren't universally positive: Less than half (49%) said they'd use the word "honest" to describe the president. Just 10% said it didn't describe him, while 41% had no opinion.
• Similarly, 38% of Republicans said he was steady, while 53% said they had no opinion.

What they're saying: White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in an emailed statement that "President Trump has launched an all-out war on fraud across the entire federal government, holding criminals accountable and saving taxpayers billions of dollars."

• Ingle also accused Democrats in Congress of failing to stop waste, fraud and abuse in government.

Zoom out: Trump's approval rating ticked up from the lowest point of his political career, recorded last month in Reuters-Ipsos' trend, this month.

• Some 35% of Americans approved of his performance, up from 33% in the late August poll, per Reuters.

 

Between the lines: The last thing many Republicans want, Axios' Marc Caputo reports, is for Trump to make the midterms a vote on his popularity (or lack thereof).

• Still, Trump headlined both nights of the party's midterm convention in Dallas and pledged a $5,000 dividend to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans keep control of Congress — a plan that would cost more than $1 trillion.

Friction point: YouGov's polling found that a majority signaled they believe it's unlikely Trump actually follows through with the idea, which Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has said would require congressional approval.

• More than four in 10 (41%) said he definitely wouldn't do it, while an additional 16% said he probably wouldn't. More said it was a bad idea (45%) than those who said it was a good idea (38%).

Methodology: This Economist-sponsored poll was taken September 11-14, 2026. Respondents were selected from YouGov's opt-in panel to be representative of adult U.S. citizens, and screened for voter registration. The margin of error is ± 3.3%.

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TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: 5thcolumnonfr; axios; concerntroll; corript; corrupttroll; dangerous; frcommieagitprop; garbage; nevertrumpingtraitor; responsibilitylast; whyisthistrollhere

[Responsibility2nd]

[Responsibility2nd]

Interactive chart at the link.

[Skywise]

Huh - just in time for election season and right after Labor Day.

[butlerweave]

The democrats will win the house and senate because that’s how it goes every time

[Empire_of_Liberty]

And, they can do 2020 again, if they have to!

[mass55th]

"The democrats will win the house and senate because that’s how it goes every time"

Historically it's never mattered when the Republicans hold the majority in the House and Senate, because they consistently behave as if they are in the minority, and "that's how it goes every time."

[Fungi]

Always on the cutting edge of optimism....

[Az Joe]

Looks like he is right on target

[BookmanTheJanitor]

I wish.

[lastchance]

I’ve not been fond of some of his moves recently but hardly consider him dangerous or corrupt.

[Sequoyah101]

Just 18% said they’d use the word “steady” to describe the president.

People, including his own family, generally considered Admiral Earnest J. King to be very consistent in being angry all the time.

Our deal leader is likewise consistently self-aggrandizing and often quick to retaliate so that is in a way being steady. So, yes, I would have to consider him as being steady.

[Fledermaus]

Total BS

[FlipWilson]

The Economist?!?! Really, a poll by them is even put forth here and some gave it a shred of credibility.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

“Registered voters” = garbage poll.

[Beowulf9]

You do realize this is the sort of sentence that makes your team give up, right?

[cowboyusa]

They won’t win the Senate. Blue States are opening up for Republicans.

[mewzilla]

Given that methodology, if that’s the best they could do, Deep State is screwed.

[Danie_2023]

“”A slight majority of registered voters describe President Trump as corrupt and dangerous, a recent poll found, while just 14% say he isn’t divisive.””

***

Translation: A small minority of disgruntled leftists (is there ever any other kind?).... are projecting, as usual... and calling their opposition exactly what they are.... ie corrupt and dangerous (dangerously stupid, that is).

Ho hum.... more Axios drivel. So boringly predictable.

[cowboyusa]

President Trump is way too nice, and it hurts him.

[mewzilla]

It’s far worse than that...

https://yougov.com/en-us/about/methodology