Majority say ethics, honesty in government have declined under Trump: Pew
More than half of Americans say the level of ethics and honesty in the federal government has declined since the start of President Trump’s second term , according to a new study from the Pew Research Center.
The survey, released on Friday , found that 56 percent of U.S. adults believe the overall level of ethics and honesty has fallen since January 2025. Another 24 percent said it has stayed the same while 19 percent said it has risen.
The findings reflect a clear partisan divide, with 88 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning respondents saying the level has dropped compared to just 23 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning respondents.
About 47 percent of Americans said they expected it to happen when asked in the weeks following Trump’s second inauguration, while 31 percent thought it would rise, according to the poll.
The survey also shows voters are split when it comes to the Trump administration’s efforts to incorporate the president’s name, image and likeness into aspects of the federal government — from printing his portrait on limited-edition U.S. passports to affixing his name to buildings such as the renowned Kennedy Center and U.S. Institute of Peace.
Half of the respondents said naming government buildings after Trump would not be acceptable, with just 10 percent arguing it would be OK to do so while he is still in office.
Just over 20 percent said it would be acceptable to name buildings after the president once his term ends, with the idea earning more support among Republicans than Democrats, the study found.
The poll also underscores how support for the president and his policies has waned over the last several months, with Trump’s economic and approval ratings slipping as the conflict with Iran stretches past the 60-day mark.
Pew found that Trump’s job approval rating stands at 34 percent, the lowest mark of his second term.
The steepest declines came on the question of whether Trump “keeps his promises,” with 38 percent saying the attribute describes the president “very or fairly well” compared to 43 percent who said the same in August.
The Pew Research poll was conducted among 5,103 U.S. adults from April 20 to April 26. It has a margin of error of 1.6 percentage points.
Trump’s fiscal policies are also becoming more unpopular, according to an Associated Press-NORC Research Center survey released this week, which found his approval rating on the issue at 30 percent — a 9-point drop from February before the war started.
The polling has put Republicans on the defensive and been a welcome sign for Democrats, as both parties work to elevate cost-of-living and affordability issues ahead of the November midterms.
The president defended his economic record while speaking to seniors at a prominent retirement community in Florida on Friday, brushing off concerns about the spike in gas prices caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz .
He said there were “close to 400 ships loaded up with the oil” and suggested prices would come “tumbling down” once those can navigate through the waterway.
“What all of that stuff comes out, you’re going to see prices dropping on gasoline like you’ve never seen,” Trump continued. “All of that, electricity, gasoline, anything having to do with energy.”
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