Poll: Majority of Voters View Trump as “Dictator” Who Threatens Democratic Norms

New polling demonstrates that most voters see President Donald Trump as a dangerous politician and view his leadership style as dictatorial.

In Truth Social posts earlier this week, Trump seemed to confirm that point of view, expressing disdain for the press and demanding firings at news companies that published data showcasing voters’ negative views of his presidency 100 days into his second term.

In a post on Monday, Trump called such surveys “FAKE POLLS FROM FAKE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS,” citing longtime conservative pollster John McLaughlin, who has described polls showing Trump’s negative approval ratings as fraudulent. (Notably, McLaughin has counted the president among his clients, including during the 2024 presidential campaign.)

Trump further claimed that the surveys were weighted wrongly and did not include enough Republican voters — something that would be tough to replicate across multiple polls consistently showing majority disapproval among voters. He then demanded disciplinary action against those media organizations, including criminal inquiries.

“These people should be investigated for ELECTION FRAUD,” Trump wrote in his post, referring to the press as “Negative Criminals.”

“They suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, and there is nothing that anyone, or anything, can do about it,” Trump added, before calling media “THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE” — an epithet he frequently hurls against journalists who publish factual reporting on him and his policies.

Numbers from a PRRI survey published last week demonstrate that most voters view the president’s behavior as alarming.

The poll gave respondents two options to choose from, asking whether they believe Trump is a “strong leader who should be given the power he needs to restore America’s greatness,” or “a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy.” Only 44 percent viewed him as a “strong leader,” while a majority of respondents, 52 percent, called him a “dictator” who posed a threat to the country’s democratic norms.

Even a significant percentage of the president’s own base said Trump was dangerous, with more than one in six Republican voters (17 percent) describing him as a dangerous dictator.

The poll also showed that voters are opposed to Trump theoretically expanding presidential power. Seventy-seven percent of respondents said Trump should not suspend the midterms in 2026 if he is unable to “get our country out of crisis in the next year,” while just 17 percent said he should take such an action. And only 20 percent believed that, “because things have gotten so far off track, we need a president who is willing to break some laws if that’s what it takes to save the country,” while 76 percent of respondents disagreed with that viewpoint.

Despite his dismal 100-day polling numbers, Trump suggested to a crowd of his supporters in Michigan on Tuesday that he would continue to impose his far right agenda, even if it meant disregarding judicial rulings against his executive actions.

“Nothing will stop me,” Trump told his loyalists.