Americans Say Trump Is Using the Presidency to Get Rich – President Donald Trump faces mounting pressure from multiple angles: Republican voters are less enthusiastic than Democrats about turning out to vote in the November midterms, and new polling shows most Americans believe he uses the presidency to increase his personal wealth rather than help the country. Many voters now also believe the president is profiting from his position in ways that are unethical at best and outright illegal at worst.
The findings come as the Trump family continues to generate enormous revenues from multiple businesses launched since he entered the White House, including cryptocurrency businesses. Financial disclosures show the president has earned billions from private ventures since returning to the White House in 2025.
President Donald Trump addresses members of the media in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, Tuesday, January 20, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
Donald Trump Meeting With French President White House Flickr Photo
And the timing is terrible for the data to be released, too, with Americans already frustrated over rising gasoline prices and the war in Iran, as well as the administration’s handling of the economy. The latest study suggests voters are increasingly suspicious of the president’s private ventures and personal priorities.
A new Associated Press/NORC poll, published Tuesday, October 13, found that 59% of Americans believe the president has personally profited from his position either illegally or through unethical means. Just 18% said that Trump has done nothing wrong.
What Most Americans Say
The survey, conducted between September 24 and September 28, asked 2,140 American adults about the president’s personal priorities and whether they believed his business activities raised any ethical concerns. The results revealed that 56% of respondents believe Trump has placed a great deal of emphasis on his personal business affairs since returning to office in January 2025, while another 54% said that he has given a similar amount of attention to the financial interests of his friends and family. The figures become even worse news for President Trump when compared with what Americans think he is doing for the country.
Only 23% of respondents said that they believe the president has prioritized the country as a whole, and only 11% said that they believe he has focused heavily on helping ordinary people like them.
About half of those surveyed said the president did not prioritize people like them at all.
The new findings also exposed major differences between how Republican and Democratic voters think about the president — but even then, the Republican numbers could still be better for Trump.
According to the AP-NORC survey, approximately eight in ten Democrats believe that Trump has profited illegally from the presidency, compared with three in ten independents and one in ten Republicans. The poll intended to measure public perceptions of the president and did not seek to determine whether the president has committed a crime, but the figures could still prove politically damaging for the president. After all, he doesn’t need to have committed a crime for his party to receive a poor showing in the upcoming election. All it takes is perception.
Trump’s Crypto Affairs
The survey also follows months of controversies about the president’s growing business interests, including his involvement in cryptocurrency.
On June 30, Reuters reported that the president’s latest financial disclosures showed more than $1.4 billion in income generated from family cryptocurrency ventures during 2025. The businesses included World Liberty Financial — a cryptocurrency business established by the president and his sons. The president’s personal crypto businesses also include ventures connected to his digital tokens.
The figures are huge, especially considering the president simultaneously pursued policies intended to make the United States a more welcoming environment for cryptocurrency businesses. And the money hasn’t simply remained tied up in digital assets. Another Reuters investigation, published on July 13, found that President Trump’s money managers have invested significant portions of the proceeds in more traditional financial assets, including stocks and bonds. And in 2025, the president’s holdings in those traditional investments grew substantially.
White House Says He Did Nothing Wrong
The Trump administration continues to dismiss allegations of financial wrongdoing, including questions about whether the president’s policies benefit businesses in which he holds a financial interest. White House spokeswoman Anna Kally previously said that “there are no conflicts of interest” and dismissed concerns about the president’s financial investments as a “tired narrative.”
The Trump Organization has also maintained that third-party financial institutions, not the president himself, manage his investments independently.
But the controversy goes beyond cryptocurrency. According to an Associated Press report from October 13, the Trump Organization struck eight foreign business deals during his first year back in the White House. One of the president’s cryptocurrency ventures also received a massive $500 million investment from a United Arab Emirates business connected to the country’s royal family. The investment came after the president was elected.
About the Author: Jack Buckby
Jack Buckby is a British researcher and analyst specializing in defense and national security, based in New York. His work focuses on military capability, procurement, and strategic competition, and he produces and edits analysis for policy and defense audiences. He brings extensive editorial experience, with a career output spanning over 1,000 articles at National Security Journal, and has previously authored books and papers on extremism and deradicalization.
