Americans Concerned About Corruption in the White House – Almost seven in ten American voters worry about corruption, conflicts of interest, and potential self-dealing, according to a new poll by the Financial Times and Focaldata.
The survey found that 69% of registered voters expressed concern about ethical issues involving Donald Trump’s administration, including almost half of those who voted for the President in 2024.
President Donald J. Trump hosts a bilateral meeting with President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Emily J. Higgins.)
President Donald J. Trump speaks with members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, April 16, 2026, en route Joint Base Andrews for a trip to Las Vegas. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
The poll comes just over a week before the U.S. midterm elections, in which the Republican Party is seeking to retain control of Congress.
Corruption Concerns
According to the survey, 69% of registered voters and nearly half of those who voted for the President said they were “very” or “somewhat” concerned about “corruption, self-dealing, or conflicts of interest” in the Trump administration. Nearly half of all U.S. voters said corruption had worsened under Trump compared with previous administrations.
It’s the latest blow for Trump, who has struggled to win over voters on his justifications for the Iran war. Americans are also concerned about high living costs, partly exacerbated by the conflict in the Middle East.
Jeremy Nay, a professor at Columbia Business School, told the Financial Times: “When a family reads a story about presidential crypto profits at the same time as they are deciding whether they should put off their expensive doctor’s appointment, they see that the system is working for someone, just not for them.”
He added: “Voters can tolerate some economic pain, as long as they believe it’s shared. But when that pain only flows in one direction, discontent boils to the surface.”
Widespread Worries
By political affiliation, 91% of registered Democratic Party voters said they were concerned about corruption in the White House, and 72% of independents did as well. 44% of Republicans said they were worried about the issue, compared with 50% of independents.
Black Americans are the most concerned of the demographic groups, with 78% airing concerns. Others (77%) and Hispanic (76%) also expressed similar frustrations. A majority of White voters felt the same way (65%), while 31% did not believe it was an ongoing issue.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle said President Trump had “launched an all-out war on fraud across the entire federal government, holding criminals accountable and saving taxpayers billions of dollars,” whereas Democrat lawmakers had “refused to do anything to stop waste, fraud and abuse in our government.”
Ingle added that there were no conflicts of interest within the administration, and that Trump “only acts in the best interests of the American public, which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses.”
Approval Problems
Trump’s popularity among voters remains a concern for GOP strategists, with only 36% of registered voters in the FT/Focaldata poll approving of his performance in office, compared with 59% who do not. Democrats, unsurprisingly, overwhelmingly disapprove, 9:10, but 19% of Republicans also expressed disapproval in the survey. 75% of GOP voters approved of Trump’s performance so far.
Independent voters often decide elections. Trump is urging supporters to vote as if he were on the ballot, but the strategy may need a rethink if the Republican Party wants to win the vote next week. Just 27% of independent voters approve of Trump’s handling of the presidency, compared to 65% who do not.
Other issues
Other concerns among Americans also paint a grim picture for Trump and the GOP. While he performs comparatively well on immigration and border security, with a net approval of minus one (44-45%), Americans are less enthralled by his handling of jobs and the economy. 29% of respondents approve of his work in this area, compared to 57% who do not.
Trump faces an even larger net deficit on inflation and the cost of living, with less than one quarter (24%) of registered voters approving of his performance. 64% do not approve, including 34% of Republicans.
The issue with the lowest approval in the poll was artificial intelligence, with 23% backing the President’s efforts on the emerging subject. However, it also had one of the lower response rates, with only 47% disapproving— 30% of voters were “unsure” or “neither approve nor disapprove.”
The poll was conducted online for three days beginning Friday, October 16. It includes responses from 1,648 registered voters and has a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points.
About the Author: Shay Bottomley
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist. He has written for the Western Standard, Business Insider, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo.
