56% of Americans view Trump as a “dangerous dictator”
WASHINGTON (October 22, 2025)— A new national survey released today by Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) in partnership with the Brookings Institution reveals Americans’ responses to the unprecedented actions taken so far by President Donald Trump during his second presidential term. The survey — the 16th annual American Values Survey — also examines Americans’ concerns about the economy and how democracy is working, what it means to be “truly American,” and opposition to building internment camps for undocumented immigrants and allowing ICE agents to mask their identity.
Majorities of Americans say that the Trump administration cuts in federal funding for health care (60%) and universities and research institutions (55%), the implementation of new tariffs (54%), and the increase in funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (52%) have gone too far. Across all areas, independents hold views more aligned with Democrats. For example, most Democrats (90%) and independents (67%) say that cuts in federal funding for programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act have gone too far, compared with only 25% of Republicans.
“Amid unprecedented actions, most Americans, including political independents, believe the Trump administration has gone too far,” said PRRI President and Founder Robert P. Jones. “A growing majority of Americans, including two-thirds of independents, now view the president as a dangerous dictator, but most Republicans continue to approve of Trump’s actions.”
Asked to choose between two statements, increasing numbers of Americans view Trump as a “dangerous dictator” rather than a “strong leader.” A majority of Americans (56%) agree that “President Trump is a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy,” up from 52% in March 2025; by contrast, 41% agree that “President Trump is a strong leader who should be given the power he needs to restore America’s greatness.” Nine in ten (91%) of Democrats and 65% of independents see Trump as a dangerous dictator, compared to only 15% of Republicans; by contrast, 82% of Republicans see Trump as a strong leader who should be given the power he needs. Majorities of white Christians, including 73% of white evangelicals, say that Trump is a strong leader, while majorities of Christians of color and other religious groups view Trump more as a dangerous dictator.
“Strong majorities of Americans, across party lines, say believing in the core values and freedoms espoused in our founding documents are essential for being truly American,” explained PRRI CEO Melissa Deckman. “At the same time, Republicans are more likely than independents or Democrats to believe identifying as Christian matters for American identity.”
Far more Americans say shared civic ideals, rather than religious beliefs or ancestry, are important to being “truly American.” Majorities of Americans, across partisan lines, say believing in individual freedoms (93%), the Constitution (91%), accepting diverse backgrounds (89%), the Declaration of Independence (88%), respecting institutions and laws (88%), and speaking English (75%) are important to “being truly American.” Partisans are divided on whether being born in the U.S. (54%) is essential for American identity. Republicans are the only partisans among whom a majority say belief in God (78% of Republicans vs. 57% of all Americans), being Christian (68% vs. 43%), or having ancestors who served in the military (55% vs. 42%) are important to being truly American. Few Americans say being of Western European heritage (23%) is essential to being truly American.
Majorities of Americans view both the Democratic and Republican parties unfavorably. Majorities of Americans view the Democratic (60%) and Republican (57%) parties unfavorably. Most Republicans (86%) hold favorable views of their party (consistent since 2012), while fewer Democrats (76%) hold favorable views of their party, a significant decline from 93% in 2012. Independents’ views of both parties have dropped 15 percentage points since 2012.
Among independents who hold unfavorable views of the Democratic party, 47% say it is because the party is extreme and too left-wing; 28% say it is because the party is not fighting hard enough against Trump; 18% say it is not progressive enough; and 15% say it is anti-religious. Among independents who hold unfavorable views of the Republican party, 56% say it is extreme and too right-wing; 59% say it is either because the party is too deferential to President Trump; 6% say it is not conservative enough; and 30% say it is too closely aligned with religious groups.
Democrats are now more likely to agree that things have changed so much, they often feel like strangers in their own country. Nearly half of Americans (46%) agree with the statement “Things have changed so much that I often feel like a stranger in my own country,” up slightly from 41% when PRRI first asked the question in 2016. Today, Democrats are twice as likely as Republicans to agree with this statement (59% vs. 30%), the inverse of patterns that held consistent since 2016.
Democrats and independents are more than twice as likely as Republicans to oppose both allowing ICE agents to mask their identity and the building of internment camps for undocumented immigrants. About six in ten Americans (58%) agree that “ICE officers should not be allowed to conceal their identity with masks or use unmarked vehicles when arresting people,” including most Democrats (84%) and independents (64%), but only three in ten Republicans (31%). Similarly, 58% of Americans oppose allowing the federal government to detain immigrants who are in the country illegally in internment camps until they can be deported, including 86% of Democrats and 64% of independents, but only three in ten Republicans (29%).
Other notable findings:
- Just half of Americans are extremely or very proud of being an American (50%). American pride has declined sharply since 2013, when 82% said they were extremely or very proud. Most Republicans (80%) are proud of being an American, compared with 46% of independents, and 31% of Democrats.
- Majorities of Americans say the economy (65%), the way the federal government is functioning (65%), dealing with other countries (60%), and dealing with undocumented immigrants (57%) are headed in the wrong direction.
- 28% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the controversy over the Epstein files.
- Nearly seven in ten Americans (69%) agree with the statement “The ability of Americans to freely criticize the government without fear of punishment is a right that seems less protected than in previous years,” including majorities of Democrats (86%), independents (73%), and Republicans (54%).
- Most Americans (70%) disagree that the federal government should have the authority to control student admissions, faculty hiring, and curriculum at U.S. colleges and universities to ensure they do not teach inappropriate material, including most Democrats (84%), independents (75%), and Republicans (58%).
- While Americans are somewhat split — largely along partisan lines — on whether society has become too soft and feminine (42% agree vs. 54% disagree), three in four Americans reject the notion that the gains women have made in recent years come at the expense of men.
Methodology
The survey was conducted by PRRI among a representative sample of 5,543 adults (age 18 and up) living in all 50 states in the United States, who are part of Ipsos’s KnowledgePanel, and an additional 412 who were recruited by Ipsos using opt-in survey panels to increase the sample sizes in smaller states. Interviews were conducted online between August 15 – September 8, 2025. The margin of error for the national survey is +/- 1.79 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence, including the design effect for the survey of 1.84.
About PRRI
PRRI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to conducting independent research at the intersection of religion, culture, and politics.
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