Poll Finds Most Americans Think Trump Uses Office to Enrich Himself
Left 100%
Center 0%
Right 0%
3 left · 0 center · 0 right
What happened
A Washington Post-ABC News poll found President Donald Trump’s job approval at 33 percent ahead of the November midterm elections. The survey reported that 66 percent of Americans, including 34 percent of Republicans, believe Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself, a 12-point increase among Republicans from the prior September. Forty-eight percent of respondents said they were financially worse off than when Trump returned to office in 2025, the highest such share for any president in this poll series since 1986. Seventy-five percent rated economic conditions as not so good or poor; 37 percent said they trusted Democrats more on the economy, versus 28 percent who trusted Republicans. Additional findings included 67 percent saying Trump is not committed to protecting freedom of the press and 61 percent saying he is not committed to free and fair elections.
Sourcing check · Fully on the record · 3 articles
2 of 2 articles cite a named source for the story. It was on the record from the first report.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 2 of 2
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Washington Post-ABC
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 2 of 2
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: poll
- Credits another outlet 0 of 2
- The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: Each article presents its own reporting.
- Unnamed sources 0 of 2
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Oct 19, 15:40 UTC by The Guardian, naming its source. First document in the first report, from The Guardian (poll).
- Not counted 1
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
ONE-SIDED THIS WEEK.
Only left-leaning outlets have covered this story in the last two days;
Washington Examiner reported it on 2026-10-11.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
The finding that most Americans think Trump is using the office to enrich himself is in left-leaning coverage only; right-leaning outlets had not covered this as of publication. Two-thirds of those polled hold that view. A third of Republicans agree. That Republican share rose twelve points from last September. The same survey puts his approval at 33 percent. A reader of only right-leaning coverage would not know the Washington Post-ABC poll exists.
Left-leaning coverage splits on emphasis after the shared poll numbers. Midterm stakes and economic gloom lead the Guardian's account, including that nearly half of respondents feel worse off. A second piece, in Vox, treats the poll as proof that corruption is "finally breaking through to voters" and then walks through Democratic investigation and antitrust plans.
Which specific dealings do respondents believe show Trump using the presidency for personal profit?
Bottom line
The Guardian reports that 34 percent of Republicans think Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself, a result right-leaning outlets have not carried.
The receipts — 4 facts one side's coverage lacks
- 66% of Americans believe Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself
- 67% said Trump is not committed to protecting freedom of the press
- 61% said Trump is not committed to free and fair elections
- Gallup found 89% thought government corruption was widespread, a record high
The Left View
The Guardian and Vox, the outlets covering the story, treat the Washington Post-ABC poll as a central pre-midterm indicator of Trump’s weakness. The Guardian leads with the 33 percent approval rating and the 66 percent self-enrichment finding (including one-third of Republicans), ties it to economic pessimism, Trump’s campaign travel for Senate and House candidates, a White House women’s-health task force announcement, and related poll items on press freedom and elections. Vox frames the same numbers as evidence that corruption concerns have broken through to voters, including some Republicans, and reports Democrats linking those concerns to affordability in ads and speeches, with candidates calling for investigations of Trump-world dealings, ethics and campaign-finance reforms, and antitrust action against industries blamed for high prices.
Our Take (balanced)
The core story is substantive as a report of a named, established poll with specific percentages, partisan splits, and historical comparisons; those figures are checkable against the original Washington Post-ABC release and methodology. What is established is measured public opinion, not independent proof of self-enrichment: the articles do not present new contracts, financial records, or court findings that Trump used the office for personal profit. Allegations of actual enrichment remain a matter of voter perception and prior reporting, not newly documented transactions here. No right-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for the full poll crosstabs and question wording, White House or Republican responses, additional independent surveys, and any primary documents or official investigations that would corroborate or refute the enrichment claim.
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