Trump's Overreach: Highlights from PRRI's 16th Annual American Values Survey

Most Americans now see Trump as a dangerous dictator.

After months of data collection and analysis, we at

PRRI

have just released our 16th annual American Values Survey, conducted in partnership with our colleagues E.J. Dionne Jr. and Bill Galston at the Brookings Institution. Amid all the bad news, the new survey shows some hopeful signs for democracy: evidence that Trump is overreaching.

I invite you to grab a glass of wine (or perhaps something stronger!) and read the entire report, which includes dozens of charts and tables, at PRRI’s website here. Below I’m sharing some key insights to whet your appetite.

Onward,
Robby

P.S. There’s still time to register to join us this afternoon (10/22) at 2:00 PM ET for the PRRI American Values Survey release event, which will take place at the Brookings Institution! Our panel of experts will discuss the survey results and what they reveal about the state of American politics. Register here to attend online or in-person.

The Big Picture

Majorities of Republicans and white evangelical Protestants continue to back President Trump and many of his most extreme policies, but most other Americans hold unfavorable views of Trump and believe he has “gone too far.” Notably, 56% of Americans—including two thirds of political independents—view Trump as a “dangerous dictator.”

The Rundown

Trump Remains Deeply Unpopular

Trump’s favorability rating remains underwater. Only 40% of Americans hold a favorable view of Trump, compared to 58% who hold an unfavorable view of the president. Notably, more than twice as many Americans hold “very unfavorable” views than hold “very favorable” views of Trump (46% vs. 20%).

Only 30% of independents and 5% of Democrats hold a favorable view of Trump, compared to 85% of Republicans. Majorities of white Christian groups, including 72% of white evangelical Protestants, hold a favorable view of Trump; by contrast, Christians of color, members of other religions, and the religiously unaffiliated all hold mostly unfavorable views of Trump. Trump’s favorability among Hispanic Americans has dropped from 39% to 30% since March.

Most Americans believe Trump has gone too far.

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.

Increasing majorities of Americans view Trump as a “dangerous dictator” rather than a “strong leader.”

Asked to choose between two statements, a majority of Americans (56%) agree that “President Trump is a potentially 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%) Democrats and 65% of independents (up from 56% in March) 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, other religious groups, and religiously unaffiliated Americans view Trump more as a dangerous dictator.

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.

In contrast to Democrats and independents, majorities of Republicans 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.

With the exception of Republicans and white Christians, most Americans reject Trump’s secretive ICE tactics and harsh immigration policies.

• Masked ICE agents. Nearly 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%). Majorities of Republicans (67%), white evangelical Protestants (62%) favor this policy; white non-evangelical Protestants and white Catholics are divided.

  

• Internment camps. 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%). Majorities of Republicans (69%), white evangelical Protestants (59%), and white Catholics (52%) favor this policy, as do half of white non-evangelical Protestants.

• Rendition to foreign prisons. Nearly two thirds (65%) of Americans oppose allowing “The U.S. government deporting undocumented immigrants to foreign prisons in El Salvador, Rwanda, or Libya, without allowing them to challenge their deportation in court.” Seven in ten independents (71%) and 89% of Democrats oppose this practice, compared to only 37% of Republicans. Majorities of Republicans (62%) and white evangelical Protestants (52%) favor this practice.

Other notable findings:

• Wrong direction. 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.

• Free speech. Nearly seven in ten Americans (69%) agree that “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%).

• Independent universities. 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%).

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