Dangerous Dictator
Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) | April 29, 2025
WASHINGTON (April 29, 2025)— A new PRRI survey of more than 5,000 adults finds that while only 16% of Americans openly express regret about their 2024 presidential voting decision, Americans largely oppose President Donald Trump’s actions during his first 100 days in office. Most notably, a majority (52%) of Americans agree that “President Trump is a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy,” compared with 44% who agree that “President Trump is a strong leader who should be given the power he needs to restore America’s greatness.” Among Americans who voted for Trump in 2024 and regret their decision, 55% agree that Trump is a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited.
“This new survey provides clear evidence that most Americans want to rein in President Trump’s overreach, stop his undermining of democratic norms, and protect our system of checks and balances,” said PRRI President and Founder Robert P. Jones, Ph.D. “It is stunning that, just 100 days into his presidency, most Americans believe he has become a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy.”
“It is stunning that, just 100 days into his presidency, most Americans believe he has become a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy.”
– Robert P. Jones, PRRI Founder and President
A majority (54%) of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president, with just 43% approving (although 85% of Republicans approve). The survey reveals a stark ethno-religious divide in the country. Among religious groups, Trump enjoys majority job approval only among white Christian groups and supporters of Christian nationalism. Three in four white evangelical Protestants (76%), along with 62% of Latter-day Saints, 57% of white Catholics, and 54% of white non-evangelical Protestants, approve of the job that Trump is doing as president, as do 78% of Christian nationalism Adherents and 67% of Sympathizers. No more than 35% of any other religious group—including only 18% of Black Protestants—approve of the job Trump is doing as president.
“Although President Trump retains strong support from his base, the broader public remains largely critical of his leadership,” said Melissa Deckman, Ph.D., CEO of PRRI. “Most Americans disapprove of his most touted executive orders and believe Elon Musk’s efforts to find waste and fraud are doing more harm than good.”
Few Americans endorse expanding the scope of executive power; most remain committed to our system of checks and balances, strongly disagreeing that the president should ignore the actions of Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, or constitutional term limits.
- Nearly eight in ten Americans (78%) disagree that “when decisions by Congress or the Supreme Court hold our country back, the president should be able to ignore them,” compared with only 18% who agree. However, nearly three in ten Republicans (28%), compared with only 17% of independents and 9% of Democrats, agree.
- Nearly eight in ten Americans disagree (79%) that “the U.S. Constitution should be amended to allow presidents to serve more than two terms in office,” but Republicans (27%) are more likely than independents (16%) and Democrats (8%) to agree.
- Nearly eight in ten Americans (77%) disagree that “If President Trump can’t get our country out of crisis in the next year, he should postpone the 2026 midterm elections for Congress,” compared to only 17% who agree.
- Nearly all Americans agree (89%) that no elected official, including the President, should be above the law, with widespread agreement across party, religious affiliation, race, education level, gender, and generation.
Religious Affiliations
Many of Trump’s early executive orders—including the implementation of tariffs—are broadly opposed by the American public.
- More than three in four Americans (78%) oppose the establishment of a federal task force that focuses exclusively on discrimination against Christians rather than discrimination against all religions (91% of Democrats, 85% of independents, and 66% of Republicans oppose).
- More than seven in ten Americans (71%) oppose closing or drastically shrinking all major federal agencies, if it means things like airline travel, medicine, and water may be less safe, compared with 25% who favor this policy. Nearly all Democrats (95%) and three in four independents (75%) oppose such closures or reductions, while Republicans are evenly split (48% oppose, 48% favor).
- Two-thirds of Americans (65%) oppose the implementation of new tariffs, or taxes, on imported goods from other countries, if it raises prices for American customers (93% of Democrats, 71% of independents, and 34% of Republicans). White evangelical Protestants (39%) are the only religious group where the majority do not oppose the implementation of new tariffs on goods imported from other countries.
- Nearly two in three Americans (64%) favor automatic U.S. citizenship for all children who are born in the United States, regardless of their parents’ citizenship status, including 87% of Democrats, 65% of independents, and 45% of Republicans.
Most Americans have unfavorable views of Elon Musk and believe his work with the federal government is doing more harm than good.
Six in ten Americans (59%) disapprove of the job Elon Musk is doing within the federal government, including 45% who strongly disapprove; only 38% approve. A majority of Americans (53%)—including 85% of Democrats and 56% of independents but only 22% of Republicans—agree that Elon Musk’s attempts to find waste and fraud in federal government agencies are reckless and doing more harm than good.
Other Notable Findings:
- While the vast majority of voters are satisfied with their decision to vote or how they voted—including 95% of Harris voters, 92% of Trump voters, and 85% of those who voted for another candidate—31% of non-voters regret their decision not to vote.
- More Americans (54%) agree that “efforts to increase diversity almost always strengthen an organization’s workforce” than agree that “efforts to increase diversity always come at the expense of white people” (41%).
- Seven in ten Americans (70%) say they would prefer the United States to be a nation made up of people belonging to a wide variety of religions, compared with 25% of Americans who say they would prefer a nation primarily made up of people who follow the Christian faith. White evangelical Protestants (47%) are the only religious tradition with less than half favoring religious pluralism in the country.
- Eight in ten Americans (80%), including 91% of Democrats, 83% of independents, and 73% of Republicans, say they would prefer the United States to be a nation made up of people from all over the world, while just 15% say they would prefer the United States to be a nation primarily made up of people of western European heritage.
- The vast majority of Americans (86%) agree that “we should teach American history that includes both our best achievements and our worst mistakes.” In contrast, just one in ten Americans (10%) agree that “we should teach American history that only focuses on what makes this country exceptional and great.”
- Two-thirds of Americans (64%) disagree that “immigrants are invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic background,” compared with 33% who agree. However, approximately six in ten Republicans (60%) and white evangelical Protestants (57%) agree.
Methodology
The survey was designed and conducted by PRRI. The survey was conducted among a representative sample of 5,025 adults (age 18 and up) living in all 50 states in the United States who are part of Ipsos’s KnowledgePanel, and an additional 372 who were recruited by Ipsos using opt-in survey panels to increase the sample sizes in smaller states. Interviews were conducted online between Feb. 28 and March 20, 2025. The margin of error for the national survey is +/- 1.69 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence, including the design effect for the survey of 1.6. In addition to sampling error, surveys may also be subject to error or bias due to question wording, context, and order effects.
About PRRI
PRRI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to conducting independent research at the intersection of religion, culture, and public policy.