Majority of Americans Label Trump a Potentially Dangerous Dictator

The findings from the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution mark a notable increase from the 52% of respondents who held similar concerns last year. Partisan divisions remain stark: 90% of Democrats and 64% of independents characterize the president as a threat to democracy, while only 20% of Republicans share that assessment.

Public confidence in the nation’s trajectory has also plummeted, with 71% of citizens stating the country is headed in the wrong direction and 76% expressing dissatisfaction with the economy. PRRI CEO Melissa Deckman noted that the coalition that secured Trump’s return to the White House is fracturing, evidenced by significant shifts among Hispanic and young male voters moving back toward the Democratic Party.

Beyond institutional concerns, the survey exposed a widening ideological divide regarding empathy and governance. While a majority of Americans identify empathy as a foundational moral value, a growing number of white evangelical Protestants and Republicans argue that such sentiment can be dangerous if it deviates from their interpretation of religious truth. This ideological chasm extends to debates over the economy, where 41% of Americans—and nearly half of those aged 18-29—suggest the nation should integrate socialist policies because they believe capitalism is no longer serving the interests of the average citizen.