Americans believe the president exceeds his authority more than the judges do

As President Donald Trump faces strong opposition from federal judges, a new poll shows that more American adults think he is the one misusing his power rather than the courts—though most Republicans don’t agree with that view.

According to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, about half of Americans believe the president now has “too much” control over how the government functions. In contrast, most people feel the federal courts have the right amount of authority. Only about 3 in 10 adults say federal judges have “too much” power.

Republicans see things differently. Around half of them think the federal courts have too much power, while only 2 in 10 say that about the president.

This poll was conducted as Trump continues to issue a record number of executive orders and expand presidential power. He has taken over decisions that are usually left to Congress, ignored court orders on immigration, told the Justice Department to go after his political opponents, pressured law firms, and used the idea of federal charges to force others to support him.

So far, the courts have been the main part of the government to stand up to Trump’s efforts, while the Republican-controlled Congress has mostly allowed him to act freely. Only 3 in 10 Americans think Congress has too much power. Among Democrats, just 17% believe the courts have too much authority. However, Republicans are more trusting of the Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority—only about one-fourth think it has too much power, while one-third of Democrats do.

About 6 in 10 American adults say Trump has used too much presidential power to get what he wants. This opinion is especially common among Democrats and independents. Among Republicans, only about one-fourth believe Trump has gone too far, while about 6 in 10 think he’s using the right amount of power. Around 14% of Republicans think he hasn’t used enough power.

“He’s been able to do unprecedented things,” said Brie Horshaw, a 35-year-old Democrat and esthetician from Los Angeles. “He’s got too much power. It goes beyond what a president would normally do.”

Most Democrats agree that Trump has used too much power—about 9 in 10 say this. About 6 in 10 independents feel the same way.

The AP-NORC poll is one of several recent surveys showing that Trump’s actions are making many Americans uneasy.

A Pew Research Center survey found that about half of U.S. adults think Trump is using executive orders too much to set policy, while 3 in 10 think he’s using them appropriately. A CNN-SSRS poll showed that 46% of Americans have “a lot” or “some” confidence in Trump’s ability to use presidential power responsibly, which is down from 54% in December.

The results show that more Democrats are becoming alarmed as Trump takes bold steps to move forward with his goals. The AP-NORC poll shows that more Americans now believe the president has too much control over the government, compared to a year ago when Joe Biden was still in office. Back in March 2024, only 32% thought that.

Democrats are now nearly 70 percentage points more likely to say the president has too much power than they were last year. Independents are about 20 percentage points more likely to say this.

Republicans, on the other hand, are less likely to say the president has too much power than they were in March 2024. Back then, 46% said so, but now only 23% do. Linda Seck, a retired nurse and Republican, said Trump has the same powers Biden did.

“They both had the same power. They might choose to use it differently,” said Seck, 76, who supports Trump.

Seck, who lives in Michigan and used to work for the Department of Veterans Affairs, supports Trump and Elon Musk in cutting the federal workforce without getting Congress’s approval. She compared Trump’s actions to driving on a two-lane road: “I don’t think he’s going over the yellow line, but he’s right there beside it.”

Seck said she trusts the Constitution’s checks and balances and doesn’t think Trump has unlimited power.

“He can’t declare war without consulting Congress. He can’t bully the Federal Reserve,” Seck said.

Still, Seck agrees with other Republicans who worry that individual federal judges have too much power.

“I don’t think a district judge should be able to overrule the federal government,” she said. “That’s the job of the Supreme Court.”

Other polls show that most Americans are more concerned about the president abusing power than about the courts going too far. A Fox News poll found that about half of Americans are more worried about the president ignoring court decisions, while around 3 in 10 are more concerned about judges going beyond their role.

Few Americans think a president has the right to ignore the courts. The Fox News poll found that around two-thirds say the president cannot go against the Supreme Court even if he believes the justices are overreaching. About 2 in 10 say he can, while 16% aren’t sure.

The Pew Research Center poll showed that most Americans—including two-thirds of Republicans—believe that if a federal court rules against a Trump administration action, the government must follow the decision.

Lynn Cohee, a 48-year-old Democrat and database administrator living near Austin, Texas, is troubled that the other branches of government aren’t doing more to hold Trump accountable.

“There’s decisions he’s making where other branches should step in and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t the wisest choice,’” Cohee said. “‘Let’s get rid of all these people’ — well, let’s talk about it first. The mass deportations, the foreign policy, the whole idea we’re going to take over the Gaza Strip.”

Cohee said he doesn’t closely follow politics but worries that extreme partisanship is keeping one part of government from challenging another.

“With our political parties, it doesn’t become what’s best, but it becomes like sports and I want to see my team win,” he said.