Americans’ View of Trump as “Dangerous Dictator” Surges in Latest Poll

A Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll of 5,469 adults conducted May 1-18 found that 59 % of respondents describe President Donald Trump as “a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy.” Support for that view rose from 52 % in March and exceeds the 56 % recorded in September 2025. The poll’s margin of error is ±1.53 percentage points. In the same survey, 38 % say “Trump is a strong leader who should be given the power he needs to restore America’s greatness.”

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The poll was released while the Trump administration negotiates a peace deal to end the more-than-100-day war with Iran that began after U.S. and Israeli strikes in late February. The House of Representatives passed a war-powers resolution 215-208, with four Republicans—Warren Davidson (OH), Thomas Massie (KY), Tom Barrett (MI) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA)—joining Democrats to curb the president’s military action without congressional approval. The Senate’s ninth attempt to pass a similar resolution failed 47-48, again with bipartisan Republican support. Under the War Powers Resolution, the administration has 60 days to seek congressional authorization, but White House officials argue the clock does not apply because a ceasefire has ended active hostilities.

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• Iran war handling: 66 % hold an unfavorable view; 51 % rate it “very unfavorable.” Among Democrats, 87 % view it very unfavorably, while 67 % of Republicans rate it favorably.

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• Immigration: 37 % have a favorable view of Trump’s immigration crackdown; 58 % view it unfavorably. Republican favorability fell from 90 % (March) to 82 % (May); independents dropped from 48 % to 31 %; Democrats fell from 13 % to 6 %.

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• Other polls: ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos (April 24-28) found 61 % think the Iran war was a mistake, with 79 % of Republicans supporting the decision but only 50 % of non-MAGA Republicans agreeing. Reuters/Ipsos (April 24-27) reported 34 % approve of the strikes, 51 % disapprove; a March Reuters/Ipsos poll showed 38 % backing the strikes.

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White House spokesperson Davis Ingle defended the president, stating, “The ultimate poll was November 5 2024 when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and commonsense agenda.” He added, “No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more.”

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A White House official told Newsweek that the House war-powers resolution “will not reach the president’s desk and, as a concurrent resolution, would carry no legal force even if approved by the Senate.”

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Lawmakers from both parties criticized the president’s unilateral military action, arguing it lacked congressional authorization. The House resolution represented the first congressional effort to force an end to the Iran conflict without the president’s consent. Democrats and independents overwhelmingly labeled the war a mistake, and immigration policy faced declining support across the political spectrum.

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• “The ultimate poll was November 5th 2024 when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and commonsense agenda.” — Davis Ingle, White House spokesperson

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• “ The statement continued, "No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more.” — Davis Ingle, White House spokesperson

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• “The White House official at the time told Newsweek that the House resolution "will not" reach the president's desk and, as a concurrent resolution, would carry no legal force even if approved by the Senate.” — White House official

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• “Trump is a strong leader who should be given the power he needs to restore America’s greatness.” — Poll respondent

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• “is a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy.” — Poll phrasing

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The administration’s peace negotiations with Iran continue as Congress prepares another attempt to pass a war-powers resolution. The poll’s findings arrive amid growing public scrutiny of Trump’s foreign-policy decisions and immigration agenda, setting the stage for heightened political debate ahead of the 2024 election cycle.

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