Has Trump gone too far in using presidential power? Here’s what a new poll found

Most Americans believe President Donald Trump — just three months into his second term — has overstepped the limits of presidential power, according to new polling.

In the latest AP-NORC survey, 57% of respondents said Trump has gone too far in “using presidential power to achieve his goals.” Meanwhile, 32% said Trump has been about right, and 10% said he hasn’t gone far enough.

The responses were sharply divided along partisan lines, with 86% of Democrats and 61% of independents saying the president has crossed a line, while just 23% of Republicans said the same.

The poll — which sampled 1,260 U.S. adults April 17-21 — comes after Trump has enacted a number of sweeping changes to the government. They include upending global trade with wide-ranging tariffs, laying off thousands of federal workers, and using extraordinary measures to crack down on illegal immigration, resulting in some legal challenges.

The poll also asked respondents about how much power they think the president — and other branches of government — holds “these days.”

A majority, 54%, said the president has too much power, which is up from 32% in March 2024, marking a 22-point increase.

When it came to other parts of the government, fewer respondents believe they have overextended themselves.

Just 29% said Congress — currently controlled by Republicans — has too much power. Back in 2024, 40% said the same. And when asked about the Supreme Court, 29% said it has too much power — down from 44% in 2024, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points.

Additionally, 32% of respondents said that federal judges have too much power. This group was not asked about in 2024.

In recent months, Trump has been highly critical of federal judges who have ruled against him. For example, after U.S. District Judge James Boasberg temporarily blocked the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act for deportations, Trump labeled him a “Radical Left Judge” and called for his impeachment.

This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Has Trump gone too far in using presidential power? Here’s what a new poll found."