President Donald Trump reveals new budget
The White House revealed the new 2026 fiscal budget. The budget plan would slash non-defense domestic spending by $163 billion while increasing expenditures on national security, according to statements released by the White House.
WASHINGTON – As President Donald Trump faces significant pushback from federal judges on many of his new policies, many adults in the U.S. are more likely to believe that the president has overstepped his power rather than the courts.
A new poll showed more than half of Americans said the president has “too much” power in the way the government operates.
The survey comes as Trump has issued a record number of executive orders and pushed the boundaries of presidential power, seizing from Congress its constitutional authority to determine spending levels and defying court orders on immigration.
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FILE – US President Donald Trump delivers commencement remarks at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on May 1, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Results differ along party lines
Democrats who participated in the poll were more likely to say Trump had gone too far compared to Republicans.
By the numbers:
Eighty-six percent of Democrats said the president has gone too far using his power to achieve his agenda compared to just 23% of Republicans who feel the same.
Overall, 57% of adults who were polled said Trump had too much power, which is up from a third who felt the same way a year ago.
What they’re saying:
“He’s been able to do unprecedented things,” said Brie Horshaw, a 35-year-old Los Angeles esthetician and Democrat. “He’s got too much power. It goes beyond what a president would normally do.”
The other side:
Linda Seck, a retired nurse, said Trump has the same tools Biden had.
“They both had the same power. They might choose to use it differently,” said Seck, 76, a Republican who feels Trump has been using the right amount of power.
The Michigan resident, who once worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs, has cheered Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk cutting deeply into the federal workforce without waiting for Congress’ approval.
Overall, Seck compared Trump’s behavior 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.”
The courts have generally been the only branch of government to push back on Trump’s plans, while the GOP-controlled Congress has mostly deferred to him.
Only about 3 in 10 Americans say Congress has too much power, and just 17% of Democrats say federal courts have excessive power. On the other hand, the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court fares better with Republicans — only about one-quarter think it has too much power, while one-third of Democrats believe that.
Other polls reflect the same results
Dig deeper:
Other polls show that Americans are broadly more concerned about presidential than judicial overreach.
A Fox News poll, for example, found that about half of Americans are more concerned about the president ignoring rulings from the judicial branch, while about 3 in 10 say they’re more worried about the judicial branch going beyond its authority.
And few think the president has the power to override the courts. The Fox News poll found that about two-thirds of Americans say the president can’t ignore the Supreme Court if the president thinks the justices are overstepping their constitutional authority, while about 2 in 10 say the president can and another 16% are uncertain.
The Pew Research Center poll found that most Americans — including two-thirds of Republicans — think if a federal court rules that a Trump administration action is illegal, the Republican administration would need to follow the court’s ruling.
