A poll conducted by the Gallup Company on Wednesday shows that the proportion of Americans who believe there is widespread corruption in the government has reached a record high, with levels of distrust in the government at their highest in 20 years.
This survey was conducted in May and June this year, involving 1,000 respondents, reflecting the growing dissatisfaction among American voters of both parties with the national political institutions and their leaders.
According to a Gallup survey, nearly 90% of American adults believe that corruption within government is very common, which is an increase of 10 percentage points compared to last year. Using the latest data available—data for 2025—the perception of government corruption among Americans is also among the highest in developed economies.
According to Gallup data, since 2006, the proportion of Americans who believe that government corruption is widespread has remained at around 70%. By 2024, this number is expected to increase significantly, with Democratic supporters being a major factor in this trend.
During Biden's presidency in 2024, 57% of Democratic supporters believed that corruption was widespread in government. In 2025, after Trump returned to the White House, this proportion rose to 76%; by this year, it further increased to 91%.
As the mid-term elections in November draw closer, the Democratic leadership has begun to focus their campaign efforts on the issue of corruption in order to regain control of Congress. Democrats have repeatedly accused Trump of breaking his promise to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in Washington, and instead using the federal government to benefit himself, his family, and allies.
In an event 100 days before the midterms, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Democrat from New York State) used a new slogan in his campaign speech for the first time:
"We want those swindlers to be responsible for their own actions."
On the other side, Republican supporters’ views on corruption have been relatively stable since 2024. This indicates that, compared to Democrats, Republicans’ perception of corruption is less influenced by which party is in power.
This year, 83% of Republican supporters and 90% of independent voters said that government corruption is widespread.
George Washington University political science professor David Szakonyi said that this survey result indicates that Americans are being exposed to news and information about politics, and corruption has become a topic that can truly attract public attention.
Saconi said: "There is a fairly broad social consensus that something is wrong with Washington."
However, this latest poll does not reveal exactly where Americans believe corruption occurs.
The questions raised in the investigation are very broad: "Do you think there is widespread corruption within the government of this country, or is that not the case?"
The issue does not mention any specific individuals, government agencies, or any particular government.
However, over the past year, Democratic voters and lawmakers have criticized the Trump administration for adopting a series of measures they called 'self-dealing'.
This includes a compensation fund worth $1.8 billion, originally intended to compensate government allies who felt they had been subjected to unfair investigations. This plan was later abandoned. Additionally, there were government contracts awarded directly to Trump’s allies without bidding.
During Trump's presidency, his personal wealth experienced a historic increase, including profits from industries such as cryptocurrencies, which are in the areas that Trump's administration is responsible for regulating.
White House officials stated that the president and his family will not be involved in any conflict of interest behavior in the future.
Since Trump was re-elected as president in 2025, no criminal charges related to public corruption have been officially filed against any officials of the Trump administration at the federal level.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has also faced several high-profile corruption investigations within its ranks in recent years.
This includes the case of former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez. Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison for a corruption case involving bribery, including cash and other items, with a total value close to $1 million.
In a recent case, Texas Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar was originally charged with charges such as bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy. He later received an exemption from Trump’s pardon.
Another poll conducted in June this year also reached similar conclusions regarding the views of different political groups in the United States towards government corruption.
The Brennan Center for Justice (BCIJ), in a survey of 2,000 registered voters, found that a majority of Republicans, Democrats, and independents view corruption as a “very serious problem” facing the federal government.
