Partisans agree political leaders should be honest and ethical, disagree whether Trump fits the bill
By John Gramlich January 30, 2019
Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly agree that political leaders should be honest and ethical. There is far less common ground among partisans over whether particular leaders – including President Donald Trump – display these qualities.
In a Pew Research Center survey conducted last summer, 91% of Americans said it is essential for someone in high political office to be honest and ethical – the top attribute out of nine asked about in the survey. There were no partisan differences in this assessment: Nearly identical shares of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (90%) and Republicans and Republican leaners (91%) said this. There were partisan differences over whether several other qualities – such as maintaining a tone of civility and respect and working well under pressure – are essential for political leadership.
While partisans agree about the importance of political leaders’ honesty and ethical behavior in general, they disagree sharply when asked about honesty and ethical behavior in the context of Trump and his administration, as they have for other elected officials.
In a separate Pew Research Center survey conducted in January, 94% of Democrats say they trust what Trump says less than what prior presidents said, while 58% of Republicans say they trust what Trump says more than what prior presidents said. Similarly, nine-in-ten Democrats say the ethical standards of top Trump administration officials are poor or not good, while around three-quarters of Republicans (76%) say the administration’s ethical standards are excellent or good.
Being aware of how much Trump tells lies and how much he misrepresents, and having even a scant idea of how much his administration breaks laws (including violating the constitution), and continue to do so it is mind-boggling that so many Republicans are so blinded by partisanship.
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