Americans think Trump has a very good brain


Americans largely think President Trump is a "strong and decisive leader" — but that doesn't mean they like him.
New data from a June Gallup poll shows that about half of Americans think Trump is intelligent and able to bring about necessary change, while smaller proportions of people find him honest, trustworthy, or likable. Fewer than one-third feel the president "works well with both parties in Washington to get things done."
Fewer and fewer people are saying that Trump keeps his promises, dropping from 62 percent in February to 47 percent in June, but performance-related traits are consistent with his overall ratings, in the 40 percent range. Forty-five percent of those polled likely agreed when Trump called himself a "very stable genius," perceiving him as someone who "understands complex issues."
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, evaluations of Trump are split down the party line. Among Democrats or people who lean Democratic, Trump's supposedly "very good brain" got the highest score: Thirty percent of them agreed he is intelligent. Wide majorities of Democrats didn't find many other attractive qualities in Trump, with only 8 percent agreeing that he has chosen good Cabinet members and 10 percent considering him "a person you admire." Republicans, on the other hand, had positive perceptions of the president overall. Eight in 10 say Trump cares about their needs, and 75 percent feel he can manage the government effectively.
The poll was conducted June 1-13, among a random sample of 1,520 American adults reached by phone. The margin of error is ±3 percentage points. See more results at Gallup.
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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
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