Should GOP lawmakers always support Trump? Most Republican voters say no, poll finds

Most GOP voters believe their representatives in Congress should be able to pull the reins on President Donald Trump’s agenda, not just rubber stamp it, new polling shows.

In the latest Pew Research Center survey, 55% of Republican and Republican-leaning respondents said that lawmakers in the party are not obligated to support Trump’s programs and policies “if they disagree with him.”

In contrast, 44% said GOP legislators are obliged to support Trump’s actions “because he is a Republican president.”

The results of the poll — fielded between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2 with 5,086 U.S. adults — are consistent with those from two other polls conducted during Trump’s first term.

In a September 2018 poll, 57% of respondents said congressional Republicans should be at liberty to break with Trump on issues where they disagree, while 39% said they should not be able to oppose the president.

And in an April 2017 poll, the split was nearly the same — with 55% in favor of GOP lawmakers having independence and 43% opposed to it.

Other findings

The latest poll, which has a margin of error of 1.6 percentage points, contained other findings about how the public perceives Trump’s second term.

It found that Americans are split over how they believe Trump will perform, with 35% saying he will be a successful president, 33% saying he’ll be unsuccessful, and 31% saying it is too soon to tell.

There was a similar divide when it came to perceptions about how Trump will change the government.

Forty-two percent of respondents said he will worsen the way the federal government functions, while 41% said he will improve it and 17% said it will be a mixed bag.

And again, the public is split over how they see Trump’s personality and style.

A majority, 56%, said they are at least somewhat confident he has the necessary leadership skills, while 43% said they are not too or not at all confident.

Meanwhile, less than half, 47%, said they are at least somewhat confident he holds respect for America’s democratic values. In contrast, 53% said they are not too or not at all confident he does.

This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Should GOP lawmakers always support Trump? Most Republican voters say no, poll finds."