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The proportion of Americans who believe that there is widespread corruption within the U.S. government has hit a record high for the second year in a row in President Donald Trump’s second term.

Gallup polling released Wednesday reveals that 89 percent of Americans say there is “corruption widespread throughout the government” in the U.S. This is the highest level of perceived corruption among the public since Gallup began surveying this question in 2006.

This metric has skyrocketed under the latest Trump presidency. Since 2010, the proportion of Americans who believed there was far-reaching government corruption remained relatively steady, hovering between 72 and 79 percent for 15 years. In 2024, 73 percent of Americans said there was widespread corruption. This rose to 79 percent in 2025, and 89 percent this year — surging 16 points in just two years.

Perceptions of corruption have risen among Democrats and independents since Trump’s election, going from 57 percent to 91 percent among Democrats and 78 percent to 90 percent among independents between 2024 and 2026. It has even remained relatively steady among Republicans, despite........

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