6 in 10 Americans say Trump used presidency for illegal or unethical personal gain

Six in 10 Americans believe Donald Trump has used the presidency to pursue personal gain through illegal or unethical means during his second term, while three in four say he has prioritized his own business interests over the good of the country, a new poll shows.

According to a joint poll released Tuesday (local time) by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago, 41 percent of respondents said the allegations that Trump sought personal benefit while in office amounted to illegal conduct. An additional 18 percent said the behavior was unethical, though not illegal.

Only 18 percent said Trump had done nothing wrong, while 21 percent said they were unsure.

The results broke sharply along party lines. Among Democratic supporters, 78 percent said Trump's pursuit of personal gain was illegal, and 11 percent called it unethical but not illegal.

Among Republican supporters, 41 percent said he had done nothing wrong, while 32 percent said his actions were either illegal (7 percent) or unethical (25 percent).

Among independents, 50 percent said his conduct was illegal or unethical, and only 12 percent said he had done nothing wrong.

When asked separately how much Trump had prioritized the country as a whole, his personal business, and the interests of the American people or his friends and family, 75 percent said he had prioritized his own business — 56 percent saying he had done so strongly and 19 percent saying somewhat.

Seventy-three percent said he had prioritized the interests of his friends and family, with 54 percent saying strongly and 19 percent saying somewhat.

By contrast, fewer than half — 42 percent — said Trump had prioritized the country as a whole, with 23 percent saying strongly and 19 percent somewhat. Only 29 percent said he had prioritized the American people, with 11 percent saying strongly and 18 percent somewhat.

The poll was conducted Sept. 24-28 among 2,140 adults aged 18 and older. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.