About Four in 10 Republican Voters Say Congress Isn't Doing Enough To Check Trump, AP Voter Poll Finds

About four in 10 Republican voters believe Congress has done too little to check Donald Trump, the AP Voter Poll has found. Among all voters, the share was about seven in 10. The survey reached about 80,000 registered voters across the 50 states between 19 October and Tuesday 3 November, when Democrats retook Congress.

Checks and balances are the tools Congress uses to rein in a president, from hearings to control of spending. Republicans held the House and Senate for the first two years of Trump's second term. From January, Democrats will hold those tools, including the power to issue subpoenas.

What the Poll Found

The 'not enough' answer drew support from across the political spectrum, not just from Democrats. Only about two in 10 thought Congress was doing about the right amount, and about one in 10 said it was going too far. Most independents agreed that lawmakers had fallen short. Voters were harsh on Congress itself, with about three-quarters disapproving of how it was doing its job. About six in 10 disapproved of Trump's performance.

Trump's name was absent from the ballot, but he was on voters' minds. Roughly four in 10 said their vote for Congress was meant to express opposition to him, while just under two in 10 voted to show support. Young voters stood out, with about seven in 10 under-30s backing Democratic candidates for the House, after splitting roughly evenly in 2024. Trump's own account, posted on Truth Social, appears below.

How Trump Explained the Losses

Trump argued that Republicans would have won in a landslide if his name had been on the ballot. In a Fox News interview on Tuesday evening, he suggested the Republican base 'didn't like the candidates' he had endorsed and that Democrats had fought hard. He blamed picks whose loyalty to him fell short. In a phone call with CBS News, he congratulated Democrats and said he wanted to work with them.

The poll pointed at Trump himself. About two-thirds of voters said Trump's policies had made the economy worse, and about eight in 10 of that group backed Democrats. Roughly six in 10 said Trump puts his own interests ahead of the country's. AP found voters blamed him for tariffs, the war in Iran and his unfulfilled campaign promise to lower prices. It noted Republicans in Congress rarely objected as Trump cut federal jobs and threatened the Federal Reserve.

A Warning for Democrats

Democrats have their own warning in the data. Just under half of voters viewed the Democratic Party favourably, compared with roughly four in 10 for Republicans. About two in 10 people who voted for Democratic candidates still viewed the party itself unfavourably. Sceptical voters broke for Democrats anyway, AP found, apparently seeking change.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, likely the House's first Black Speaker, declared that 'America is back.' He has not ruled out a third impeachment of Trump, and his party wants to roll back tariffs and end the war with Iran. Pollster SSRS ran the survey for AP and outlets including ABC News, CBS News, CNN and FOX News Media.