Americans’ views on presidential power shift if their party holds the White House, a stance present on both sides of the aisle, a new survey found.
Around two in 10 Americans surveyed in The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Opinion Research poll said it would be “a good thing” if the next commander in chief could alter policy without waiting on the judicial and legislative branches.
But 39 percent Democratic respondents agreed with this stance if Biden is reelected in November as did even more Republicans, 57 percent, if former President Trump is back in the Oval Office.
Just 9 percent of respondents said the country’s checks and balances setup is working extremely well, pollsters noted
A partisan split was also seen in views on whether an institution has too much power.
Close to half of GOP respondents said the White House has exorbitant power, while only 16 percent of Democrats, whose party currently holds the Oval Office, agreed, according to the poll.
Around 6 in 10 Democrats also said the nation’s highest court, which includes six conservative justices, has excessive power. By comparison, 25 percent of Republicans agreed.
And around 4 in 10 respondents overall said the legislative branch has too much power, with Democrats controlling the Senate while Republicans have the majority in the lower chamber.
The poll was conducted March 21-25 with 1,282 adults. The margin of error was 3.8 points.
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