A growing number of Americans are concerned the White House and federal courts have too much power, according to a new poll.
The NBC News poll’s findings released Wednesday shed light on attitudes toward the executive and judicial branches of government, amid President Trump’s return to office and high-profile court decisions that have reshaped laws.
The poll was conducted in early March — before Trump called for the impeachment of a federal judge who tried to stop some of his migrant deportation efforts, and a separate judge ruled that the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by tech billionaire Elon Musk overstepped its authority when it dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The 43 percent of respondents who said they think the executive branch has too much power is 7 points higher than a similar NBC News poll found in 2019. The share who said the judicial branch has too much power, 28 percent, is up 9 points. NBC News noted that its original 2019 poll surveyed adults, while the new poll specifically questioned registered voters, a change considered in its analysis.
Just 6 percent of respondents said the executive branch has too little power, while 39 percent said the amount is “about right.” Similarly, 8 percent said the courts have too little power and 49 percent said it’s an appropriate amount.
Trump’s critics have warned of a potential “constitutional crisis” as Trump has tested the boundaries of his authority since returning to the White House in January through executive orders.
The poll found deep divisions among Democrats and Republicans surveyed.
Democrats were a major contributor to both shifts, as 75 percent said the executive branch has too much power in the most recent poll, compared to 55 percent in 2019. About 31 percent of Democrats said the courts have too much power, up from 17 percent in 2019.
Both polls were conducted while Trump was in office, but the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that upended longstanding protections for abortion access under Roe v. Wade happened between the surveys.
About 65 percent of Democrats said politicians in their party should “stick to their positions, even if this means not being able to get things done in Washington,” while 32 percent said they should work toward consensus and make compromises with Trump.
The NBC News poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters online and by phone March 7-11. Its margin of error is 3.1 percentage points.
