{"id":48000,"date":"2017-08-29T10:58:15","date_gmt":"2017-08-29T15:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2017\/08\/29\/2-in-their-own-words-likes-and-concerns-about-trump\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T11:10:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T15:10:04","slug":"2-in-their-own-words-likes-and-concerns-about-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2017\/08\/29\/2-in-their-own-words-likes-and-concerns-about-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"2. In their own words: Likes and concerns about Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asked in an open-ended format what they most like about Donald Trump, about a quarter of Americans (23%) mention Trump\u2019s approach and personality, saying he \u201ckeeps his promises\u201d or \u201ctells it like it is.\u201d Mentions of Trump\u2019s approach are the second most common response to this question; only the share of Americans who say there is nothing<\/em> they like about Trump\u2019s job performance or respond to this question by citing things they do not like about Trump is higher: 37% of Americans say this.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

And Trump\u2019s personality ranks as the most common response to an open-ended question about concerns people have about him. Here, too, about a quarter of Americans (24%) mention aspects of his personality or conduct \u2013 in this case, frequently mentioning Trump\u2019s temperament or saying that he has a tendency to speak \u201coff the cuff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

To be sure, in this separate survey conducted Aug. 8-21 online among 4,971 adults, mentions of Trump\u2019s personality characteristics in positive terms are far more common among the 36% of Americans who approve of Trump\u2019s job performance than among the 63% who do not. Mentions of his personality as cause for concern are more common among those who disapprove.<\/p>\n\n

Among those who approve of Trump\u2019s job performance, about half (54%) cite aspects of his personality or approach as what they most like about Trump\u2019s job performance, including 25% who call out his leadership style, say that he is keeping his promises or that he is getting things done as president. As one 57-year-old woman who approves of Trump put it: \u201cHe is a fighter and loves America as much as I do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

About one-in-ten (13%) of those who approve of Trump say they like that he speaks his mind, is direct and \u201ctells it like it is,\u201d or that he\u2019s \u201cnot politically correct.\u201d And 9% say they like that he isn\u2019t a typical politician or that he\u2019s challenging the Washington establishment or \u201cdraining the swamp.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Trump\u2019s policy positions or accomplishments are mentioned by 14% of those who approve of his job performance as the thing they like most about him: 4% specifically mention economic policies, including a respondent who says Trump \u201cis promoting the economy,\u201d and adds that \u201che pays no attention to the snowflakes and keeps his agenda.\u201d A similar share mention foreign policy (3%) and immigration policy (also 3%), including a 30-year-old man who says that Trump is \u201ccracking down\u201d on immigration, and likes that he is \u201cturning back the policies that the previous administration implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

But those who disapprove have starkly different responses to the question about what, if anything, they like about Trump: Nearly six-in-ten (58%) say there is nothing they like about Trump \u2013 or take the question as an opportunity to list things they do not like about him. One says there is \u201cabsolutely nothing\u201d he likes, adding that \u201cevery word, action and tweet is an embarrassment that likely imperils our freedom and safety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Others say they like<\/em> that he isn\u2019t getting more done. A 30-year-old woman likes most that he is \u201ctoo incompetent and reactive to successfully implement his destructive agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Still, even among those who disapprove of Trump\u2019s job performance, there are some who cite his approach or his policies as things they like. One says she \u201cdisagrees with his views,\u201d but \u201cappreciates the attempt at following through his word.\u201d Another likes how Trump \u201chandled the Trans Pacific Partnership deal,\u201d but adds \u201cthat\u2019s about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

Trump\u2019s conduct \u2013 and Twitter use \u2013 cited by the public as a concern<\/h3>\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

Asked what, if anything, concerns them about Trump\u2019s job performance, 24% of the public mentions concerns about his personality, including 8% who mention his temperament or lack of tact and 7% who say he is not deliberate enough with his speech; 6% characterize their concern as Trump lacking in presidential traits, while 5% think the president is narcissistic or self-focused.<\/p>\n\n

While these types of concerns are more likely to be cited by those who disapprove of Trump (32% do so), about one-in-ten of those who approve of Trump mention concerns about his personality or conduct, including a 67-year-old woman who says \u201chis undignified way of speaking and not listening to those who could help him communicate better\u201d is cause for concern.<\/p>\n\n

[Affordable Care Act]<\/p>\n\n\n

Trump\u2019s competency or intelligence is mentioned by 12% of Americans as a concern, though very few who approve of him say this (just 1%), while roughly two-in-ten (19%) who disapprove of Trump do: A 46-year-old woman who disapproves of Trump says \u201cpeople elected a less than smart guy to do the job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Also mentioned by 12% of Americans, including 17% of those who approve Trump, is his behavior on social media \u2013 particularly Twitter. A 30-year-old man who approves of Trump\u2019s job performance overall exemplifies a common thread in these responses when he says, \u201cI wish he would stop tweeting.\u201d This critique is sometimes more pointed, even among his supporters: A 63-year-old woman says \u201chis constant, immature tweets make him sound like a twit and just provide ammunition for the opposition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

But about one-in-ten Americans either explicitly say they have no concerns about Trump (4%) or that their only concerns about Trump are about the opposition he faces from others, including Democrats, Republicans and the media (6%).<\/p>\n\n

These sentiments are nearly exclusively seen among those who approve of Trump, 16% of whom say their concern about Trump is the obstruction he faces. As one puts it: \u201cNothing really concerns me about Trump. It\u2019s all the overwhelming opposition to Trump that concerns me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Asked in an open-ended format what they most like about Donald Trump, about a quarter of Americans (23%) mention Trump\u2019s approach and personality, saying he \u201ckeeps his promises\u201d or \u201ctells it like it is.\u201d Mentions of Trump\u2019s approach are the second most common response to this question; only the share of Americans who say there […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":306,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0},"categories":[68,67],"tags":[],"bylines":[],"datasets":[1156],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[2812,2811,2813],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[515],"research-teams":[520],"workflow-status":[],"collection":[],"class_list":["post-48000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-donald-trump","category-presidential-approval","datasets-political-typology-callback-2017","primary_audience-engaged-public","primary_audience-media","primary_audience-stakeholders","formats-report","regions-countries-united-states","research-teams-politics"],"label":false,"post_parent":48014,"word_count":908,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2017\/08\/29\/2-in-their-own-words-likes-and-concerns-about-trump\/","art_direction":{"A1":{"id":62002,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/08\/PP_17.08.29_trump_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/08\/PP_17.08.29_trump_featured.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":62002,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/08\/PP_17.08.29_trump_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/08\/PP_17.08.29_trump_featured.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":62002,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/08\/PP_17.08.29_trump_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/08\/PP_17.08.29_trump_featured.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":62002,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/08\/PP_17.08.29_trump_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/08\/PP_17.08.29_trump_featured.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":62002,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/08\/PP_17.08.29_trump_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/08\/PP_17.08.29_trump_featured.png?w=640&h=320&crop=1","width":640,"height":320,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":62002,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/08\/PP_17.08.29_trump_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/08\/PP_17.08.29_trump_featured.png?w=640&h=320&crop=1","width":640,"height":320,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[{"id":48014,"title":"Republicans Divided in Views of Trump\u2019s Conduct; Democrats Are Broadly Critical","slug":"republicans-divided-in-views-of-trumps-conduct-democrats-are-broadly-critical","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2017\/08\/29\/republicans-divided-in-views-of-trumps-conduct-democrats-are-broadly-critical\/","is_active":false},{"id":48006,"title":"1. 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