Summary
A new poll shows that most Americans believe the system for dividing power between the White House, Congress, and the courts is not working well. Confidence in this system has dropped significantly since President Donald Trump returned to office.
Key Facts
- A PBS News/NPR/Marist Poll found two-thirds of Americans doubt the system of checks and balances.
- This doubt has increased by 12 percentage points since last year and doubled since December 2024.
- Both Democrats and independents have shown large drops in confidence, by 45 and 34 points, respectively.
- Republicans also report a 19 percentage-point drop in confidence.
- The polling comes before President Trump’s State of the Union address.
