Americans say Trump loyalty hurts Republicans, Democrats seem weak on Trump

A new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos survey found that Americans are not just unhappy with both parties, they are unhappy with what each party has become. In open-ended responses from April 24 through 28, 2026, 12% said the worst thing about Republicans was their loyalty to Donald Trump or simply named Trump himself, while 10% said the worst thing about Democrats was that they were weak and did not stand up to Trump or stand up for what was right.

That split goes beyond a routine approval problem. It suggests voters see Republicans as too defined by one man and Democrats as too reluctant to confront him. The result is a political critique built around character and posture, not just policy: Republicans are viewed as captive to Trump, while Democrats are viewed as passive, even when Trump is the central target of their criticism.

The Democratic answers were more dispersed, but the pattern still pointed to unease with the party’s identity. Combining two common complaints, that Democrats were too liberal or too woke, produced 12%. Other responses were smaller, including 6% each saying Democrats were too liberal or opposed their policy views, 5% calling them corrupt, self-serving or favoring the powerful, and 5% offering a general dislike. Another 4% said Democrats were out of touch with everyday Americans, and 4% said the party was obsessed with being against Trump.

Republican answers were similarly broad, but Trump remained the dominant frame. After Trump loyalty, Americans most often described Republicans as dishonest, hypocritical or immoral at 6%, uncaring or cruel at 6%, and corrupt or self-enriching at 5%. Another 4% each said Republican leaders were ineffective or unqualified, too focused on supporting Trump, authoritarian or anti-democratic, hostile or bullying, or racist or anti-diversity. Even with that spread, 7% said they had nothing negative to say about the Republican Party.

The findings fit a larger mood of political discontent. Earlier ABC News polling found majorities saying the country was on the wrong track and that both parties were out of touch with everyday concerns. That frustration has not translated into a clean partisan advantage: Trump’s 39% approval at or near his 100-day mark was the lowest of any president in 80 years, yet ABC also reported that he still outpolled Democrats in Congress on trust to handle the nation’s main problems. More recently, Democrats held a five-point edge in support for Congress, up from two points in February.

Heading toward the 2026 midterm cycle, that leaves both parties vulnerable for different reasons. Republicans must contend with a base and a broader electorate still sorting Trump from the party itself, while Democrats face a harsher judgment that they are not forceful enough to define the fight on their own terms.