Most say misusing campaign funds, dodging subpoenas worst behavior for a president: Poll

Americans consider using campaign money for personal legal issues and ignoring subpoenas the worst actions a president could take, a new survey found.

The YouGov survey included 26 potential presidential actions and asked Americans if they were acceptable or unacceptable to them.

Seventy-eight percent of Americans believe that using campaign funds for personal legal disputes is unacceptable behavior for a president. In comparison, 69 percent feel the same way about refusing to respond to subpoenas.

Other presidential actions that Americans find unacceptable include attempting to serve more than the allowed number of terms (68 percent), pressuring the Department of Justice to probe political rivals (67 percent), and using federal funding as a tool for political gain (66 percent).

The presidential actions that are least commonly viewed as inappropriate include making significant policy announcements via social media, with only 40 percent of people finding it unacceptable. Holding official meetings at their own venues is deemed unacceptable by 41 percent, while 42 percent believe that using social media for official communications is unacceptable.

There is a significant divide between Democrats and Republicans regarding what they deem inappropriate behavior for a president.

Democrats tend to disapprove of nearly all the actions mentioned in the survey more than Republicans do.

Over 80 percent of Democrats view it as unacceptable for presidents to utilize federal funds for political gain, restrict press access during significant events, or appoint relatives to high-ranking government roles.

But, less than half of Republicans consider any of these actions unacceptable.

The most pronounced partisan difference is about halting the distribution of federal grants and loans, a measure recently implemented by the Trump administration. Eighty-four percent of Democrats see this move as unacceptable, whereas only 18 percent of Republicans feel the same way.

The poll further says Republicans are more likely than Democrats to support reevaluating official recommendations for widely used vaccines, but this support is not overwhelming.

About 4 in 10 Republicans support such proposals, compared with about 2 in 10 Democrats.

The survey of 2,167 respondents, taken separately from Jan. 28-Feb. 3 and then from Jan. 29-Feb. 1, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

Topics

NIH announces it's slashing funding for indirect research costs

The National Institutes of Health announced that the agency is making cuts to grants that support research institutions by limiting the amount of indirect funding for research projects to just 15%.
NBC News - 3h
NIH cuts overhead funding for research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Friday made a significant reduction in grants reserved for research institutions, a decision that may significantly impact American higher education. The ...
The Hill - 4h
Scientists warn Trump’s $4bn funding cuts will harm US medical research

Academics say the move imperils scientific progress and helps America’s rivals
Financial Times - 6h
Chile's president orders curfews in regions hit by wildfires

Chilean President Gabriel Boric has issued state of emergency decrees for two regions in the center and south of the country due to raging wildfires
ABC News - 8h
U.S.A.I.D. Workers Brace for the Worst

A judge halted parts of the Trump administration’s plan to shut down the agency. A verdict might not come for weeks or even longer as thousands are left in limbo.
The New York Times - 10h
Fashion's most hated garment — the skinny jean — is making a comeback

The oft-maligned skinny jean has crept back onto the runway and is headed for a comeback as soon as this fall.
CNBC - 14h
Fact-Checking Claims About USAID Funding

Trump administration officials have misled about how the aid agency is spending its funding, in an effort to cite widespread “waste.”
The New York Times - 17h
Serbia’s Protests Test the President’s Grip on Power

President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia, battered by months of nationwide protests, is struggling to weather his biggest political crisis in more than a decade of rule.
The New York Times - 17h
‘Backsliding’: most countries to miss vital climate deadline as Cop30 nears

Developing countries urge biggest polluters to act as Trump’s return to the White House heightens geopolitical turmoil. The vast majority of governments are likely to miss a looming deadline to ...
The Guardian - 19h
Trump Administration Move to Freeze E.V. Charger Funding Confounds States

Some have halted work on the Biden-era $5 billion program to build E.V. charging stations. Others plan to keep building. Most are confused.
The New York Times - 1d
The Best and Worst Super Bowl Commercials, Ranked

Here is our critic’s evolving survey of this year’s Super Bowl commercials, from best to worst.
The New York Times - 1d
Small Businesses and Contractors Also Get Hit by Trump’s Federal Funding Cuts

Reports suggest several thousand private sector jobs have been lost in the last two weeks, as federal funding freezes start having knock-on effects.
Inc. - 1d
One Of The Most Famous Voice Actors Alive Speaks Out About AI

One of the most famous voice actors working today, Hank Azaria, has published an op-ed for The New York Times in which he discusses artificial intelligence, including his fears about the ...
GameSpot - 1d
GOP state AGs campaign group brings back leader who resigned in Jan. 6 aftermath

A group that dedicated to electing Republicans to state attorney general positions has brought back a former executive director who resigned in the aftermath of Jan. 6
ABC News - 1d
Guatemalan president agrees to accept migrants during meeting with Secretary Rubio

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo says that his country will accept migrants from other countries during a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. NBC News' Julia Ainsley spoke to ...
NBC News - 2d
Panama's president rejects U.S. claim of a deal for free canal passage

Panama's president says the State Department's claim of an agreement granting U.S. warships free canal passage was "based on a falsity. And that's intolerable."
CBS News - 2d
Democratic polling finds Elon Musk is unpopular

Politico - 2d
House Democrats try, and fail, to subpoena Musk

Politico - 3d
WATCH: Screaming match erupts among house lawmakers over motion to subpoena Elon Musk

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee attempted to subpoena Elon Musk to testify but the procedural motion quickly turned into screaming and name-calling.
ABC News - 3d
Guatemalan president says no timeline on receiving third-country nationals deported from U.S.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo said his country and the U.S. “don’t have a timeline” on when Guatemala will begin receiving third-country nationals deported from the U.S.
NBC News - 6h
Fashion’s most hated garment — the skinny jean — is making a comeback

The vilified linchpin of millennial and Y2K fashion — the skinny jean — might be on its way to a comeback.
NBC News - 6h
U.S.A.I.D. Workers Brace for the Worst

A judge halted parts of the Trump administration’s plan to shut down the agency. A verdict might not come for weeks or even longer as thousands are left in limbo.
The New York Times - 10h
President Trump continues attacks on government agencies as he prepares for funding bill

President Trump hosted a group of Republican senators on Friday night at his Florida resort, trying to build Congressional support for a massive funding bill. Meanwhile, he continues to attack the ...
CBS News - 13h
'UK's most romantic village' prepares for Valentine's Day

The small village is famed across the world for its unique postal service.
BBC News - 13h
Splat’s entertainment: I watched Rotten Tomatoes’ 40 lowest-rated films to find out which was worst

Our brave victim writer sits through the film site’s 0%ers to see what makes a bad movie. Will she emerge with her sanity intact – and are all these flops really so bad?. I have seen horrors so ...
The Guardian - 15h
How USAID freeze could be the most catastrophic for women and girls

Women and girls are more susceptible to HIV and malaria in many developing countries.
NBC News - 16h
Cambridge risks losing ‘unbelievable talent’ amid PhD funding cut

Warning by vice-chancellor Deborah Prentice comes as ‘Silicon Valley’ planned between Oxford and Cambridge. The University of Cambridge risks “losing unbelievable talent” owing to a drop-off in ...
The Guardian - 19h
Doctor fears "vaccine hesitancy" is contributing to worst flu season in 15 years

This year is shaping up as the worst flu season in more than 15 years. Flu cases are in every state, but the virus is most active in 43, including Indiana and Kentucky. Janet Shamlian reports from ...
CBS News - 1d
Trump vs the media: US president wages war on the fourth estate

The administration has launched a frontal assault on the traditional news industry at a time when it is in decline
Financial Times - 1d
Why Trump wants an American sovereign wealth fund

The US does not really need a state investment vehicle — it is one already
Financial Times - 1d
Ecuador chooses president against backdrop of gang violence

Whoever wins the presidential election will be tasked with restoring security to the country.
BBC News - 1d
Josh Allen Named N.F.L. Most Valuable Player for First Time in Career

The Bills star is just the second quarterback to win the award without being named a first-team Associated Press All-Pro that season, joining John Elway.
The New York Times - 1d
Philippine vice president preparing for impeachment battle but silent on option to resign

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte says her lawyers are preparing for a legal battle in her upcoming impeachment trial but refused to say if resignation is an option
ABC News - 1d
No. 3 Notre Dame hands Stanford the worst loss in program history with 96-47 win

Hannah Hidalgo scored 24 points and No. 3 Notre Dame handed Stanford the worst defeat of its storied women’s basketball program.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
South African president alludes to Trump's threat in speech to the nation: 'We will not be bullied'

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared to respond to threats from U_S_ counterpart Donald Trump by saying in his annual speech to the nation that his country would “not be bullied.”
ABC News - 2d
NCAA committee to consider coaches’ proposal to combat ‘unethical behavior’ of fake injuries

Feigning injuries, sometimes at the coach’s instruction, has become a tactic defenses use to slow down tempo offenses or as a way for an offense to avoid a delay of game penalty or get an extra ...
Yahoo Sports - 2d
One of Europe's most-wanted fugitives spotted at religious service

Jos Leijdekkers — also known as "Omar Sheriff" and "Chubby Jos" — is accused of trafficking cocaine and ordering a murder.
CBS News - 2d
Pro-Trump Media Sees Nothing but the President ‘Winning’

Among an array of pro-Trump personalities and media outlets, the president can do no wrong.
The New York Times - 3d
WATCH: Screaming match erupts among house lawmakers over motion to subpoena Elon Musk

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee attempted to subpoena Elon Musk to testify but the procedural motion quickly turned into screaming and name-calling.
ABC News - 3d

More in Politics

Russell Vought, CFPB's new acting head, issues directives to halt portions of bureau activity

Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought issued a series of directives to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employees Saturday night in his new capacity a the bureau's acting ...
NBC News - 10m
VA lists more than 130 jobs ineligible for Trump buyout plan

The majority of nurses, doctors, and other personnel providing care to military veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs do not qualify for the deferred resignation offer from the Trump ...
The Hill - 53m
Schiff calls for firefighter exemption from federal hiring freeze

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Friday urged the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to exempt federal seasonal firefighters from President Trump’s federal ...
The Hill - 2h
Musk says he has no plans to buy TikTok

Tech billionaire Elon Musk said he is not interested in acquiring the video-sharing app TikTok, and has no plans regarding what he would do if he owned it. Musk made the remarks during a virtual ...
The Hill - 2h
Staff placed on leave, map tool shut down in tumultuous week at EPA

EPA staffers have had to contend with dramatic shake-ups. About 1,100 employees were told they could be terminated, and then 168 staffers were put on leave.
NBC News - 2h