The U.S. Census may be the most consequential data set in America. It determines how political representation is apportioned in Washington and how trillions of dollars in federal funding are allocated. But the data contained in the Census shouldn't always be taken at face value. In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, Galen Druke speaks with historian Dan Bouk about his book, "Democracy's Data: The Hidden Stories in the U.S. Census and how to Read Them."
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Washington Finally United America: 89% Say Government Corruption Is Widespread
A record-high 89% of Americans believe corruption is widespread throughout the US government, according to Gallup. This is a 10-point jump from just one year agoâthe largest single-year increase since 2006-2007.
And independent voters are even more pessimistic.
Gallup found 90% of independents believe corruption is present in every corner of government, up 12 points from 2024. That puts independents roughly in line with Democrats, at 91%, while 83% of Republicans say the same.
Think about that for a second.
It is getting harder and harder to identify 80-20 issues, much less 90-10, but clearly US voters look at what is happening at the federal level and nearly everyone agrees: something stinks.
Notably, Gallup is not making any determination of how much illegal or illicit conduct exists in government. It only records perception. However, perception matters when it comes to democratic legitimacy.
A political system cannot simply assume public confidence when overwhelming numbers of its citizens, both party members and independents, believe the system itself is compromised.
Especially, when the system does not incentivize those in power to change this perception. The number of Americans who believe corruption is widespread in government hasn't dipped below 70% at any point in modern history.
And yet, those in power have done nothing to clean up Washington. In the minds of voters, it is only getting dirtier.
Independent Voters Aren't Just Following the Partisan Tide
Independent voters are an important bloc to examine here because their perception is not influenced by who is in the White House or who has the majority in Congress.
Democratic attitudes toward corruption shifted dramatically after control of the White House changed. Just 57% of Democrats said government corruption was widespread during President Biden's final year in office.
That jumped to 76% during President Trump's first year back in office and now stands at 91%.
Republicans have been more consistent. About 8 in 10 currently see widespread corruption, even with Republicans controlling the White House and Congress.
But the skepticism among independents has persisted, regardless of which party is in power.
Their confidence in the legislative and executive branches, along with the government's ability to handle major problems, has fallen more than 20 points since the 1970s.
That type of decline matters when examining the growth of independent voters.
Gallup reported in January that a record 45% of US adults identified politically as independent in 2025, compared with just 27% each identifying as Republicans or Democrats.
In some states, registered independent voters make up the majority (look at Alaska, Colorado, and Massachusetts.)
Gallup polling alone may not prove that perceived corruption and institutional distrust are two factors in the rise of independents. But the trends are difficult to ignore side by side:
Voters are refusing to join a party at the same time confidence in those parties and institutions controlled by them remains extraordinarily low.
This Isn't Just One Poll
Gallup's corruption numbers fit a much larger pattern. Pew Research Center reported in December that just 17% of Americans trusted the federal government to do what is right always or most of the time.
At the same time, an AP-NORC poll found only 11% of Americans were extremely or very confident that the federal government could make progress on the nation's biggest problems.
Among independents, that number was just 5%.
And Gallup reported in July that average confidence across 14 major American institutions stood at only 27%, a figure that has remained below 30% for five consecutive years.
Twelve of the 14 institutions tracked were at or near their historic lows.
There is a bigger issue here than whether voters approve of Donald Trump, congressional Republicans, Democrats, or any individual politician.
Presidents change. Congressional majorities change. The party voters blame changes.
The distrust doesn't.
When 90% of independent voters believe corruption is widespread, the question for America's political establishment isn't simply how to win their votes in November.
It's why they should trust the system asking for their votes in the first place.
Washington Finally United America: 89% Say Government Corruption Is Widespread is republished as part of The Fulcrumâs partnership with IVN and the Latino News Network to expand voterâfirst journalism and strengthen publicâcentered coverage of democracy.
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U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on August 14, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Trump is traveling to Long Island to tour law enforcement facilities in Nassau County and rally support for local Republican candidates ahead of the upcoming midterm elections
Travel Far Enough, You Meet Yourself
Is it possible that our President has simply not traveled enough?
Born and raised in Queens and attending Fordham University in the Bronx, Donald Trump has no record of traveling outside New York until he was over 20, when he transferred to a college in the neighboring state of Pennsylvania. Were his formative years amiss, then, in his learning about other places and other people?
Is his view akin to the famous New Yorker cover by Saul Steinberg, an illustration of the United States with New York City as the epicenter of the country and the Hudson River the border of the known world? We can now at least add Washington, D.C., and Mar-a-Lago to the map of âthe realm.â
Our President has now traveled some, but what we recommend is another kind of travel. Not a state-sponsored trip or a venture to scout locations for future Trump Towers. This would be a genuine travel experience, enriching and eye-opening, showcasing other cultures and ways of living.
It will extend far beyond viewing military parades, hobnobbing with such âunderstandingâ world leaders as Kim Jong Un, or taking tea with the King.
WHERE, then, should the President go? As Elon Muskâs Starship spacecraft is not yet ready to take passengers to Mars, perhaps he could explore our own vast country?
Maybe he could travel to âflyover country,â the farming states, where his ying-yanging tariffs and trade restrictions have played havoc with rural economies. Or possibly to California, number one in homeless U. S. citizens, and while there, regale homeless veterans (approximately 32,500 nationwide) with tales of his brave exploits invading and bombing foreign countries.
Or he might tour the Great Lakes, and rename the other four?
WHEN should he go? This will be tough, as he is very busy building his ballroom and renaming bodies of water.
How about a trip in early November, around the midterm elections? Despite the long-discredited accusation of widespread voter fraud, it would be reassuring to know he might be so caught up divvying out ladles of soup in a soup kitchen somewhere that he wouldnât remember to deploy the military for âelection security.â
HOW will he travel? He should definitely not take his Qatari-donated, newly renovated 747, especially after last time, when he had to be smuggled off clandestinely in a catering truck. Itâs unlikely any traveling companions, like the Secretary of State or of the Treasury, are going to fall for the ruse a second time. Besides, we may need those people. No more decoys!
Perhaps the President could fly commercially, although this likely would expose him to undue suffering. Without gold bathroom fixtures and maple wood floors, the trip will be no âLuxury Experience.â If only he still had his âTrump Shuttle,â bought with a massive loan he later defaulted on, saying then, âIâm smart. I got out at a good time.â
Considering the potential pitfalls, maybe itâs best the President travel incognito, disguised perhaps as an elderly woman wearing a lot of bronzer.
Wherever, whenever, however: our President needs a vacation.
Moreover, we need a vacation from him.
If the President refuses our travel suggestions, hereâs another idea:
Letâs get him a pet! He has never owned a pet. As we know with our children, pets teach essential life lessons: compassion and empathy; they instill a sense of responsibility. There is a well-established connection between those who can care for a pet and those who can care for people.
So, which pet should we choose? A puppy? A kitten? A boa constrictor?
Imagine, the President may even decide he likes having a pet. After all, what is more obedient than a well-trained dog, besides possibly the Cabinet? And what is more docile than a sweet kitten, other than plausibly the Supreme Court?
The President may even become more mellow with a pet afoot and less likely to slap tariffs on our allies, or attempt to annex our neighbors, or bully our Congress. (Realizing, of course, a bully requires active participation from the bullied to maintain his status.)
Maybe we should do both: get the President a pet and devise a travel plan for him. (Do you think we could possibly convince him to leave his phone at home?)
Letâs go for it! After all:
Travel far enough, you meet yourself. (David Mitchell)
And for our President, that would likely be the most profound discovery of all.
Amy Lockard is an Iowa resident who regularly contributes to regional newspapers and periodicals. She is working on the second of a four-book fictional series based on Jane Austenâs âPride and Prejudice."