Voters overwhelmingly believe it is fair to say America was founded on the ideals of freedom, equality, and self-governance: 77% believe it to be true, and just 16% disagree. However, neither party currently has a majority who believe it favors those beliefs. In fact, the numbers for each party are nearly identical: 47% say Democrats support America's ideals, and 49% say Republicans do.
These numbers are predictably driven by partisan divides: 83% of Democrats say their party supports America's ideals, and 88% of Republicans say the GOP does. The bump in the GOP is due to Trump-policy supporters, the more extreme wing of the Republican party. To see more about how RMG and Napolitan make these distinctions, see our 4-Way Choice Tracking page.
MAGA, Progressives Viewed Equally
Only 36% of voters believe MAGA Republicans support America's founding ideals, including just 40% of Traditional GOP voters. Progressives don't fair any better: 36% believe they support the country's founding ideals. However, Democrats are more united than Republicans; majorities of both wings of the Democratic party say Progressives support America's founding ideals.
Trump and America's Ideals
Just 39% of voters now say the President of the United States supports the country's founding ideals. This is a new low for the president, and down 9 points from February, when he took office. Less than 3 in 4 Republicans (73%) are convinced President Trump believes in the ideals of Freedom, Equality, and Self-Governance. Thirteen percent (13%) say he does not, and 13% are not sure.
As is often the case, voters in the political bubble have different views than everday Americans. While half (49%) of voters who talk about politics at least Most Days say the President supports America's founding ideals, just 35% of voters who talk politics less than that agree.
A Closer Look at Freedom, Equality, and Self-Governance
Six in 10 voters (58%) say Freedom is the most important of the three founding ideals listed. Three in 4 Republicans (74%) hold this view, while Democrats narrowly prefer Equality by a margin of 47% to 43%. Overall, just 8% of all voters rate Self-Governance as the most important ideal.
Voters acknowledge that there is a conflict between freedom and equality. Half (51%) say there is, while just a third (34%) say there is not. A solid majority (61%) of Democrats say there is a conflict, while this time, Republicans are divided. Forty-two percent (42%) of GOP voters say there is a conflict, and 41% disagree.
Whether or not there is a conflict, 62% of voters say freedom is more important than equality. More than 8 in 10 Republicans (82%) hold this view, while once again, Democrats are split. Forty-eight percent (48%) say equality is more important, while 44% say freedom is. Among Democrats, AOC-policy voters choose equality by a margin of 52% to 41%. Traditional Democratic voters say freedom is more important by an almost identical margin of 51% 41%.
This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, June 17-18, 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.
