Most Americans think Trump megabill will benefit wealthy people: Survey

Nearly two-thirds of Americans think the “big, beautiful bill” will do more to help wealthy people, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

That includes 48 percent of Republicans, 60 percent of independents, and 83 percent of Democrats, according to the poll, which was released on Friday.

The bill extends many of the tax cuts passed by Republicans in 2017 during President Trump’s first term, alongside significant reductions to welfare services. Democrats have assailed the law as a historic transfer of wealth to the rich from the poor.

Sixty-one percent of Americans also said the law would do more to hurt low-income people.

However, the two parties were divided on the question of low-income Americans. Less than a third of Republicans said the bill would do more to harm low-income people, compared to 90 percent of Democrats.

Democrats are hoping to use the bill’s cuts to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other government support programs as key messaging during the upcoming 2026 midterms. The bill’s effects on low-income Americans, however, could take several years to show.

The bill’s deepest funding cuts to Medicaid, which could result in millions losing their insurance in the next 10 years, will not kick in until 2028, although work requirements could begin by the end of 2026. Changes to SNAP will also not go into effect until 2028.

The bill has also garnered criticism for its long-term additions to the national debt, estimated to be in the trillions. Many economists have expressed concerns about its cost at a time when government spending was already thought to be unsustainable in the long run.

In the poll released Friday, approval of Trump’s handling of government spending was down to 38 percent, compared to 46 percent from an AP-NORC poll in March. 

About two-thirds of Americans think the government is spending too much, with Republicans and Democrats in agreement, according to the poll.

The poll surveyed 1,437 adults between July 10 and July 14, with a margin of error of 3.6 percentage points.