Most Republicans believe former President Donald Trump reflects their moral values and most Democrats say the same about President Joe Biden, according to a new poll.
A Deseret News/HarrisX poll asked over 1,000 registered U.S. voters, “To what extent does Donald Trump reflect your personal values?” Among self-described Republican voters, 38% responded “a great deal” and 41% said “some.”
When the same question was asked about Biden, 43% of Democrats said “a great deal” and 41% said “some.”
The poll was conducted Feb. 26-27 among 1,007 registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.
Responses largely fell across party lines. While nearly 4 in 5 Republicans said Trump reflects their personal moral values, only about one-third said the same of Biden. And while 84% of Democrats say Biden reflects their values, only 16% of Republicans say the same.
The results reflect previous findings from Deseret News/HarrisX polling that show a partisan divide in discerning moral character in leaders. In a September 2023 poll, 53% of Republicans said they see Trump as a “person of faith,” more so than any other politician listed — including Biden, former Vice President Mike Pence, and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney. In a November poll, when asked the same question, the figure grew to 64% of Republicans — nearly two-thirds.
Meanwhile, less than 25% of Republicans in both polls said they see Biden as a person of faith, even though over 60% of Democrats say he is.
When asked if Biden and Trump reflect their personal moral values, independents offered similar responses to both. About one-third said they did, while a plurality — 43% for Trump, 41% for Biden — said the men do not reflect their moral values “at all.”
When given specific labels to further describe their political preferences, like “MAGA Republican,” “Never-Trump Republican” or “Moderate Republican,” an overwhelming 61% of MAGA Republicans said Trump reflects their values “a great deal,” and another 28% said he reflects their values “some.” Only 3% — within the margin of error — said “not at all.”