Majorities of both Harris and Trump supporters say that, if elected, it would be acceptable for the candidate they support to use executive orders to make policies when they can’t get their priorities through Congress. But supporters of each candidate overwhelmingly reject the potential use of executive orders by the opposing candidate in this way.
On other expansive uses of presidential power that have come up at points during the campaign, there are notable distinctions between Harris and Trump supporters. Substantial shares of Trump supporters say they would accept certain actions from a future President Donald Trump, even as far smaller shares of Harris supporters would view those actions as acceptable if performed by a future President Kamala Harris.
Using executive orders to make policy
Nearly six-in-ten Trump supporters (58%) say that it would be probably (38%) or definitely (20%) acceptable for Trump to use executive orders to make policies were he to win the presidential election. A similar share of Harris supporters (55%) say it would be probably (43%) or definitely (12%) acceptable for Harris to do this should she win.
Yet identical shares in each coalition (88%) say it would be either definitely (63%) or probably (25%) unacceptable for the other candidate to use executive orders to make policy should they become president, even when they can’t get their priorities through Congress.
Ordering law enforcement to investigate political opponents
A narrow majority of voters who back Trump (54%) say it would probably (31%) or definitely (23%) be acceptable for a future President Trump to order federal law enforcement officials to investigate Democratic political opponents.
By contrast, just 27% of Harris backers say it would be acceptable for a future President Harris to order the investigation of Republican opponents. Nearly three-quarters of Harris backers (72%) say it would be unacceptable.
And only about one-in-ten supporters of each candidate say it would be acceptable for the other candidate to order investigations into their political opponents.
Firing federal workers who are not personally loyal to them
While a majority of Trump supporters (58%) say it would be unacceptable for Trump to fire any federal government workers, at any level, who were not personally loyal to Trump, 41% say this would be acceptable.
By comparison, just 12% of Harris supporters say it would be acceptable for her to do this if she becomes president. Trump supporters are slightly more likely to say it would be acceptable for Harris to do this if she won (15%) than Harris supporters are to say this about their own candidate.
Pardoning friends, family or supporters who have been convicted of a crime
Roughly four-in-ten Trump supporters (42%) also say it would be probably (29%) or definitely (13%) acceptable for Trump to pardon friends, family or political supporters who have been convicted of a crime should he win the presidency.
Harris supporters overwhelmingly say it would not be acceptable for Harris to pardon friends, family or political supporters were she to win: 91% describe this as unacceptable.
Should the president work with the opposing party in Congress?
Three-quarters of registered voters say that the next president should work closely with members of the opposing party in Congress. Far fewer (23%) say the next president should advance their own programs and not worry about working with the opposing party in Congress.
Large majorities of both Harris and Trump supporters say that the next president should seek out opportunities for bipartisanship, though Harris supporters are 10 percentage points more likely to say this than Trump supporters (80% vs. 70%).
Views in 2016
- In a Pew Research Center survey fielded just before the 2016 presidential election, similar shares of Trump and Hillary Clinton backers said that the next president should work closely with members of the opposing party.
- But views shifted following the election: In a 2016 post-election survey, those who reported voting for Clinton were 32 points more likely than those who voted for Trump to say the new president should work closely with the opposing party.
Voters who express confidence that their candidate will win in November are less likely than others to say the next president should work closely with members of the opposing party in Congress.
Among Harris supporters, those who expect Trump to win the election are 7 points more likely than those who say Harris will clearly win to express a desire for the next president to reach out to the other party.
These differences are even more pronounced among Trump supporters.
About eight-in-ten Trump backers who expect Harris to win the election (81%) favor the next president seeking out compromise. That share drops to 70% among Trump supporters who think Trump will win but aren’t certain, and to 64% among Trump supporters who think it’s clear that Trump will win.
