--- title: Donald Trump Is His Own Worst Spokesperson, Poll Finds description: The majority of Americans think President Donald Trump would be better off leaving his public remarks to another spokesperson canonical: https://time.com/4800450/donald-trump-speech-approval-poll-sean-spicer-kellyanne-conway/ author: Aric Jenkins article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-31T23:29:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T05:12:04.156Z article:section: Politics og:title: Poll: Most Americans Think President Trump Is His Own Worst Spokesperson og:description: And Press Secretary Sean Spicer isn't helping, according to respondents og:url: https://time.com/4800450/donald-trump-speech-approval-poll-sean-spicer-kellyanne-conway/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9f6c2ffe8261b322/6988cf97cf40a81468c47ede/170601-investing-socially-conscious.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2100 og:image:height: 1181 og:image:alt: 170601-investing-socially-conscious og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Poll: Most Americans Think President Trump Is His Own Worst Spokesperson twitter:description: And Press Secretary Sean Spicer isn't helping, according to respondents twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9f6c2ffe8261b322/6988cf97cf40a81468c47ede/170601-investing-socially-conscious.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Poll: Most Americans Think President Trump Is His Own Worst Spokesperson > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Aric Jenkins](https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins May 31, 2017 11:29 PM UTC  President Donald Trump speaks to U.S. military troops at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Saturday, May 27, 2017, in Sigonella, Italy. President Donald Trump speaks to U.S. military troops at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Saturday, May 27, 2017, in Sigonella, Italy. Evan Vucci—AP by [Aric Jenkins](https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins May 31, 2017 11:29 PM UTC The majority of Americans think President [Donald Trump](http://time.com/4796621/paris-agreement-donald-trump-g7-summit/) would be better off leaving his public remarks to another spokesperson — and Press Secretary [Sean Spicer](http://time.com/4800211/sean-spicer-james-comey-russia-marc-kasowitz-donald-trump/) isn’t the solution either, according to a new poll. A [survey from Monmouth University](https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/MonmouthPoll%5FUS%5F053117/) has found that six in ten Americans (61%) think that Trump “does more to hurt his own cause when he speaks on behalf of the administration.” Only 33% believe he helps the administration when he speaks publicly, the poll found. And while the White House is usually prepared to pass off such responsibility to an appointed press secretary, Spicer isn’t doing much better to communicate the administration’s agenda, according to respondents. The poll found that 42% of those surveryed said Spicer hurts rather than helps — and just 28% said he helps the President when he addresses the media at the press room podium. As counselor to Trump who has made her fair share of television appearances, one might think [Kellyanne Conway](http://time.com/4785882/seth-meyers-on-kellyanne-conway-interview/) might be suited for the job, but the poll doesn’t reflect that stance either. Exactly 40% said Conway damages the President’s administration when she speaks compared to 28% who said that she helps. So who is the best option to communicate Trump’s thoughts and actions? According to the poll, Vice President [Mike Pence](http://time.com/4796186/vice-president-mike-pence-naval-academy-graduation-commencement/) should take the stage more often. A majority of 53% said Pence does more to help the President — just 29% said he does more harm when he speaks on behalf of Trump. “This is the epitome of a no-win situation. It’s not as if Trump’s appointed spokespeople are doing worse than the man himself. It may simply be an impossible task to represent this president and come off as credible,” Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement. Monmouth’s poll was conducted over the phone from May 13 to May 17 with 1,002 adults in the U.S., though the University says no interviews were conducted on May 14\. 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