Welcome to the online edition of From The Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that provides the latest reports and analysis from the NBC News Politics team’s White House, Capitol Hill and Campaign Trail.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! In today’s edition, Scott Brand is split into tight divisions revealed by the first NBC News Voting of the Year. Additionally, Curtis Bunn reports on how Tesla is no longer the former left-hand status symbol.
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– Adam Walner
Deep sectors that define American politics
By Scott Brand
The election results change the people who hold power, and they change the course of history. But it doesn’t always change your mind, at least in the short term.
This is a major takeaway from the latest NBC News vote, and across dozens of questions we find the United States is as close and connected as it was before the November election.
Consider the question about government efficiency, one of the centralities of action in the Trump administration. Did you get asked, “The government should do more to help solve problems and meet people’s needs,” or whether “the government is doing more than what’s left for businesses and individuals,” 56% choose to do more, and 42% say the government is “doing too much.”
But at the same time, voters are open to the idea of finding government cuts and greater efficiency: 46% say it’s a good idea to establish a Doge, while 40% say it’s a bad idea (and the rest say they have no opinion or are not sure).
At the same time, 47% say they view Doge negatively, compared to 41% who view it positively. And there’s some hesitation about what Doge actually did. They also have a willingness to support themselves in further support, depending on what happens. A third of voters say they need to continue operating as is, with 28% saying “It’s necessary, but we need to slow down to assess the impact,” while another third said “it’s reckless and should be stopped right now.”
Such a sector is evidenced through polls – and in fact, all over the US.
Trump’s approval rating is as high as he’s ever had as president, but the majority of registered voters are still disapproved. Democrats and Republicans are essentially tied together in the early midterm vote exams in 2026, but Democrats’ views are as negative as ever, driven in part by fed Democrats.
And, at least so far, the country has come on Trump’s immigration policy, but he’s scored negatively on other issues, such as the handling of the economy.
Check out the full voting here.
Details from the NBC News Voting: Most Americans support Ukraine. But almost half believe Trump prefers Russia.
Things you need to know from today’s President Trump
Federal judges have heard debates over the Trump administration’s use of alien enemies. Deport people accused of being members of a Venezuelan gang. A professor at Brown University’s medical school was sent back to Lebanon last week despite having a valid visa. Trump continued to launch attacks in the Middle East this morning, warning that Iran will take responsibility for the Iranian-backed Hooty rebels “have great power.” Comments came after ordering a series of airstrikes in Yemen’s Hooty area on Saturday. Trump argued that it was ineffective because the Capitol Riot signed an “Auto Pen” without citing former President Joe Biden’s pardon against members of the House committee that investigated January 6, 2021. Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, told CNBC there was “some uncertainty” in the economy due to Trump’s tariff policies. China’s state media is celebrating Trump’s move towards US and other US government-funded press agencies, and other US government-funded press agencies opposed to the authoritarian regime. Trump said his administration will release “All the Kennedy Files tomorrow,” roughly 80,000 pages of records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Follow the live update →
Tesla is no longer a progressive status symbol
By Curtis Van
It wasn’t enough to announce that Sen. Mark Kelly of D-Ariz had removed Tesla. He did that with X, a social media platform led by Elon Musk, who took over as CEO of the electric car company in 2008.
Kelly made a reason to abandon cars that at once made clear progress and the achievements of cars and the environment: Musk and his politics.
“Every time I’ve got in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of how much damage Elon Musk and Donald Trump are doing to our country,” Kelly posted.
Other well-known figures outside the political realm, including actor Jason Bateman and musician Sheryl Crowe, have recently dumped their Teslas as well.
The emergence of masks and government efficiency with President Donald Trump and its enormous federal job cuts were a turning point for many progressives that owned the groundbreaking vehicles once loved as Tesla is the country’s top selling electric vehicle.
Read more →
today’s other top stories
Exclusive Exclusive Interview: In an interview with Henry J. Gomez, Vice President J. Vice President J. Vice President J. Vance admitted that Elon Musk made a “mistake” while firing mass shootings of federal employees, stressing that he believes there are “many good people who work in the government.” Read more → 👀Trump 2.0: Peter Nicholas writes that it is often the cost of being in Trump’s crosshairs as he tries to quickly implement his agenda. Read more → Work from home: Federal workers ordered to return to the office full time look at the irony of the time Trump spent working (and golf) in Florida. Read more Read more → 📺Shoomer Shut Down Fallout, Continue: Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn. added to “Meet the Press,” that while he still supports Schumer as the leader of the Senate party, Democrats should change their tactics. Read more →
For now, it’s all from the political desk. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Bridget Bowman.
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