CNN
—
Donald Trump continues to enjoy the most favorable ratings of his political career, with the president-elect experiencing far more positive sentiment than he did during his last time in office, according to CNN’s latest poll conducted by SSRS. It has been revealed that he is ready to enter his second term with a strong heart. White House. The public also widely views him as likely to follow through on some of the economic and immigration policy promises that were central to his campaign, using his executive powers to go after his rivals and lead to related convictions. I believe he will also follow through on his threat to pardon those who have been arrested. The attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
As the transition in Washington draws to a close, a majority (55%) continues to approve of President Trump’s handling of the situation, and a majority of Americans (56%) hope he will do a good job in a second term. The survey revealed that this is expected. Ahead of President Trump’s first term, favorable ratings from the public were not very high. At this time in 2017, only 40% of Americans approved of his handling of the presidential transition, while 48% expected him to do a good job as president. But Trump’s more positive ratings still lag behind other recent presidents at the time they took office.
Opinions of Trump personally are currently split between favorable (46%) and unfavorable (48%), the lowest since immediately after the 2016 presidential election (47% favorable, 50% unfavorable). It was the highest number ever. But history shows that this honeymoon period will eventually fade, as presidents experience a decline in positive sentiment throughout their terms.
President Trump will take office for the first time since 2019 with Republicans controlling both houses of Congress. The public appears to be less optimistic about the impact of complete Republican control than they are of Trump becoming president. 53% say Republicans control the Republican Party. The Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Presidency will be bad for the country.
President Trump’s rise in popularity is due to the minority’s expectations that the country’s situation and economy will improve after the new administration takes office. Overall, 56% believe that economic conditions in this country will be very or somewhat better one year from now, and 52% believe that economic conditions in this country will generally be better four years from now. It states that These views differ depending on the political party. Democrats are less likely than Republicans to expect the economy to be in very or somewhat good shape a year from now (85% vs. 31%). Most independents (54%) think the economy will be in good shape a year from now.
This hope for improved economic conditions comes as an overwhelming majority of Americans (80%) believe there is at least some chance that President Trump will impose tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, and China. . And half (including nearly 9 in 10 of those who rate him favorably) think he will reduce the cost of household goods. Many economists argue that President Trump’s tariff plans will increase costs for American households.
Most Americans also believe President Trump is likely to implement an immigration plan that would detain and deport millions of illegal immigrants (74%) and close the border with Mexico (58%). I think it is at least to some extent. Americans are even more divided on whether he can reduce the size and operating costs of the federal government (54% think it is very likely or somewhat likely that he will, compared to 46% % think it is not very likely or not at all likely) or avoid a conflict of interest between Russia and Ukraine to end the war (49% think it is unlikely) 51%) and avoid conflicts of interest between the family company and his job as president (47% likely, 53% likely). About 4 in 10 say he is likely to implement his plan to shut down the Department of Education, and a similar proportion say he is likely to abolish birthright citizenship. . Only about a quarter think he is likely to reduce political divisions in the country.
Mr. Trump’s campaign promises have included unusual uses of presidential power, some of which are widely unpopular, and the majority of which are based on what the president has at least been tested in the polls. We hope that you will make every effort to act accordingly. Roughly 8 in 10 Americans say Trump will pardon most people convicted of involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and fire federal employees who oppose implementing his policies. More than two-thirds believe Trump will indict himself for possible federal crimes and direct the Justice Department to investigate his political rivals, which they believe he will try to pardon.
But his own supporters are even more divided. Fewer than 50% of Americans who voted for Trump in the 2024 election believe he will try to direct the Justice Department to investigate political opponents or pardon himself for possible federal crimes. However, a majority of Trump voters believe Trump will try to fire federal employees who oppose his policies (71%) or those convicted of involvement in the January 6 attack. (77%). By comparison, more than 9 in 10 voters who supported Kamala Harris believe that President Trump will try to take each of these actions.
A minority of all Americans (about 6 in 10) take President Trump’s statements about expanding U.S. territory to places like Greenland and the Panama Canal seriously. By the 2024 vote, these opinions had diverged again, with 68% of Harris supporters and 55% of Trump supporters saying Trump would try such an expansion. Americans are also divided by age and gender, with younger people and men less likely to believe that President Trump will seek to expand U.S. territory, and 53% of adults aged 18 to 44 say that President Trump will seek to expand U.S. territory. 56% of men (compared to 64% of adults over 45) believe he will try (compared to 62% of women).
Opinion polls also show that Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s net favorability rating continues to be lower than his running mate, with 30% of Americans viewing him favorably and 38% viewing him unfavorably. It was also found that the remaining 32% were unsure how they felt about the next vice president. . Roughly one-third of Americans view first lady Melania Trump favorably (33%), compared to 30% unfavorably. Opinions on Melania Trump have also been split almost evenly ahead of her husband’s first term as president. As of January 2017, 36% viewed her favorably and 35% viewed her negatively.
Hopes for President Trump’s second term are brighter than his first, but history shows that a presidential honeymoon often fades shortly after taking office.
Expectations for Joe Biden and Barack Obama were even higher ahead of their first terms (61% think Biden will be a good president, and 79% think the same about Obama). By the beginning of his second year in office, Biden’s approval rating had reached 41%, and he leaves office with an approval rating of 36%. Obama fared even better, winning 51% approval at the beginning of his second year and leaving office with 60% approval.
Trump himself experienced a relative honeymoon period prior to his first term. In November 2016, 53% of Americans said Trump would make a good president, and in January 2017, 48% said the same. When the government first took office, its approval rating was 40%. He left office in 2021 with a 34% approval rating, according to a CNN poll conducted shortly after the January 6 attack.
And polls show that a sizable portion of the public has growing doubts about Trump’s ability to serve as president, largely among those who did not vote for him in last year’s election. Americans are more likely to say that Trump’s words and actions since Election Day have made them more confident in his ability to serve as president than have made them more confident. Nearly four in 10 (38%) say his words and actions have made them less trustworthy, while 25% say their trust has increased and 37% have no influence on their views. The answer is no.
Most Americans who now say they expect Trump to be a good president also say they expect him to lower prices and bring about better economic conditions, with more than half of this group have also said they hope Trump’s policies will be lessened. The actions of the people are attracting attention, including the use of presidential power against political opponents and the pardoning of those convicted of involvement in the January 6th incident. This, along with the prominence of economic issues as the top concern, suggests that perceptions of the economy may be influential. The role of outsized President Trump in the public’s view of his second term. More than 40% of respondents cited economic issues as the biggest issue facing the country today, more than double the number of respondents who cited the next most popular answer (immigration and border security).
The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS between January 9 and 12 among a national random sample of 1,205 adults drawn from a probability-based panel. The survey was conducted online or over the phone with a live interviewer. Results across all samples have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
CNN’s Jennifer Asiesta contributed to this report.