Standing in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday, President Donald Trump promised a long list of crackdowns and policy changes, capturing a mood that elated the Republican Party and the American right as a whole.
“My recent election is a mission to completely and completely reverse this horrific betrayal,” Trump said. “As our victory showed, the entire country is rapidly uniting behind our policies, and support from nearly every element of society has increased dramatically.”
Once he becomes president, Trump’s movement may feel culturally and politically dominant. Republicans won the popular vote in both the presidential and congressional elections. Trump’s popularity is at an all-time high. Behind him are broligarchs, celebrities, and big companies.
But from another perspective, Trump’s popularity has probably peaked, and modern presidents tend to start their terms with high approval ratings before the public becomes disillusioned. After all, he barely won the election. Republicans control Congress with only a slim majority. And most of his high-profile policy proposals aren’t as popular as he claims.
Most Americans don’t outright reject everything President Trump proposes (at least not yet). President Trump’s positions on at least three different issues are extremely popular. However, there is a difference between public support and President Trump’s claims.
Where Americans support Trump
Earlier this month, the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, Marist College, and the public opinion and market research firm Ipsos (in partnership with The New York Times) conducted a poll to gauge Americans’ feelings about various actions proposed by President Trump. did. or position.
Even if it doesn’t do much to give President Trump a mandate, the result is clear. Americans are fairly evenly divided on most issues. But they support the Trump campaign on at least three fronts: pursuing an isolationist foreign policy, decreasing tolerance for transgender people, and pursuing a restrictive immigration policy.
For example, an Ipsos poll found that 6 in 10 Americans believe that we should “pay less attention to foreign issues and focus more on domestic issues.” And a majority think the federal government is spending too much money on aid to both Israel (53%) and Ukraine (51%).
Views on both countries are a reversal from early 2024, when an Ipsos poll showed a slim majority supported continued military aid to both countries.
The majority also sides with Trump on gender identity and transgender rights. For example, the highly politicized issue of transgender female athletes’ participation in women’s sports isn’t necessarily a top concern for many Americans, but an Ipsos poll shows about 80% say this is acceptable. I don’t think it should be done.
Also, about 7 in 10 Americans, including nearly all Republicans and most Democrats, believe that doctors should not be allowed to prescribe puberty blockers or hormone therapy to people under the age of 18. It is said that there is no.
Opinions on immigration policy are different.
Polls over the past two years paint a far more confused picture of President Trump’s plans for immigration and border security.
They are generally showing animosity toward the status quo. Americans are angry about the influx of legal and illegal immigration during President Biden’s term, concerned about the security situation at the southern border, and actively turning their backs on a welcoming welcome. Approaches to migration.
But when asked more specific questions, Americans become more critical. Both the AP-NORC and Ipsos polls show that an overwhelming majority of respondents support some form of legal immigration, indicating that citizens place some value on welcoming outsiders. It means believing that there is. About 30% of respondents (mostly Republicans) think the U.S. should reduce legal immigration “a lot” or “a little,” and 24% think the government should increase legal immigration. The rupture reflects some of the tensions within the Trump alliance, as some pro-business advocates like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy argued with anti-immigration Trump supporters in late December. are.
Opinions are also mixed regarding illegal immigration. An Ipsos poll found that about 55% of Americans, including a third of Democrats, support “deporting all illegal immigrants.” In the AP-NORC poll, 43% say the same. Support increases significantly when it specifically proposes deporting people with criminal records or those who crossed the southern border during the post-pandemic surge. An Ipsos poll finds 87% support the former and 63% support the latter.
But when you ask about exceptions, that support changes. Sixty-three percent of Americans strongly or somewhat support protections for DACA recipients, immigrants who were children when they entered the United States illegally.
This complexity is not conveyed by the way Mr. Trump and his supporters talk about mass deportations and raids. They will speak, and likely act, as if there is overwhelming support for eliminating all illegal immigrants. But what has been consistent over the years is that Americans have become accustomed to the idea of mass deportation in theory. However, once you see the match in action, your opinion will change.
What the public doesn’t seem to want
And then there are the things Americans are less excited about: tariffs, prosecution of political opponents, the January 6, 2021 pardon, rioters, and the revocation of birthright citizenship.
The Ipsos poll captures content related to executive orders signed by President Trump. The executive order seeks to overturn the birthright citizenship guarantee for children of illegal immigrants, the 14th Amendment that says anyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen. In fact, 55% of the population rejects this.
We also have a duty to oppose President Trump’s political retaliation plans. Nearly three-quarters of Americans reject the idea that President Trump should use the government to investigate political opponents, but a separate AP-NORC poll found that only one in 10 Americans reject the idea that President Trump should use the government to investigate political opponents. Two people have been shown to support his pardon proposal. Number of people who participated in the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Six out of 10 people oppose amnesty.
And finally, the American people are not excited about either the broad or targeted tariffs that President Trump says he wants to enact. Nearly half of American adults say they “somewhat” or “strongly” oppose new tariffs on all foreign goods, according to an AP-NORC poll. A slim majority also opposes reducing additional tariffs, particularly those targeting China and Mexico, according to the Ipsos poll.
It may seem semantic to claim that the approval rating of Trump supporters is not that simple. But the nuance here is important. The coming months will be filled with attempts by the new administration to push through major changes under the guise of being “mandated.” But a closer look reveals what policy shifts the public actually supports and which they don’t.
I read 1 article last month
Here at Vox, we’re unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you: democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the growing threat of polarization across our country.
Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that lets you stay informed and help shape your world. Becoming a Vox member directly strengthens our ability to provide in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.
We count on readers like you. Please join us.
Swati Sharma
vox editor in chief
