Normal view

There are new articles available, click to refresh the page.
Before yesterdayMain stream

Trump begins second term in stronger position than the first: poll

29 January 2025 at 17:13

President Donald Trump is kicking off his second tour of duty in the White House in a stronger polling position than during the start of his first administration eight years ago, a new national poll indicates.

Forty-six percent of voters say they approve of the job the Republican president is doing so far, with 43% disapproving, according to a Quinnipiac University survey released on Wednesday.

The poll was conducted Jan. 23-27, during Trump's first week back in the White House following his Jan. 20th inauguration.

The president's approval rating is an improvement from Quinnipiac polling in late January 2017 – as Trump began his first term in office – when he stood at 36% approval and 44% disapproval.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING SHOWS

The survey indicates a predictable huge partisan divide over the GOP president.

"Republicans 86-4 percent approve of the job Trump is doing, while Democrats 86-8 percent disapprove," the poll's release highlights. "Among independents, 41 percent approve, while 46 percent disapprove and 13 percent did not offer an opinion."

While Trump's first approval rating for his second term is a major improvement from his first term, his rating is below the standing of his predecessor, former President Biden, in the first Quinnipiac poll from his single term in office.

CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS COVERAGE OF TRUMP'S FIRST 100 DAYS

Biden stood at 49%-36% approval at the start of February 2021.

His approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. But Biden's numbers sank into negative territory in the late summer and autumn of 2021, in the wake of his much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan, and amid soaring inflation and a surge of migrants crossing into the U.S. along the nation's southern border with Mexico.

Biden's approval ratings stayed underwater throughout the rest of his presidency.

Trump has kept up a frenetic pace during his first week and a half in office, with an avalanche of executive orders and actions. His moves not only fulfilled some of his major campaign trail promises, but also allowed the returning president to flex his executive muscles, quickly put his stamp on the federal government, and also settle some longstanding grievances.

"In our first week in office, we set records, taking over 350 executive actions," Trump touted on Wednesday. "That's not been done before, and it has reportedly been the single most effective opening week of any presidency in history."

TRUMP MOVING AT ‘WARP SPEED' DURING HIS FIRST DAYS BACK IN OFFICE

According to the new poll, six in ten approve of Trump's order sending U.S. troops to the southern border to enhance security.

"The huge deployment of boots on the ground is not to a dicey, far away war theater, but to the American border. And a majority of voters are just fine with that," Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said.

The poll indicates 44% support deporting all undocumented immigrants, while 39% back deporting only those convicted of violent crimes.

According to the survey, 57% disapprove of Trump's pardoning or commuting the sentences of more than 1,500 people convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters aiming to upend congressional certification of Biden's 2020 election victory.

Meanwhile, by a two-to-one margin, those questioned gave a thumbs down to Biden's issuing of preemptive pardons – in his final hours in office – for five members of his family who haven’t been charged with any crimes. Voters were divided on Biden's preemptive pardons for politicians and government officials who Trump had targeted for retaliation.

The poll also indicates that 53% disapprove of Elon Musk – the world's richest person – enjoying a prominent role in the new Trump administration, with 39% approving.

Democrats lost control of the White House and the Senate majority and failed to win back control of the House in November's elections. And the new poll spells more trouble for them.

Only 31% of respondents had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, with 57% seeing the party in an unfavorable light.

"This is the highest percentage of voters having an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party since the Quinnipiac University Poll began asking this question," the survey's release noted. 

Meanwhile, the 43% of those questioned had a favorable view of the GOP, with 45% holding an unfavorable opinion, which was the highest favorable opinion for the Republican Party ever in Quinnipiac polling.

Quinnipiac questioned 1019 self-identified registered voters nationwide. The survey's overall sampling error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Poll reveals most popular – and least-liked – parts of Trump's agenda

20 January 2025 at 11:33

A new poll released on Inauguration Day reveals some of the most popular, as well as the least liked aspects, of President-elect Trump's agenda. 

The survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research provides insight into the stances among U.S. adults on mass deportations, tariffs, potential pardons for Jan. 6 rioters and increased drilling of U.S. oil and gas, among other proposals brought by the soon-to-be 47th president on the 2024 campaign trail. The poll found that a sizable share of Americans hold a neutral view on parts of Trump's agenda, signaling that public opinion could easily shift in coming weeks. 

The poll of 1,147 adults was conducted Jan. 9 through 13, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

STEVE BANNON WARNS OF WORLD CONFLICT THAT COULD BE 'TRUMP'S VIETNAM'

Among his campaign promises, Trump has vowed to launch the largest deportation program in U.S. history. According to the AP-NORC poll, targeted deportations of immigrants who have been convicted of a crime would be popular among U.S. adults, even if they involved immigrants who are in the country legally. 

The poll found that about eight in 10 U.S. adults favor deporting all immigrants living in the U.S. illegally who have been convicted of a violent crime – including about two-thirds who are strongly in favor – and about seven in 10 support deporting all immigrants living in the U.S. legally who have been convicted of a violent crime. Yet, only four in 10 of U.S. adults are in support of deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally and have not been convicted of a crime, according to the survey.

Trump has also proposed sweeping tariffs on foreign goods imported into the United States, and the transition team reportedly has been working on a gradual roll-out plan aimed at off-setting the potential of inflation rising as a result. 

Almost half of U.S. adults "somewhat" or "strongly" oppose imposing a tariff, also referred to as an import tax, on all goods brought into the U.S. from other countries, according to the AP-NORC poll. 

The poll found that about three in 10 are in favor, and about one-quarter are neutral, saying they neither favor nor oppose this policy. The AP assesses that opinion could move in either direction if the tariffs are implemented.

Republicans are much likelier than Democrats and independents to support broad tariffs, but about four in 10 are either opposed or unsure. Just over half of Republicans favor imposing a tariff on all goods brought into the U.S.

Trump indicated on the campaign trail that he would likely issue pardons for many of the more than 1,500 people charged in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. 

The AP-NORC poll found that about two in 10 U.S. adults "somewhat" or "strongly" favor pardoning most people who participated in the Capitol riot. 

Meanwhile, about six in 10 "somewhat" or "strongly" oppose the proposal, including half who are strongly opposed, and about two in 10 are neutral.

As for members of Trump's party, the poll found that about four in 10 Republicans favor pardoning many of the Jan. 6 participants, while about three in 10 are neutral, and about three in 10 are opposed.

BIDEN PARDONS MARK MILLEY, ANTHONY FAUCI, J6 COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Trump has vowed to establish American "energy dominance," often repeating the chant, "Drill, baby, dill" at rallies while touting his plan to bring down energy costs by increasing U.S. oil and gas drilling, including on federal lands

But the AP-NORC poll found the majority of U.S. adults are split on the issue. About one-third of Americans "somewhat" or "strongly" favor increasing oil drilling on federal lands, while about 4 in 10 are opposed. 

The rest – about one-quarter – are neutral, saying they neither favor nor oppose increasing oil drilling on federal lands. 

Republicans broadly favor increasing oil drilling, but the proposal is not popular among Democrats or independents, according to the poll. 

Trump has indicated that he would pull out of the Paris climate agreement a second time once he takes office.

According to the AP-NORC poll, about half of Americans "somewhat" or "strongly" oppose withdrawing from the agreement. 

Only about two in 10 U.S. adults are "somewhat" or "strongly" in favor of pulling out of the deal aimed at reducing carbon emissions, while about one-quarter are neutral.

The AP assesses that most of the opposition comes from Democrats, but Republicans show some uncertainty as well. Slightly less than half of Republicans are in favor, while about three in 10 are opposed.

A federal judge in Kentucky recently rejected the Biden administration’s attempt to redefine sex in Title IX as "gender identity," blocking the change nationwide.

The AP-NORC poll categorized Biden's Title IX rewrite as promoting discrimination "protections" for transgender or LGBTQ+ students, but the Trump campaign has highlighted stories from women and girl athletes who have spoken out about losing scholarship opportunities and feeling uncomfortable and unsafe when forced to compete against, or change in locker rooms with, biological males identifying as female. 

The survey found opposition is higher than support "for eliminating protections for transgender students" under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits any high school or college that receives federal funds from discriminating on the basis of gender.

Almost half of U.S. adults "somewhat" or "strongly" oppose getting rid of these protections, while about three in 10 are in favor, and the rest are neutral, according to the survey. 

Trump pressured lawmakers to raise or eliminate the national debt ceiling at the end of last year as Congress scrambled to reach a spending deal that averted a government shutdown. 

The poll found that about half of U.S. adults oppose eliminating the debt ceiling, while about one-quarter are in favor, and about three in 10 are neutral, signaling there could be room for public opinion to shift. 

Democrats are only slightly more likely than Republicans to oppose getting rid of the debt ceiling, according to the survey. 

Trump has also pushed for tax cuts for Americans, and notably coined the campaign slogan "No tax on tips." The poll found that just over half of U.S. adults favor eliminating taxes on earnings from tips. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Majority say Biden will be remembered poorly as president says farewell to the nation: poll

15 January 2025 at 09:16

More than half of Americans say that President Biden will be remembered as a below-average or one of the worst presidents in the nation's history, according to a new national poll.

Just over a third of adults nationwide questioned in a Marist poll released on Wednesday said Biden will be remembered as one of the worst presidents in American history, with another 19% saying he will be considered a below-average president.

Twenty-eight percent of participants offered that Biden's legacy will be considered average, with 19% saying he would be regarded as an above average or one of the best presidents in the nation's history.

The poll was released just hours before the president delivers his farewell address to the nation, with just days left before Biden's term ends and he is succeeded by President-elect Trump in the White House.

WILL HISTORY BE KIND OR UNKIND TO PRESIDENT BIDEN?

In his Oval Office speech, Biden will likely aim to cement his legacy as a president who pushed to stabilize politics at home while bolstering America's leadership abroad, and as a leader who steered the nation out of the COVID-19 pandemic and made historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy while lowering prescription drug prices.

Biden, in a letter to Americans released early Wednesday morning, emphasized that when he took office four years ago "we were in the grip of the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War."

And he touted that "today, we have the strongest economy in the world and have created a record 16.6 million new jobs. Wages are up. Inflation continues to come down. The racial wealth gap is the lowest it’s been in 20 years."

But the Marist poll is the second straight national survey to indicate history will likely not view Biden kindly.

According to a USA Today/Suffolk University survey released on Tuesday, 44% of voters nationwide said history will assess Biden as a failed president, with another 27% saying he will be judged as a fair president.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING RESULTS

Twenty-one percent of those questioned said history will view Biden as a good president, with only 5% saying he will be seen as a great president.

The president's single term in the White House ends next Monday, Jan. 20, as Trump is inaugurated as Biden's successor.

However, according to the USA Today/Suffolk University poll, 44% also said that Trump will be seen by history as a failed president. 

One in five said that Trump would be viewed as a great president, with 19% saying good and 27% saying he would be judged a fair president.

Trump ended his first term in office with approval ratings in negative territory, including 47% approval in Fox News polling from four years ago.

In Marist polling four years ago, as Trump finished his first term, 47% thought he would be remembered as one of the nation's worst presidents.

A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SAY THIS IS HOW THEY'LL VIEW BIDEN'S PRESIDENCY

Biden stands at 42% approval and 50% disapproval in Marist's new survey, as the president departs the White House. He stood at 43%-54% approval/disapproval in the USA Today/Suffolk University poll.

Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. However, the president’s numbers started sagging in August 2021 in the wake of Biden's much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan, and following a surge in COVID-19 cases that summer that was mainly among unvaccinated people.

The plunge in the president’s approval rating was also fueled by soaring inflation – which started spiking in the summer of 2021 and remains to date a major pocketbook concern with Americans – and the surge of migrants trying to cross into the U.S. along the southern border.

Biden's approval ratings slipped underwater in the autumn of 2021 and never reemerged into positive territory.

As Trump gets ready to once again assume the presidency, the Marist poll indicates opinions of him remain low, with 44% of Americans viewing him favorably and 49% holding an unfavorable opinion of the incoming president.

However, opinions about Trump's first term have risen in numerous polls conducted since his convincing victory in November's presidential election over Vice President Kamala Harris. The vice president succeeded Biden in July as the Democrats' 2024 standard-bearer after the president dropped out of the race following a disastrous debate performance against Trump.

The poll also indicates that Americans have high expectations for Trump when it comes to the economy.

"While many Americans feel the current economy is not working well for them, residents nationally have grown more optimistic about the future of their own finances," the poll's release highlights.

The survey also indicates Americans are divided about Trump’s proposed mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. 

According to the poll, more than six in 10 disapprove of Trump's pledge to pardon his supporters who were convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The Marist poll was conducted Jan. 7-9, with 1,387 adults nationwide questioned. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Significant majority believe Trump will 'control illegal immigration': poll

3 January 2025 at 09:08

A strong majority of Americans believe that President-elect Donald Trump will control illegal immigration, as the president-elect eyes a historic mass deportation campaign and additional border security measures when he takes office this month.

A Gallup poll released Thursday found that 68% of Americans predict that Trump will control illegal immigration. Just 28% of those polled said he would not.

Trump made tackling illegal immigration the cornerstone of his presidential bid, as the country reeled from a historic migrant crisis at the southern border.

TRUMP SAYS HE'S NOT CHANGED HIS MIND ON H-1B VISAS AS DEBATE RAGES WITHIN MAGA COALITION

"We're going to fix our borders. We're going to fix everything about our country," he said after winning the election in November.

Trump has promised to launch the "largest domestic deportation operation in American history."

The former president has also promised to invoke the Alien Enemies Act to "remove all known or suspected Gang Members, drug dealers, or Cartel Members from the United States" and shift law enforcement to immigration enforcement. He has also promised to resume construction of a wall at the southern border. Construction started in his first administration but was largely stopped by the Biden administration.

Fox Digital has previously reported on plans to increase the use of ankle monitors among those unable to be detained and the possibility of expanding immigration detention near major metropolitan areas. Trump has appointed former acting ICE Director Tom Homan as border czar and nominated South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be the next Homeland Security secretary.

DEMS URGE BIDEN TO EXTEND CONTROVERSIAL IMMIGRANT PROGRAM; TRUMP SAYS HE'LL CUT IT 

Other issues which those polled believe Trump will find success with include reducing unemployment (60%), keeping the U.S. safe from terrorism (60%), improving the economy (58%) and keeping the country out of war (55%).

Majorities also believe that Trump will cut taxes, reduce the crime rate and "increase respect for the United States abroad."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Those polled were less convinced, however, that Trump will improve healthcare (40%), improve the environment (35%) and heal political divisions in the country (33%).

A Fox News Poll in December found that a majority of voters were excited about the incoming administration. At least half said they were hopeful (54%) or relieved (50%), and just under half feel excited (48%).

The survey found the economy remains the most important issue (34%), with immigration and border security a distant second (21%). No other issue reached double digits, including abortion (7%), which was a top issue all year.

Fox News Poll: Negative economic and political ratings for Biden as he exits

12 December 2024 at 18:00

Joe Biden ends his presidency with voters by a 30-point margin saying they have been hurt rather than helped by his economic policies.

In addition, a new Fox News national survey finds that most voters not only have negative views of the economy (77% negative) and their personal financial situation (62% negative) — they also feel things are getting worse (64%). Three-quarters say inflation has caused them financial hardship over the last six months, including about one-third who call it a "serious" hardship, and those numbers have held steady for more than two years.  

Views on the economy are in negative territory by 54 points (23% positive, 77% negative). That is worse than at the beginning of Biden’s term by 14 points, and that increase in pessimism comes a touch more from Democrats (16 points) than Republicans (13) and independents (11).

While few Democrats say Biden’s economic policies have hurt them (17%), only one-third say they helped (33%), with half saying his policies didn’t make a difference either way (50%).  

Overall, nearly three times as many say the president’s economic policies have hurt (47%) rather than helped them (17%), while one-third say no difference (35%).

FOX NEWS VOTER ANALYSIS: HOW TRUMP REGAINED THE WHITE HOUSE

Big picture, 68% are unhappy with the direction of the country (up 3 points since August). That small increase comes mainly from a 20-point jump in dissatisfaction among Democrats, which is mostly offset by fewer Republicans being dissatisfied by 15-points — presumably both shifts can be attributed to Trump’s re-election.  

On the whole, only 1 in 4 think history will consider Biden an above-average president. One in 3 says he will be remembered as one of the country’s worst presidents, which is a touch better than the 4 in 10 who said the same about Trump at the end of his first term. Yet, in 2020, three times as many said Trump (22%) would be remembered as "one of the country’s greatest presidents" as feel that way about Biden today (7%).

Looking ahead, 39% think the economy will get better in 2025. That’s up from 22% who felt that way a year ago. 

There is a significant partisan gap in views on the economy’s future, as Republicans (63%) are more than three times as likely as Democrats (17%) to say it will be better next year. 

"The election post-mortems have emphasized the role of the economy in shaping the outcome, and it’s obvious that bad economic vibes hurt the incumbent party," says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who helps run the Fox News Poll along with Democrat Chris Anderson. "What we’re seeing is a predictable shift toward optimism among Republicans and independents. We’ll see if Trump can sustain and perhaps even expand on that momentum with policies that lower prices and decrease taxes." 

Biden leaves office with a 41% job approval rating, just one point above his record low. Fifty-eight percent disapprove, including about 1 in 5 Democrats and most independents (76%). Disapproval is at all-time highs among voters under age 45, Hispanics and urban voters.  

Biden’s 41% approval is lower than Trump’s 47% approval at the end of his first term, former President Barack Obama’s 57% when he left office and former President Bill Clinton’s 62% approval in 2000, but higher than former President George W. Bush’s 34% approval at the end of his presidency.  

Overall, the president received his record high of 56% approval in June 2021 — one of only five times more voters than not rated him positively. His approval rating hit a record low of 40% in July 2022, November 2023 and October 2024.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS FEEL HOPEFUL POST-ELECTION, WANT TRUMP TO FOCUS ON INFLATION

Biden ends his term with lopsided negative ratings on some key issues, as only about one-third approve of the job he’s doing on border security (31% approve-67% disapprove) and inflation (34%-64%). His marks on foreign policy are a bit better (37%-60%), but that is a record low, and he is still underwater by 23 points.  

After repeatedly promising not to, Biden granted a presidential pardon to his son, Hunter, on Dec. 1 for multiple felony convictions. Sixty-three percent of voters disapprove of the pardon — about double the share who approve (32%). Six in 10 Democrats approve, while 7 in 10 independents and 9 in 10 Republicans disapprove.

Overall, views are the same when voters are asked about Trump’s commitment to pardon people convicted for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol: 62% disapprove, 34% approve. The partisan dynamic here flips, as 9 in 10 Democrats and 7 in 10 Independents disapprove, while 6 in 10 Republicans approve.  

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Conducted Dec. 6-9 under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,015 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (125) and cellphones (699) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (191). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error associated with results among subgroup is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data. 

CLICK HERE FOR TOPLINES AND CROSSTABS

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

❌
❌