Opinion Today
February 27, 2025
Record Surge in Republican Satisfaction With State of Nation Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup Thirty-four percent of U.S. adults are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S., up from 20% in January. The increase in satisfaction is driven by a surge among Republicans, whose satisfaction jumped from 10% in January to 68% this month. In contrast, Democratic satisfaction tumbled from 32% to 5%. More independents are satisfied now than a month ago, 30% versus 18%.
Donald Trump's administration, policies, government cuts, and attitudes to other countries: February 23-25, 2025, Economist/YouGov Poll Taylor Orth, YouGov This week’s Economist/YouGov poll covers opinions of Donald Trump administration figures, Trump policy proposals, government budget cuts, the state of U.S. democracy, and Trump's attitude toward world powers.
Americans have grown more supportive of restrictions for trans people in recent years Pew Research Center A new Pew Research Center survey finds that majorities of U.S. adults favor or strongly favor laws and policies that: Require trans athletes to compete on teams that match their sex assigned at birth (66%); Ban health care professionals from providing care related to gender transitions for minors (56%). At the same time, 56% of adults express support for policies aimed at protecting trans people from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces.
Most LGBTQ adults expect Trump’s policies to affect gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people negatively Pew Research Center As a second Trump administration gets underway, 78% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adults in the United States say they expect the administration’s policies to have a negative impact on people who are transgender. And 71% expect a negative impact on those who are gay, lesbian or bisexual, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off Pew Research Center After many years of steady decline, the share of Americans who identify as Christians shows signs of leveling off – at least temporarily – at slightly above six-in-ten, according to a massive new Pew Research Center survey of 36,908 U.S. adults.
Five Key Insights Into Americans' Views of the News Media Megan Brenan and Lydia Saad, Gallup Trust in media has dropped precipitously in recent years, particularly among young adults and Republicans
Trump approval rating holds steady at 44%, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Reuters President Donald Trump's approval rating held steady over the past week, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that found 44% of respondents approved of his performance over his first month in office. Voters Are Concerned About Recent Layoffs and Budget Cuts at the U.S. National Park Service and Forest Service Catherine Fraser and Grace Adcox, Data for Progress New polling from Data for Progress finds that strong, bipartisan majorities of likely voters hold favorable views of the U.S. National Park Service (75%) and U.S. Forest Service (74%). Despite recent budget cuts and layoffs at the National Park Service and Forest Service, Data for Progress finds that only 10% of voters support decreasing federal funding for national parks and forests — including only 4% of Democrats, 7% of Independents, and 16% of Republicans. Californians and Their Government Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Lauren Mora and Deja Thomas, Public Policy Institute of California These are the key findings of the Californians and Their Government survey on the changing federal landscape, national issues, state issues, and the state budget that was conducted February 4–11, 2025.
Arizona: GOP Voters Still Searching for a Gubernatorial Primary Frontrunner Noble Predictive Insights Arizona Republicans are starting to think about the 2026 gubernatorial primary, with about half of them already having an idea who they might support, according to recent public opinion polling data from Noble Predictive Insights’ latest Arizona Public Opinion Pulse. This survey highlights voters’ preferences and expectations for both the Republican primary and the general election matchup. Massachusetts: Bay State Residents Continue to Support ‘Right to Shelter’ Law University of Massachusetts Amherst Six in 10 respondents to the survey support the law, though large numbers are also in favor of a slate of limits and requirements on the shelter system Republicans Really Do Care More About ‘Masculine Energy’ Michael Tesler, John Sides and Colette Marcellin, New York Times [unlocked] Although there is a lot of focus on the longstanding gender gap between men and women in voting, the two parties are actually divided less by gender than by their attitudes about gender.
Understanding the Drivers of Americans’ Views on Immigration Policy Diana Orcés, PRRI This Spotlight Analysis examines Americans’ views on three specific immigration policies tracked by PRRI over time: (1) providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, (2) granting legal resident status to immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children, and (3) building a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. In addition, through a multivariate analysis, this Spotlight explores how a variety of factors, including political affiliation, religion, and media consumption, shape attitudes toward restrictive immigration policies today. Trump turned sharply against Zelensky. Now the MAGA base has, too. Aaron Blake, Washington Post It’s the latest episode of Trump’s base quickly adopting his posture, despite the evidence. Americans Are Following the Trump News More Than I Expected Quoctrung Bui, New York Times [unlocked] It turns out that, broadly speaking, Americans have not lost the plot just yet. A majority of Americans said they were familiar with 14 of 17 news stories that took place in Trump’s first month in office, according to a new survey by YouGov. What political scientists see as worrisome, Republicans see as welcome Philip Bump, Washington Post [unlocked] Many Trump supporters welcome a strongman government, with 55 percent viewing it positively.
Polls: No really; it’s still the economy, stupid Jason Dick, Roll Call From last year’s exit polls to this month’s surveys, a trend holds steady Republicans Gamble on a Regressive Economic Agenda Andrew Duehren, New York Times The House Republican budget plan would pair tax cuts that primarily benefit the rich with cuts to programs that help the poor. Republicans could be touching the third rail on Medicaid Aaron Blake, Washington Post The House-passed budget proposal pretty clearly requires cutting Medicaid, and that’s a big political problem. This Theory Is Behind Trump’s Power Grab Cass R. Sunstein (Harvard), New York Times [unlocked] If the president gets his way, it will mark a significant change in the operations of the national government and a major shift in power. Trump keeps toying with a third term — even though the Constitution forbids it Peter Nicholas, NBC News A coterie of Trump loyalists wants to explore options to change the Constitution so he can run again. Musk’s Cabinet Cameo: The Elephant in the Room Wore Black Shawn McCreesh, New York Times [unlocked] At the first cabinet meeting of his second term, President Trump asked Elon Musk to speak first. The man tasked with slashing the federal government spoke far more than anyone else, other than Mr. Trump. Musk’s Fraudulent Fraud Squad Pamela Herd and Don Moynihan, Can We Still Govern? A tired trope gets a new lease of life The Adolescent Style in American Politics Jill Filipovic, The Atlantic [unlocked] The version of manhood placed on display by Trump and his aides is the one imagined by teenage boys. Trump’s Plan for a Greatly Diminished America Howard W. French, Foreign Policy [unlocked] Washington is rapidly destroying its international goodwill while Moscow and Beijing cheer along. Jeffries takes heat as Democrats’ base seeks anti-Trump fight Kadia Goba and David Weigel, Semafor Hakeem Jeffries is three seats away from the House majority. First, though, he must face a problem that’s familiar to his Senate Democratic colleagues: He has no clear plan to answer activists clamoring for more anti-Trump fight. The anti-Trump resistance begins to wake in earnest Naftali Bendavid and Maeve Reston, Washington Post [unlocked] After an initial period of stunned confusion, protesters are packing meetings, states are suing, and Democrats are preparing for a budget showdown. In Trump’s Washington, a Moscow-Like Chill Takes Hold Peter Baker, New York Times [unlocked] A new administration’s efforts to pressure the news media, punish political opponents and tame the nation’s tycoons evoke the early days of President Vladimir V. Putin’s reign in Russia. Trump Airport, Trump Day: GOP Loyalists Try to Turn Adulation Into Law Katy Stech Ferek and Xavier Martinez, Wall Street Journal [unlocked] Lawmakers seek to score political points with bills to rename Washington Dulles, update Mount Rushmore and turn the president’s birthday into a new federal holiday Jeff Bezos declares opinions questioning “free markets” no longer welcome at The Washington Post Joshua Benton, Nieman Lab Months after insisting he would never allow his personal interests to influence the Post’s content, one of the world’s richest men decides opinions contrary to his “will be left to be published by others.” Bezos Orders Washington Post Opinion Section to Embrace ‘Personal Liberties and Free Markets’ Benjamin Mullin, New York Times [unlocked] David Shipley, The Post’s opinion editor, is resigning after trying to persuade Jeff Bezos to reconsider the new direction. House District Loyalty in the Trump Era J. Miles Coleman, Sabato’s Crystal Ball Last year, we broke down how the current House districts voted from 2008 to 2020, looking specifically at the partisan loyalty over time. Most districts, not surprisingly, stayed with presidential nominees of one party or the other in all four elections. Many of the districts that saw competitive races last fall came from some type of “non-straight party” category. Today, we are doing something of an update on that article, although we are limiting our focus to only Trump-era presidential elections. How ticket-splitting voters could shape the 2026 midterms Ian Anson (U. of Maryland, Baltimore County), The Conversation To better understand ticket-splitting in Maryland’s 2024 election, I analyzed a survey that my university conducted in Baltimore County. Baltimore County is a bellwether county that has backed the winning gubernatorial candidate in every election since 2006. How Trump's push for Canadian statehood would hurt the GOP Geoffrey Skelley, 538 Democrats would flip the House and get a boost in presidential and Senate races. Why diversity and success are inextricably linked Mark Mellman (Mellman Group), The Hill When a military helicopter crashed into a civilian airliner at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport, sending all 67 souls aboard both aircraft to icy graves in the Potomac, President Trump immediately blamed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The president failed to adduce an iota of evidence implicating DEI in this horrific tragedy, but there is a vast body of facts making clear that what the president regards as “common sense” is flat wrong. Trump Administration Ends Global Health Research Program Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times [unlocked] The Demographic and Health Surveys were the only sources of reliable information in many countries on metrics such as mortality, nutrition and education.
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PLAYLIST
Cooperative Power with Mike Podhorzer Cross Tabs In this episode of Cross Tabs, host Farrah Bostic speaks with political strategist Mike Podhorzer about what real democracy looks like beyond elections. They discuss how labor unions provide essential counterbalance to corporate power, why judicial supremacy has undermined democratic governance, and how precise language matters when describing political realities. Podhorzer explains that collective power through organizing is the only viable path to resist authoritarianism and restore responsive governance.
The Ripple Effect Of Musk's Government Purge Fresh Air DOGE has eliminated thousands of federal jobs and canceled more than 1,000 contracts. Harvard professor Elizabeth Linos warns, "We're seeing harms that are not going to be easily undone."
Everybody's Miserable Strong Message Here Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Farage says everybody is miserable, Trump says everything is a 'disaster', and Liz Truss chimed in saying Britain is a 'failed state', so Helen and Armando are trying to find out why those who claim to be patriots are keen to talk the country down? And why Starmer and Reeves' downbeat language has had real life consequences.