Opinion Today
March 4, 2025
Many Americans and Canadians say higher U.S. tariffs hurt both economies; half of Canadians boycott U.S. companies Franchesca Fu, YouGov With Donald Trump’s calls for Canada to be the 51st state, looming tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods, and an emerging movement among Canadians to "Buy Canadian," YouGov has conducted a new binational survey to understand how Americans and Canadians are reacting to potential tariffs.
Majorities say state of the union is not strong, and Trump is rushing change Domenico Montanaro, NPR News Majorities say the state of the union is not strong, that the country is headed in the wrong direction and President Trump is rushing to make changes without considering their impact, a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds. There are some real warning signs for Trump, particularly with independents, who oppose his cuts to the federal government, as well as his approach to foreign policy and the economy.
How Americans feel about Trump after his first month back in office Matt Loffman, PBS NewsHour Americans are divided about President Donald Trump’s job performance on the eve of his first address to Congress since returning to the White House, according to the latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll. Yet support for him is higher than at any point during his first term.
Majority Says State of the Union is Not Strong Marist Institute for Public Opinion About six weeks into his second term, President Trump’s swift actions have not garnered overwhelming support from Americans. In fact, majorities believe the president is moving too quickly and think the cuts made to federal agencies will do more harm than good.
It's not just eggs: Americans feel prices are higher on most goods Matt Carmichael, Ipsos Four in five Americans (82%) say they're paying higher prices for eggs and dairy than they were a year ago, according to the Ipsos Consumer Tracker
Americans are feeling much less confident about their economic status Matt Carmichael, Ipsos Americans are less confident in their personal economic situation than they were late last year, according to the Ipsos Consumer Tracker: Just 37% say they feel very or somewhat comfortable with their personal economic situation, a 14-percentage-point drop since November.
Where Americans stand on the economy, immigration and other issues as Trump addresses Congress Anna Jackson, Pew Research Center After a whirlwind start to his second term – marked by a flurry of executive orders and cuts to the federal workforce – President Donald Trump will address a joint session of Congress on March 4. Ahead of the speech, here’s a look at U.S. public opinion on key policy issues, drawn from recent Pew Research Center surveys.
Public Perceptions of the Health Harms of Global Warming Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication This report focuses on public perceptions of the health harms of climate change and various sources of energy. Global warming is causing many health harms in the United States. Examples include injuries and deaths due to extreme events such as heat waves, wildfires, storms, and floods, the increasing geographic range of infectious diseases, and increasing exposure to air pollution.
Many Americans are losing faith in the safety of air travel Matt Carmichael, Ipsos Three in five (57%) high-income Americans say they're losing confidence in the safety of air travel, according to the Ipsos Consumer Tracker
More Than Half in U.S. Want Daylight Saving Time Sunsetted Mary Claire Evans and Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup About half of U.S. adults prefer standard time year-round
Only half of men think feminism benefits both sexes Matt Carmichael, Ipsos Most women (66%) think feminism benefits both sexes, but only half of all men agree, and only half of people under age 34, according to the Ipsos Consumer Tracker
A Slim Majority of Voters Think U.S. Democracy Is Currently Working Well Data for Progress A new Data for Progress survey examines likely voters’ perceptions of U.S. democracy and various government institutions, as well as Democrats’ campaign message to “save democracy.” Russians Rather Endure Sanctions than Concede Ukraine War Dina Smeltz, Lama El Baz and Denis Volkov, Chicago Council on Global Affairs A Chicago Council on Global Affairs-Levada Analytical Center survey fielded January 23-29, 2025—just before the United States’ remarkable shift in policy—finds that Russians remain defiant, as most believe the Kremlin should not change course in exchange for sanctions relief. Republicans have only 5 weeks to save their House majority Curt Anderson and Sam Kay (OnMessage), The Hill The Republican House majority could be in jeopardy before the 2026 election cycle even begins. The battle is unfolding now in Wisconsin, where, on April 1, voters will head to the polls for a state Supreme Court race with massive national implications. Poll shows Americans are still deeply concerned about Israel and antisemitism Douglas E. Schoen and Carly Cooperman (Schoen Cooperman Research), The Hill New polling by our firm, Schoen Cooperman Research, conducted on behalf of the Israel on Campus Coalition, reveals that even after 16 months of war, Americans firmly support Israel’s right to defend itself. How Americans Feel About Tariffs Christine Zhang and Ruth Igielnik, New York Times [unlocked] Trump loves tariffs. Do Americans? It depends how pollsters ask the question.
What to expect from Trump's address to Congress Geoffrey Skelley, 538 Trump's flurry of executive actions may foreshadow fewer congressional requests. Trump is walking into danger on his tariffs Aaron Blake, Washington Post The president’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico are due to start Tuesday, but the polling and economic dynamics point to political peril. A Poor North Carolina County Is Counting on Trump for a Comeback Dan Frosch, Wall Street Journal [unlocked] Trump rode a tide of deep economic frustration to win the White House, with assurances of lower prices and a restoration of American economic opportunity. That message resonated in Scotland County, one of North Carolina’s poorest. Scotland County, home to 34,000, was once so reliably Democratic that Republicans rarely bothered to compete in local races. But Trump won the last two elections here. Voters also swept in a GOP majority on the county commission. J. D. Vance Stopped Talking About Eggs Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic [unlocked] Last year, the vice president made prices a central theme of the GOP election campaign. Now that eggs cost more than ever, he’s gone quiet. What Big-Business Leaders, Including Democrats, Say Privately About Trump Steven Rattner, New York Times [unlocked] Behind closed doors, many top executives voice support for the new administration. Can Elon Musk find any fraud before Trump’s base notices the con? Philip Bump, Washington Post [unlocked] The truth is that “fraud” has never been the target. Trump is all-in on DOGE. It’s a political gamble. Megan Messerly, Politico DOGE is threatening to overshadow the president’s popular, and politically crucial, economic and legislative priorities. Vengeance Is His Thomas B. Edsall, New York Times Is Trump wreaking havoc for havoc’s sake or is it something much worse? Would Americans accept Trump’s concessions to Russia? Aaron Blake, Washington Post [unlocked] It’s clear that President Donald Trump is pressuring Ukraine to make concessions. But Americans aren’t sold on giving up territory, and many are concerned about Russia’s threat. Lech Walesa, Polish Labor Leader Who Fought U.S.S.R.’s Power, Joins in Horrified Letter to Trump Andrew Higgins, New York Times [unlocked] He and former Polish political prisoners voiced “horror and disgust” at President Trump’s scolding of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine last week, saying it reminded them of encounters with bullying Communist-era officials. No one knows what will finally stop Trump. So Black leaders are trying everything. Perry Bacon Jr., Washington Post Resistance to the president should include lawsuits, boycotts, marches — and not forgetting history. Meanwhile … This Is What the Democrats Are Doing? Video by Amanda Su and Alexander Stockton, New York Times [unlocked] Donald Trump is already wreaking havoc — even on his own supporters. But don’t worry. Democrats have a winning strategy to beat him. Or not. The Democrats’ young man problem is real Christian Paz, Vox Three theories for the Democrats’ failures with Gen Z men. The House’s Republican edge is gone. But the gerrymander lives. Nicholas O. Stephanopoulos (Harvard Law), Eric McGhee (GWU) and Christopher Warshaw (PlanScore.org), Washington Post [unlocked] For the first time in two decades, the efficiency gap is close to zero. Slotkin leads return of the national security women for Democrats Nathan L. Gonzales, Roll Call They helped their party regain ground in 2018 and could do it again Census Bureau under Trump seeks permission to delete questions about gender identity Mike Schneider, Associated Press The U.S. Census Bureau under the Trump administration has sought permission to delete questions about gender identity from a monthly survey that gathers near real-time data about American life. Where Jeff Bezos Went Wrong With The Washington Post Martin Baron, The Atlantic [unlocked] The billionaire handled his ownership admirably for more than a decade. But his courage failed him when he needed it most.
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PLAYLIST
Poll: Majority Thinks Trump Is Making Changes Too Quickly The NPR Politics Podcast In a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, a majority of respondents think the state of the union is not strong, and that President Trump is moving too quickly in trying to reshape the federal government.
Is The Era Of ‘Macho Man’ Politics Here? 538 Politics Congress has kept relatively quiet during the first month of President Donald Trump's second term, but in the coming weeks it will be thrust into the spotlight. Amidst intraparty Republican debate over tax and spending cuts, Trump will deliver an address to Congress on Tuesday night. Legislators will also be tasked with funding the government by March 14 or face a shutdown. In this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, Galen speaks with Rachael Bade and Geoffrey Skelley about what to expect from congressional negotiations. They also ask whether a new poll on attitudes around gender norms is a good or bad use of polling.
What Americans think about Trump's second term so far PBS NewsHour As President Trump gets ready to address Congress for the first time since reentering the Oval Office, our latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll offers a new look at what the American public thinks about the actions his administration has taken in the first 43 days. Lisa Desjardins walks us through the numbers.
Americans split over whether Trump's government changes are positive, CBS News poll shows CBS News A new CBS News poll shows an overwhelming amount of Americans think President Trump is making major changes to the government for better or for worse. CBS News executive director of elections and surveys Anthony Salvanto unpacks the numbers.
Harry Enten breaks down poll on how Americans view Russia CNN CNN Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten looks at new polling that shows a major shift in how Americans view the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on the fallout over Ukraine and public opinion about Trump PBS NewsHour NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including the fallout from President Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and analysis of the latest PBS News poll.