Opinion Today
February 4, 2026
Support for immigration is rising and a majority of Americans say the Alex Pretti shooting was not justified Taylor Orth, YouGov Americans have become more positive about immigration since the start of Donald Trump's second term and many believe his approach to the issue has been too harsh. Majorities support several proposals for increasing regulation of ICE — including requiring body cameras and judicial warrants — and nearly half of Americans want the agency to be abolished.
60% disapprove of the work of ICE, with Democrats and independents opposed to ICE and Republicans in favor Marquette Law School Poll • 37% say shooting of Renee Good was justified, 62% say it was not justified • General support for deportations remains steady, with 56% favoring deporting those in the U.S. illegally • Overall approval of President Trump is at 42%, continuing a gradual decline • Opinion of the state of the economy improves from November • Looking ahead to November, 48% of registered voters say they would vote for the Democratic candidate for Congress and 44% would vote for the Republican candidate.
Americans place high importance on immigration officer training and conduct Alec Tyson and Bernard Mendez, Ipsos A new Ipsos poll finds that 80% of Americans place a high importance on training and conduct standards for federal immigration officers. The survey underscores Americans’ multiple priorities on immigration, with majorities placing high importance on secure borders and enforcement of current immigration laws, as well as a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants currently in the country.
ICE Unpopularity Soars, Voters Support Impeaching Kristi Noem Data for Progress A new survey from Data for Progress finds that in the wake of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, voters’ favorability of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has plummeted.
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Beyond MAGA: Immigration Policy More in Common US Newsletter The Trump coalition’s consensus on immigration was forged by a sense of urgency about controlling the Southern border. Today, it is united in crediting the Administration for restoring control at the border, but agreement within the coalition breaks down around considerations of due process and methods of deportation.
Approval of Donald Trump's handling of his job and inflation rise slightly David Montgomery and Taylor Orth, YouGov The share of Americans who approve of Donald Trump's job handling increased this week, but remains steady over recent weeks. Americans say the Democratic Party is better at handling health care, but prefer the Republicans for handling six other issues including immigration, taxes, and crime.
U.S. military intervention in Iran has little support but half of Americans think it's likely to happen soon Taylor Orth, YouGov More Americans oppose than support U.S. military intervention in Iran for each of three ways of describing it, including using force to overthrow Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and bombing Iran in response to its treatment of protesters.
Half of Americans plan to watch the Super Bowl and slightly more will tune in to the Winter Olympics David Montgomery, YouGov Half of Americans plan to watch the Super Bowl, with slightly more cheering for the Seattle Seahawks than for the New England Patriots. Just over half say they'll watch at least some events from the Winter Olympics, where figure skating is the most popular event among Americans.
Economic Anxiety Is a Global Problem Jon Clifton and Benedict Vigers, Gallup When Gallup asked people around the world what single issue matters most to their countries in 2025, the answer was the same nearly everywhere: the economy.
New York State: Hochul Continues to Hold Commanding Leads Over Blakeman, and Among Dems, Delgado Siena Research Institute • Gov. Hochul’s 49-40% favorability rating is up from 43-41% in December • Senator Schumer now has a 39-46% favorability rating, up a little from 36-49% in December • Trump has a 33-63% favorability rating; his overall job approval rating is 34-63% • 67% view ICE unfavorably; 67% say ICE tactics have gone too far Utah: Persistent inflation is straining household budgets Art Raymond, Deseret News A new statewide survey reveals deep concerns among Utahns when it comes to the current state of the U.S. economy and identifies their biggest single worry when it comes to managing household budgets. The Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll, conducted Jan. 7 — 12 of 799 registered Utah voters finds an overwhelming proportion of respondents, some 85%, reporting they are somewhat or very concerned about the country’s economy. Polls Show Strong G.O.P. Support for Trump on Immigration Ruth Igielnik, New York Times [unlocked] A small, but growing, share of Republicans say that enforcement has gone too far, after the killing of two Minneapolis protesters. Could the Democrats’ generic ballot lead be too much for the GOP? Decision Desk HQ Democrats now lead Republicans by 5 points in the race for the U.S. House Our understanding of partisanship and ideology is outdated Natalie Jackson (GQR Research), National Journal [unlocked] Twenty percent of Democratic-leaning independents say they are “far left.” Trump's Base Is Tiring of Him at a Bad Time Ronald Brownstein, Bloomberg Opinion Cracks are opening in the foundation of President Donald Trump’s coalition: working-class White voters. That could be crucial in November’s midterm elections. For Democrats, improving their performance among those voters is the key to expanding their map of opportunities in both the House and Senate. Trump Doubles Down on Calls for Republicans to Nationalize Elections Ken Thomas, Wall Street Journal [unlocked] President says federal government agents should be involved in counting votes, a role the Constitution explicitly grants to states Trump’s New Threats to American Elections David A. Graham, The Atlantic [unlocked] The reasons to worry about election integrity are becoming more urgent. Trump Is Doubling Down on All the Wrong Things Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic [unlocked] Republicans are worried about the midterm elections, but the president doesn’t seem to be. The Predatory Hegemon: How Trump Wields American Power Stephen M. Walt (Harvard Kennedy School), Foreign Affairs Trump has been called a realist, a nationalist, an old-fashioned mercantilist, an imperialist, and an isolationist. Each of these terms captures some aspects of his approach, but the grand strategy of his second presidential term is perhaps best described as “predatory hegemony.” Its central aim is to use Washington’s privileged position to extract concessions, tribute, and displays of deference from both allies and adversaries, pursuing short-term gains in what it sees as a purely zero-sum world. Donald Trump Has Built a Clicktatorship Donald Moynihan (University of Michigan), The Atlantic [unlocked] Even the administration’s budget proposals read like Truth Social posts. Dear media, stop acting like Trump means what he says Margaret Sullivan, American Crisis Whether over "a deal" on Greenland or a "pivot" on ICE, we need far more skepticism Trump Is a Backlash President Julia Azari (Marquette University) and John Guida, New York Times [unlocked] It’s never a good sign for American politics when chatter spreads about a new civil war. We seem to be in one of those moments again. Julia Azari, a political science professor at Marquette, the writer of the newsletter Good Politics/Bad Politics and the author of, most recently, “Backlash Presidents: From Transformative to Reactionary Leaders in American History,” has thoughts about why we have come back to such an intense moment of national strife. This is what democracy looks like Philip Bump Democracy isn’t solely about elections or about the exercising of aggregated national power. As the old protest chant has it, activism is also what democracy looks like. Citizens piecing together ad hoc institutions to confront oppression is democracy. People stepping up to protect the country when Congress and the Supreme Court won’t is democracy. In Ohio, I Caught a Glimpse of the New Resistance Michelle Goldberg, New York Times [unlocked] It’s not just blue America where people are readying themselves for disaster. Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon John Woodrow Cox, Washington Post [unlocked] In October, a retiree emailed a DHS attorney to urge mercy for an asylum seeker. Then DHS subpoenaed his Google account and sent investigators to his home. ICE Is Watching You Tressie McMillan Cottom, New York Times [unlocked] ICE knows that it cannot shoot us all. But the Department of Homeland Security is close to being able to track us all. DHS Face-Scanning App Pulls From 1.2 Billion‑Image Database Patrick Howell O'Neill, Bloomberg [unlocked] The technology is used through an app called Mobile Fortify, which draws facial recognition and fingerprint data from multiple government databases, including Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology and Automated Biometric Identification System. Will calls to 'abolish ICE' sway voters in 2026? The strategy has Democrats split Elena Moore and Ximena Bustillo, NPR News The Trump administration's immigration efforts have led some Democrats to call for abolishing ICE. Others won't go as far, wary of appearing out of step with voters who want immigration laws enforced. How Stephen Miller Stokes Trump’s Boundary-Pushing Impulses Josh Dawsey and Tarini Parti, Wall Street Journal [unlocked] The White House aide has been an architect of aggressive immigration sweeps in U.S. cities and deadly boat strikes in the Caribbean American Democracy Will Not Die in Darkness Paul Krugman Which means that it might — might — survive Chaos in Minneapolis Exposes an Internet at War With Truth Stuart A. Thompson, Tiffany Hsu and Steven Lee Myers, New York Times [unlocked] Technological advances and an erosion of trust have transformed the way news unfolds online, distorting shared reality. Project 2028 Thomas B. Edsall, New York Times [unlocked] This column is an experiment of sorts: an outline of items in a hypothetical 2028 Democratic Party platform designed to restore the party’s appeal to centrist working- and middle-class voters. Money isn’t enough to save incumbents in wave elections Nathan L. Gonzales, Roll Call 2006 and 2010 midterms show financial bar is lower when voters demand change Racial Debate Rattles Texas Democratic Primary for Senate J. David Goodman, New York Times State Representative James Talarico used the word “mediocre” in connection with a former House member who is Black. The controversy has repercussions for a key contest. Texas Democrats taste victory, then turn on each other Patrick Svitek and Maegan Vazquez, Washington Post Days after their win in a state Senate race, reports of a racially charged comment roil the U.S. Senate primary contest. The Electoral College Is Poised to Get Tougher for Democrats Michael Baharaeen, The Liberal Patriot Census projections add new urgency to the party’s quest to build a competitive coalition. Josh Shapiro to unveil plan for managing the data center boom in Pennsylvania Allan Smith, NBC News The Democratic governor and potential presidential candidate is among those wading into new AI-adjacent political issues confronting both parties. International AI Safety Report 2026 UK AI Security Institute This Report assesses what general-purpose AI systems can do, what risks they pose, and how those risks can be managed. It was written with guidance from over 100 independent experts, including nominees from more than 30 countries and international organisations. When Trump withdraws from global agreements, will the public follow? Sabrina B. Arias (Lehigh University) and Lotem Bassan-Nygate (Harvard Kennedy School), Good Authority New evidence shows that Trump’s actions can change minds, but there are limits. ‘Don Colossus,’ a Golden Statue of President Trump, Waits for Its Home David Yaffe-Bellany, New York Times [unlocked] A group of cryptocurrency investors backing a memecoin hopes the statue will soon be installed at one of Mr. Trump’s golf courses in Florida. Trump plans to install Christopher Columbus statue outside White House Dan Diamond and Olivia George, Washington Post The president has worked to recognize the explorer, saying Italian Americans should “remember” his efforts when they go vote.
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PLAYLIST
How Young Voters Are Reacting to Trump's ICE Raids Politics War Room James Carville and Al Hunt along with John Della Volpe discuss the shifting attitudes of young people towards political issues, particularly in light of recent events. They explore how younger generations perceive these issues on a personal level, the importance of listening to their voices, and the innovative use of AI in polling to gather real-time insights. The discussion highlights the need for political engagement that resonates with the personal experiences of young voters and the potential of new research methods to enhance understanding of public opinion.
Diving into what Republican voters think about U.S. elections CBS News President Trump is urging Republicans to "nationalize" elections while falsely claiming that he won the 2020 presidential race. CBS News executive director of elections and surveys Anthony Salvanto discusses how voters felt coming out of the 2020 election.