Opinion Today: Topline
Selected links from the February 12, 2026, edition of Opinion Today
Trump's ratings on immigration tumble as Americans lose confidence in his top issue Natasha Korecki and Stephanie Perry, NBC News Support for President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda is in free fall in early 2026 after federal immigration agents shot and killed two Americans last month, according to the new NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey. The administration’s aggressive tactics and deportation goals have dragged down Americans’ views of Trump on the very issue that helped sweep him into office, the survey shows.
Americans support ICE overhaul amid federal funding fight Ben Kamisar and Bridget Bowman, NBC News
As U.S.-Russia Nuke Deal Expires, 2/3 Of U.S. Voters ‘Concerned’ About Nuclear War: I&I/TIPP Poll Terry Jones, tippinsights
Top NATO allies don’t think US helps deter enemies anymore Nicholas Vinocur and Erin Doherty, Politico
Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News Pew Research Center
Majority of Americans express low confidence in journalists to act in public’s best interests Kirsten Eddy, Pew Research Center
How many Americans want their state to secede — and what they would want to happen next Taylor Orth, YouGov
Most Americans don’t see compromise as central to good citizenship Brian Schaffner (Tufts University), Good Authority Special Report: Key Political Violence and Resilience Trends From 2025 Bridging Divides Initiative
Minnesota: Trump’s immigration crackdown deeply unpopular Walker Orenstein, Minnesota Star Tribune
How Minnesotans feel about Trump, immigration and protests Matt DeLong and Dave Braunger, Minnesota Star Tribune
Gallup Will No Longer Track Presidential Approval Ratings Ruth Igielnik, New York Times [unlocked] It’s time for Republicans to ‘up their game’ David Winston (Winston Group), Roll Call Do Democrats Know How to Win? Karl Rove, Wall Street Journal [unlocked] The Democrats Aren’t Built for This Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic [unlocked] The GOP’s Voter ID Bill Is Back and as Cynical as Ever Mary Ellen Klas, Bloomberg Opinion [unlocked] Affordability and the ‘Epstein Class’ Will Define American Politics David Wallace-Wells, New York Times [unlocked] Why the Middle Class Feels Poor Jordan McGillis (Economic Innovation Group), Wall Street Journal [unlocked] The Causal Effects of Tariff Uncertainty on Consumers' Macroeconomic Expectations and Spending Plans Bernardo Candia, James Mitchell and Damjan Pfajfar, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Why Are So Few World Leaders Popular? John Halpin, The Liberal Patriot Thousands of Amateur Gamblers Are Beating Wall Street Ph.D.s Lydia DePillis, New York Times [unlocked]
There’s more in the FULL edition of Opinion Today, sent to paid subscribers today at 5 a.m. ET:
PLAYLIST
Kornacki: ‘Large number’ of independents strongly disapprove of Trump’s immigration agenda
NBC NewsWhy the GOP's voter ID push could backfire. Plus, ICE fallout after Minneapolis.
The Odd YearsPsychodrama (with Stewart Lee)
Strong Message Here