Opinion Today: Topline
Selected links from the May 22, 2026, edition of Opinion Today
Economic Confidence Sinks Further, Worst Since 2022 Megan Brenan, Gallup Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index has fallen to its lowest point in nearly four years, when Americans were also spending well above $4 for a gallon of gasoline and paying higher prices for a range of goods. With just 16% of Americans rating the economy as excellent or good and 76% saying conditions are getting worse, the public mood heading into summer 2026 is markedly darker than it was at the start of the year.
Americans oppose spending $1 billion on White House ballroom 68% to 21% G. Elliott Morris, Strength In Numbers
Fox News Poll: Voters see welfare fraud as common, still mostly favor protecting benefits over crackdowns Victoria Balara, Fox News
Poll Suggests a Possible Path Forward for Democrats Nate Cohn, The New York Times [unlocked] A Generational Pullback From World Affairs Searchlight Institute
Democrats Lead the Generic Ballot by 8 Points as Midterms Approach Data for Progress
Following Callais: Views on Supreme Court Remain Mixed But Reforms Are Popular Tina Tang, Navigator Research
Survey Highlights Persistent Uncertainty on STI Vaccines Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Arizona: Trump Approval Hits All-Time Low as Democrats Narrowly Lead Generic Ballot Noble Predictive Insights
Maine: Pan Atlantic Research Omnibus Poll Pan Atlantic Research
Montana: U.S. Senate candidates largely unknown to voters, poll finds Tom Lutey, Montana Free Press
Montana: Poll finds Jacobsen, Busse most favorable in Western District primaries Tom Lutey, Montana Free Press
Profanity is a hallmark of Trump’s second term, a Post analysis finds Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Clara Ence Morse, Lydia Sidhom and Eric Lau, The Washington Post [unlocked] America spent decades adapting to baby boomers. Now comes the ‘bucket-list boom’ Philip Bump, CT Insider
Trump’s Endgame Is Surrender Robert Kagan, The Atlantic [unlocked] Trump Just Took Us Somewhere the Country Has Never Been Before Noah Shachtman, The New York Times [unlocked] Trump Allies and Foes Jockey for Payouts From ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund The Wall Street Journal [unlocked] The Trump Voters Who Want to Be Lied to Paul Waldman, The Cross Section Is the Israel-Palestine divide driving Democratic voters? Daniel J. Hopkins (The University of Pennsylvania), Good Authority As voters prioritize cost of living, focus on abortion evolves in midterm elections Elena Moore, NPR News Takeaways from the Democratic National Committee’s long-awaited autopsy report on 2024 election Steve Peoples, The Associated Press
There’s much more in today’s FULL edition of Opinion Today:
PLAYLIST
Why these swing voters give Trump a pass on the economy
The NPR Politics PodcastTrump has 'pissed off' nonvoters, and it's affecting the midterms
CNNWhy Some Voters Are Turning on Trump
The New York Times