The horns may not be as prominent. The tail might be a little shorter. But Donald Trump, alias "Orange Man Bad," alias "Satan," is not being seen as quite the devil he was portrayed as in 2017, when he entered the presidency for the first time.
Not only is Donald Trump, the man, more popular than he's ever been, but his policies generally receive high marks from the American people. He is receiving high marks for his handling of the transition, and Democrats should be forewarned that their obstructionist policies will not be seen in a favorable light by the American people.
The latest Fox News poll also has a warning for Trump: a small majority of voters do not see Trump's win as a mandate for him to govern, but rather, they see his victory as a rejection of Biden/Harris policies.
A slim 51% majority believes that Trump's victory was a rejection of the Biden administration. Some 4 in 10 (42%) call it a mandate, including 69% of Trump supporters (81% of Harris supporters said it wasn’t).
This won't slow Trump down, but it might make some Republicans more skittish.
Democrats may be talking to an empty room if they try to lead "The Resistance." There's a lot less appetite for conflict during Trump's second term. "By a 58-point margin, voters think Democrats should look for opportunities to work with the president-elect as opposed to resisting his agenda and causing division (78% compromise, 20% resist)," according to the Fox News poll.
Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducted the Fox News survey along with Democrat Chris Anderson, says: "While Americans clearly want Trump and the GOP to work with the other side to bolster the economy, they are even clearer in their desire for the Democrats to put aside any obstructionist impulses they might have."
Meanwhile, a new CNN poll shows much more faith in Trump this time than in 2017.
As the transition of power in Washington nears its end, Trump continues to see majority approval (55%) for his handling of it, with most Americans (56%) expecting him to do a good job in his second term, the survey finds. Ahead of Trump’s first term in office, the public was less positive. Only 40% of Americans approved of his handling of the presidential transition at this point in 2017, while 48% expected him to do a good job as president. But Trump’s more positive ratings now still lag behind other recent presidents when they entered office.
Opinions of Trump personally are now closely split between favorable (46%) and unfavorable (48%) — his best numbers since just after the 2016 presidential election, when 47% viewed him favorably and 50% unfavorably. History suggests, however, that this honeymoon period will wear off, with prior presidents experiencing a drop in positive sentiment throughout their terms.
Trump will never poll well. He's too controversial and has too many people lined up against him permanently. At the same time, he's got a sizable, rock-solid base of support that hovers around 37-40%, with about the same number opposing him.
Trump will have the backing of a bare majority of the public for much of his agenda. He will probably be able to get it through Congress. Some of his policies will have to stand the test of a legal challenge.
I don't think Trump will be seen as a failure or success based on a few of his policies being accepted or rejected. His presidency will be seen as consequential regardless of its relative success or failure.
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