A CBS/YouGov poll shows a significant gap between American approval of Trump's policy goals (deportation, tariffs) and disapproval of his methods. A majority approves of the goals of his deportation program (55%), but a larger majority disapproves of his methods (56%). While opinions are evenly split on the goals of his trade policies, a large majority (63%) disapprove of his methods.
This disconnect explains Trump's electoral success despite his controversial methods. The public's focus on policy goals over execution allows for continued support even amid criticism of his approach. This also highlights the challenge for Democrats in building a lasting majority, as many voters may remain with the party perceived as aligning with their policy preferences, irrespective of leadership failures or controversies.
It’s not often that a single poll result can help you understand several things at once: why President Trump is politically vulnerable, why he is politically resilient and why millions of Americans still don’t truly understand the MAGA movement. But I recently saw a single graphic that did just that.
It came from a CBS/YouGov poll released last week, and the most important finding was one that at first blush doesn’t seem that interesting. CBS found that a majority of Americans approve of the goals of Trump’s deportation program by a 10-percentage-point margin, 55 to 45.
At the same time, a slightly larger majority (56 percent to 44 percent) disapprove of Trump’s methods. A majority of Americans like what Trump wants to do, but they don’t like how he’s doing it.
A similar analysis applies to Trump’s approach to tariffs. Americans are evenly split about the goals of Trump’s tariff-and-trade program, but a large majority (63 percent) disapprove of his methods.
This gap between approval for Trump’s goals and disapproval of Trump’s methods helps explain why he’s been elected twice and why his approval sagged so quickly at the beginning of both terms. It also demonstrates why Democrats haven’t been able to build an enduring majority in spite of Trump’s relentless aggression and overreach.
If a majority of the American people believe that only one party shares their objectives, they’ll keep giving it a chance even when its leaders fail, or when they’re erratic or when they’re corrupt.
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