To the ire of Democrats and many in the mainstream media who can't seem to get with the program, President Donald Trump is doing quite well in his second term. On Tuesday, Cygnal released the results of their latest poll, showing not merely positive findings for the president, but also gains as well.
By 49.8 percent to 47.5 percent, voters approve of the job that Trump is doing. His favorable ratings are at about even, with a 47.9-49.9 percent favorable image rating. Lest this not sound that impressive, the poll's "Insights & Analysis" breaks it down, highlighting how, with original emphasis, "Trump’s image (48% fav, 50% unfav) is the highest it’s been in nearly two years and among the best since Cygnal began running the National Voter Trend (NVT) Survey. Trump’s image and job approval are bolstered by the fact that strong majorities support the actions he’s taken on immigration and eliminating race-based hiring in the federal government."
What's incredible about such findings is who Trump is faring well with. Trump certainly improved with key demographics last November, especially black men. It didn't help the Harris-Walz campaign that former President Barack Obama tried to bully young black men into voting for the ticket and Vice President Kamala Harris tried to appeal to black men solely over race. Trump also tried to appeal to all different kinds of voters, including those who typically vote Democrat.
Forty-two percent of black men approve of the job that Trump is doing as president and 4-in-10 have a favorable view of him. This could surely come back to haunt Democrats for 2026. "With the parties split more and more by education, black men’s rightward shift means Democrats are hard-pressed to find new supporters ahead of the midterm election, particularly in minority-dominated swing districts," the poll's takeaways pointed out with original emphasis.
Voters look to have more optimism as well, which is another record high for this trending survey, as 44.3 percent believe the country is going in the "right direction," while 51.3 percent say it's on the "wrong track," with the gap down to single digits. "This is the highest level of optimism in the country we’ve seen since the NVT began. Those saying wrong track is at the lowest level recorded. Those across every age, education demo, and community type are more hopeful about the direction of the country since Trump took office," the takeaways mentioned with original emphasis.
Cygnal pollster and president Brent Buchanan pointed to how this is what we saw from Trump's inning 2024 election. "Throughout the election we highlighted just how far out of touch Democrats had become from the American public, and now after Trump’s victory and a breakneck pace of action on his campaign promises, it’s pretty clear Dems haven’t learned much," he said. "Take the ticked-off, young, diverse, working-class voters that propelled Trump to the White House for example. They were a key constituency that gave Trump an edge over Harris as white voters stayed flat in their margin for Trump. Today, they’re not nearly as ticked-off, as they are more optimistic than ever about the direction of our country – in less than a month. If you’re on Team Trump right now, you’ve got to be feeling good about these numbers and quick progress they’ve made already with voters."
In stark contrast is the Democratic Party. It's not just that Trump is faring well, but that Democrats are not under Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). There's plenty of mention of this in the takeways, including their tactics to demonize certain figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr and Elon Musk [emphasis original]:
- The efforts by congressional Democrats to stall the new administration’s agenda are backfiring. Only 40% of voters have a favorable image of Democrats in Washington compared to 54% who hold an unfavorable viewof the caucuses led by Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries.
- Favorability of congressional Republicans is split at 47% favorable, 48% unfavorable.
...
- Despite attacks from Senate Democrats and nearly unanimous negative coverage from legacy media outlets, RFK Jr.’s image stands at 46% even. Swing voters view Kennedy favorably +5.
- Similar treatment of Elon Musk is having more of an impact (43 fav, 50 unfav; -7 net fav). In December, Musk’s image stood at 45 fav, 48 unfav, and in December of 2023 stood at 44 fav, 37unfav (+7 net fav). Most of the change in Musk’s image is coming from Democrats, who now view him 86% unfavorable.
- But much like the way Trump’s policies are more favorable than the media’s caricature of the man himself, support for the work Musk and Trump are doing to reduce the size of the federal government enjoys greater support at 46% support / 45% oppose.
Last week, including around the time the poll was conducted, Democrats ramped up their tricks to oppose Trump and speak out against Elon Musk, with Schumer memorably trying to lead chants while he stood by with his fellow geriatric Democrats. One of those Democrats, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) went even further last Friday when she and other Democrats tried to force their way into the Department of Education.
When it comes to the issues highlighted above, there's a deep dive as well from the poll's takeaways [emphasis original]:
- A majority(53%) support the actions Trump has taken to secure the border and stop illegal immigration; only 38% oppose. Swing voters are decidedly coming down on Trump’s side and approve of his actions by a greater than 2:1 clip.
- Black men, whom Trump said on the campaign are among those most negatively impacted by illegal immigration, are in Trump’s corner (45% support / 41% oppose)
- A similar number (55%) oppose sanctuary cities that refuse to honor the requests of federal law enforcement officers and harbor criminals. A majority of Hispanic voters also stand opposed to sanctuary cities.
- Views on Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship are a little more mixed but still supported by a plurality of voters (45% support / 41% oppose).
- As Trump has moved quickly to fulfill his campaign promises on these issues those concerned most with illegal immigration and the border have fallen (-3) shifting their top priority back to the economy (+3). Concern with threats to democracy is now at an all-time high, driven largely by voters on the left (35% of Democrats; 18% overall), with the issue passing its previous peak from last August.
- Trump’s efforts to end Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in government hiring is a clear winner with the public. Nearly two-thirds (64%) believe government should hire based on merit and experience instead of racial and gender identity(3%).
- 28% say both should be taken into consideration. 55% of Hispanic voters and even 41% of Democrats say merit and experience should take sole precedent.
Yes, you read that right, just 3 percent--3.3 percent, to be exact--believe that the government should focus on DEI, which is hiring someone based on "racial and gender identity."
These numbers on the economy also give Trump an opportunity to hone in on, especially when so many voters already approve of his handling of immigration.
Another Cygnal pollster's comments on such findings not only highlight Trump's approval ratings, as well as where the issues come into it, but how Democrats are faring so poorly as well. "In the over two years since we began fielding these national monthly surveys, Trump’s approval rating is at an all-time high, and this is matched by another all-time high in optimism about the direction of the country, across every single demographic we measure," said pollster and Director of Client Strategy John Rogers. "Swing voters are plus seven percent in support of Trump’s efforts, led by Elon Musk, to right-size the federal government, and swing voters are plus 29 percent in support of the Trump administration’s actions on illegal immigration. In comparison, Congressional Democrats are rudderless and unpopular, with a net image of negative 14 (40% favorable/54% unfavorable) among all voters."
The poll surveyed 1,500 likely general election voters for 2026. The poll was conducted February 4-5, and there was a margin of error of 2.51 percentage points.
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