Americans are wary of Trump’s Gaza plan. Plus, politics is hell
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Survey Says is a weekly column rounding up three of the most important polling trends or data points you need to know about. You’ll also find data-based updates on past Daily Kos reporting, plus a vibe check on a trend that’s driving politics. Trump’s unpopular plan for Gaza President Donald Trump stunned the world on Tuesday when he proposed that the U.S. seize the Gaza Strip and displace the 2 million Palestinians living there. As always, it’s impossible to gauge how serious he is. On Wednesday, the White House press secretary ludicrously called the proposal an “out-of-the-box idea” toward Trump’s goal of “lasting peace in the Middle East.” Either way, Americans are skeptical, to say the least. The plurality of Americans (47%) oppose the U.S. “taking ownership” of the Gaza Strip, according to a new YouGov survey. Just 22% back the idea. Datawrapper Content While Republicans are more likely than Democrats to support the proposal, the idea still isn’t that popular with the GOP. Twenty-nine percent of Republicans and 57% of Democrats oppose the plan. Additionally, 49% of independents oppose it. This lack of domestic approval for Trump’s idea tracks with its international condemnation. Even some GOP lawmakers haven’t been defending it. These dissenters haven’t phased Trump, though. On Thursday, he defended his proposal, saying Gaza “would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting.” Trump the president vs. Trump the man Despite Trump’s cruel and idiotic Gaza plan, Americans are rosier about the job he’s doing as president than they are about him as a person. As of Friday at 12 PM ET, 538’s polling averages have Trump’s net favorability at -0.6 percentage points (46.9% favorable, 47.5% unfavorable) but his net job approval at +5.6 points (49.2% approve, 44.7% disapprove). That said, this approval rating is historically bad since presidents usually enjoy a “honeymoon” period shortly after inauguration. What should we make of this? Well, it could be that Americans like many of Trump’s policies more than him personally. For instance, Americans are veering to the right on certain immigration policies. In December, 53% of registered voters supported mass deportations, while 46% opposed the idea, according to Civiqs polling for Daily Kos. Datawrapper Content Some of Trump’s other immigration policies are relatively popular too. The latest Civiqs poll for Daily Kos finds that 53% of registered voters support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducting raids in major cities. Forty-six percent oppose that idea. A large majority of the public is also sympathetic to limiting gender-affirming care for minors. In a January survey from Ipsos for The New York Times, 71% of Americans said no one under the age of 18 should have access to puberty-blocking drugs or hormone therapy. And a plurality (49%) agreed that “society has gone too far in accommodating transgender people”—a result that aligns with Trump’s proclamation that there are only two biological sexes (though scientists largely disagree). Taken together, this data suggests the country is leaning to the right on some high-profile issues—at least for now. But even for people who like his politics, there are many reasons to dislike Trump personally. For one, people think he uses social media too much. A YouGov survey from late January found that a plurality of Americans (36%) think he posts to social media “too often,” while only 4% want him to do it more. Trump and his allies have also toyed with him running for a third term, and generally speaking, Americans aren’t keen on him bending the rules for his benefit. For instance, he’s promised to seek vengeance against those whom he thinks have wronged him, but the New York Times/Ipsos poll found that 73% of Americans oppose Trump using the government to investigate and prosecute his enemies. Plus, not all of Trump’s ideas are popular. Poll after poll shows that Americans oppose ending birthright citizenship and Trump’s repeated instigation of a global trade war, among his other executive orders and plans. Americans hate politics—and a lot of politicians Politics tend to make people feel exhausted or hopeless, so it’s no surprise that Americans have a less-than-cheery view of politicians. A new Gallup survey asked Americans’ opinions on 14 politicians or Trump-aligned figures, and half had net-negative favorability. That includes four prominent Democrats: Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Only one Democrat—House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries—has a net-positive favorability, and even then, the plurality of Americans (37%) have no opinion on him. Three Republicans or Trump administration figures were underwater too. Several recent surveys have shown that people don’t like billionaire Elon Musk, who heads up the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (an advisory commission, not a real department). And Gallup has further confirmation of that: Just 43% of Americans have a positive view of him, while 47% do not. Embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wasn’t beloved, either. In fact, he has the highest net-unfavorable rating of any Trump-aligned figure Gallup asked about: 22% favorable, 29% unfavorable. That said, a near-majority of Americans (49%) has no opinion on him. The third major Trump-world figure Americans aren’t fond of is … Trump himself. For now, his “honeymoon” period has been average at best, and Gallup has him at 48% unfavorable and 50% unfavorable. Meanwhile, the latest Civiqs poll for Daily Kos found that just 45% of registered voters approved of the job Trump is doing as president, while a majority (52%) did not. Gallup conducted its poll shortly after Inauguration Day, so rosy-ish opinions of Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick to be director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for health secretary, are likely to wane as the public gets to know them better. After all, not only are they deplorable figures, but also they each only narrowly earned the approval of the Senate committees needed to push their nominations to the floor for a final vote. And getting them that far took a fair deal of outsize pressure (i.e., bullying). Any updates? Daily Kos is all over Elon Musk as he tries to wreck the federal government. And not only are people souring on Musk, but new polling from YouGov shows that 48% of Americans think he has too much influence in Trump’s administration, compared with 29% who think he has the right amount of influence and just 3% (!) who want him to have more. Remember when conservatives defended Musk after he threw up two Nazi salutes on Inauguration Day? The latest Civiqs poll for Daily Kos finds that 86% of Democrats (correctly) consider it Nazi salute—but 87% of Republicans say it was not. As we’ve noted, egg prices are skyrocketing, and now even beloved chain Waffle House has announced it will add a surcharge to eggs. Turns out, nearly equal shares of Republicans (77%) as Democrats (76%) are dissatisfied with the price of eggs, according to Civiqs. Vibe check Voters feel a lot of ways about the direction of the nation. According to Civiqs as of Friday, just 22% of registered voters are hopeful about the way things are going, while 17% are scared, 14% are depressed, and 15% are angry. Notably, there was an uptick in registered voters who are excited (13%) following November’s election, but that’s largely due to Republicans’ changing mood. Campaign Action
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/8/2302095/-Americans-are-wary-of-Trump-s-Gaza-plan-Plus-politics-is-hell?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=main
Survey Says is a weekly column rounding up three of the most important polling trends or data points you need to know about. You’ll also find data-based updates on past Daily Kos reporting, plus a vibe check on a trend that’s driving politics. Trump’s unpopular plan for Gaza President Donald Trump stunned the world on Tuesday when he proposed that the U.S. seize the Gaza Strip and displace the 2 million Palestinians living there. As always, it’s impossible to gauge how serious he is. On Wednesday, the White House press secretary ludicrously called the proposal an “out-of-the-box idea” toward Trump’s goal of “lasting peace in the Middle East.” Either way, Americans are skeptical, to say the least. The plurality of Americans (47%) oppose the U.S. “taking ownership” of the Gaza Strip, according to a new YouGov survey. Just 22% back the idea. Datawrapper Content While Republicans are more likely than Democrats to support the proposal, the idea still isn’t that popular with the GOP. Twenty-nine percent of Republicans and 57% of Democrats oppose the plan. Additionally, 49% of independents oppose it. This lack of domestic approval for Trump’s idea tracks with its international condemnation. Even some GOP lawmakers haven’t been defending it. These dissenters haven’t phased Trump, though. On Thursday, he defended his proposal, saying Gaza “would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting.” Trump the president vs. Trump the man Despite Trump’s cruel and idiotic Gaza plan, Americans are rosier about the job he’s doing as president than they are about him as a person. As of Friday at 12 PM ET, 538’s polling averages have Trump’s net favorability at -0.6 percentage points (46.9% favorable, 47.5% unfavorable) but his net job approval at +5.6 points (49.2% approve, 44.7% disapprove). That said, this approval rating is historically bad since presidents usually enjoy a “honeymoon” period shortly after inauguration. What should we make of this? Well, it could be that Americans like many of Trump’s policies more than him personally. For instance, Americans are veering to the right on certain immigration policies. In December, 53% of registered voters supported mass deportations, while 46% opposed the idea, according to Civiqs polling for Daily Kos. Datawrapper Content Some of Trump’s other immigration policies are relatively popular too. The latest Civiqs poll for Daily Kos finds that 53% of registered voters support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducting raids in major cities. Forty-six percent oppose that idea. A large majority of the public is also sympathetic to limiting gender-affirming care for minors. In a January survey from Ipsos for The New York Times, 71% of Americans said no one under the age of 18 should have access to puberty-blocking drugs or hormone therapy. And a plurality (49%) agreed that “society has gone too far in accommodating transgender people”—a result that aligns with Trump’s proclamation that there are only two biological sexes (though scientists largely disagree). Taken together, this data suggests the country is leaning to the right on some high-profile issues—at least for now. But even for people who like his politics, there are many reasons to dislike Trump personally. For one, people think he uses social media too much. A YouGov survey from late January found that a plurality of Americans (36%) think he posts to social media “too often,” while only 4% want him to do it more. Trump and his allies have also toyed with him running for a third term, and generally speaking, Americans aren’t keen on him bending the rules for his benefit. For instance, he’s promised to seek vengeance against those whom he thinks have wronged him, but the New York Times/Ipsos poll found that 73% of Americans oppose Trump using the government to investigate and prosecute his enemies. Plus, not all of Trump’s ideas are popular. Poll after poll shows that Americans oppose ending birthright citizenship and Trump’s repeated instigation of a global trade war, among his other executive orders and plans. Americans hate politics—and a lot of politicians Politics tend to make people feel exhausted or hopeless, so it’s no surprise that Americans have a less-than-cheery view of politicians. A new Gallup survey asked Americans’ opinions on 14 politicians or Trump-aligned figures, and half had net-negative favorability. That includes four prominent Democrats: Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Only one Democrat—House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries—has a net-positive favorability, and even then, the plurality of Americans (37%) have no opinion on him. Three Republicans or Trump administration figures were underwater too. Several recent surveys have shown that people don’t like billionaire Elon Musk, who heads up the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (an advisory commission, not a real department). And Gallup has further confirmation of that: Just 43% of Americans have a positive view of him, while 47% do not. Embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wasn’t beloved, either. In fact, he has the highest net-unfavorable rating of any Trump-aligned figure Gallup asked about: 22% favorable, 29% unfavorable. That said, a near-majority of Americans (49%) has no opinion on him. The third major Trump-world figure Americans aren’t fond of is … Trump himself. For now, his “honeymoon” period has been average at best, and Gallup has him at 48% unfavorable and 50% unfavorable. Meanwhile, the latest Civiqs poll for Daily Kos found that just 45% of registered voters approved of the job Trump is doing as president, while a majority (52%) did not. Gallup conducted its poll shortly after Inauguration Day, so rosy-ish opinions of Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick to be director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for health secretary, are likely to wane as the public gets to know them better. After all, not only are they deplorable figures, but also they each only narrowly earned the approval of the Senate committees needed to push their nominations to the floor for a final vote. And getting them that far took a fair deal of outsize pressure (i.e., bullying). Any updates? Daily Kos is all over Elon Musk as he tries to wreck the federal government. And not only are people souring on Musk, but new polling from YouGov shows that 48% of Americans think he has too much influence in Trump’s administration, compared with 29% who think he has the right amount of influence and just 3% (!) who want him to have more. Remember when conservatives defended Musk after he threw up two Nazi salutes on Inauguration Day? The latest Civiqs poll for Daily Kos finds that 86% of Democrats (correctly) consider it Nazi salute—but 87% of Republicans say it was not. As we’ve noted, egg prices are skyrocketing, and now even beloved chain Waffle House has announced it will add a surcharge to eggs. Turns out, nearly equal shares of Republicans (77%) as Democrats (76%) are dissatisfied with the price of eggs, according to Civiqs. Vibe check Voters feel a lot of ways about the direction of the nation. According to Civiqs as of Friday, just 22% of registered voters are hopeful about the way things are going, while 17% are scared, 14% are depressed, and 15% are angry. Notably, there was an uptick in registered voters who are excited (13%) following November’s election, but that’s largely due to Republicans’ changing mood. Campaign Action
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/8/2302095/-Americans-are-wary-of-Trump-s-Gaza-plan-Plus-politics-is-hell?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=main