State of the Union Recap: Over Twice as Many Liberals as Democrats Strongly Approve of Trump Speech

President Trump’s 2019 State of the Union speech last week emphasized American achievement, laid out a path to end foreign occupations in the Middle East, and called for “the agenda of the American people” instead of partisan bickering. His speech drew 46.8 million viewers this year according to Nielsen, and his approval jumped to 50% in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll after two full days of post-speech polling. What’s more, according to CNN’s State of the Union Reaction Poll, President Trump drew support from a broad coalition of Americans, winning the approval of 76% of viewers overall, and significant shares of Independents, Moderates, and even Liberals.

Over twice as many Liberals as Democrats hold a ‘very positive’ view of Trump speech

The survey asked respondents across the political spectrum to indicate their level of approval for Trump’s speech overall, and showed broad approval among Republicans, Independents, Moderates, and Conservatives. Interestingly, his speech went over significantly better with Liberals than Democrats.

  • Thirty-six percent of Liberals hold a positive view of his speech versus 33% of Democrats.
  • Over twice as many Liberals hold a ‘very positive’ view of his speech when compared with Democrats (17% versus 8%).
  • In terms of disapproval, 64% of Democrats disapprove of his speech, compared to 61% of Liberals.
  • Thirty-four percent of Democrats hold a ‘very negative’ view of his speech, compared to 31% of Liberals.
    Source: CNN 2019 SOTU Reaction Poll
    A quarter of Liberals think Trump policies will move the country in the right direction

    While Trump’s proposed policy goals earned him near-universal support from Republicans and Conservatives, he also earned support from well over two-thirds of Independents and Moderates. Again, significantly more Liberals agreed with his policies than Democrats.

    • Seventy-three percent of Independents think Trump’s policies will move the country in the right direction.
    • Sixty-nine percent of Moderates think Trump’s policies will move the country in the right direction.
    • A quarter of Liberals (25%) think Trump’s policies will move the country in the right direction, compared to just 15% of Democrats.
Source: CNN 2019 SOTU Reaction Poll
Most Americans think Trump policies are neither too liberal nor too conservative, but ‘just about right’

There is a lot of talk about increasing radicalism on both the left and the right, but 66% of Americans think Trump’s policies strike a balance.

Source: CNN 2019 SOTU Reaction Poll
Support for all Trump policies rose since 2018, but immigration rose the most

The survey asked respondents whether they thought the President’s policies would move the country in the right or wrong direction in five key areas: the economy, immigration, trade, taxes, and national security. Approval for his proposals in all five areas rose significantly when compared to 2018, but the largest jump was on immigration policy. Currently, 68% of Americans agree with the president’s immigration policy, up from 56% last year.

Source: CNN 2019 SOTU Reaction Poll

President Trump laid out a trajectory for the United States that refuses to fit into a conventional Democratic or Republican agenda. He brought the concept of ending ‘endless wars’ into the mainstream. He strengthened support from the Republican base, secured support among Moderates and Independents, and even scored points with Liberals, indicating that partisanship is crumbling in favor of America-first policies.