Your confidence in America says more about your feelings on Trump
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Republicans see a U.S. in bloom.
- Democrats see one shadowed in gloom.
The big picture: Polling shows deep divides in public sentiment driven by partisanship in a starkly polarized Trump 2.0 era.
By the numbers: Overall, 38% of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the country, according to a May 1-18 Gallup poll. That number, which sat at just 20% in January, has climbed — thanks to a massive surge in Republican satisfaction.
- 79% of Republicans say they're satisfied, near the record high for the party. In January, that number was just 10%.
The outlook for Dems is bleak, with just 4% satisfaction.
Zoom in: On the economy, partisan outlooks have changed far more dramatically than the macroeconomic indicators.
- In September 2024 — ahead of President Trump's November victory — just 13% of Republicans felt fairly or very good about the condition of the country's economy, compared to 67% of Democrats, according to a CBS News poll. Of Republicans, 86% rated the economy as very or fairly bad.
- Fast-forward to last week, and the tables have turned: 64% of Republicans rated the national economy as very or fairly good, while just 22% of Democrats agreed. Seventy-four percent of Dems say the economy is bad, compared to 30% of Republicans.
- Trump's economic blame game (the good parts belong to him, the bad parts are former President Biden's) is one undercurrent for those numbers as Republicans swing toward the positive and Democrats settle in the negative.
The Economist-YouGov polling of U.S. adults between May 30 and June 2 showed that 57% of Republicans believe the economy is getting better, compared to just 8% of Democrats.
- Among those who voted for Trump in 2024, 61% think the economy is on the rise. Only 6% of Harris voters agree.
Reality check: Inflation has continued to cool, and the stock market has brushed itself off in the wake of Trump's "Liberation Day" shock. But the threat of an escalating trade war looms large over the global economy.
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on Tuesday slashed U.S. growth forecasts. However, projections hinge on an uncertain tariff landscape, Axios' Ben Berkowitz writes.
- Consumer sentiment fell near its lowest levels in May, per the University of Michigan's index, though Republican sentiment was far higher than it was for Democrats.
- The data suggests Republicans might actually spend more, given their confidence in America's economic trajectory, and Democrats less.
Zoom out: A Pew Research Center survey from March identified an area of harmony: Vast majorities of Republicans (92%) and Democrats (91%) agree that it's important for the U.S. to be respected around the world.
- But while more than 70% of Republicans and Republican leaners say the U.S. is currently respected, just 39% of Democrats and Democratic leaners agree — and most Dems now believe America's influence is diminishing.
- By contrast, 67% of Republicans and Republican leaners said U.S. influence was getting weaker last year. Now that's dropped to 37%.
The bottom line: Americans view the country through splintering realities brought on in part by stark divides in media consumption.
- So, while Republicans bask in the glow of Trump's promised "Golden Age," Dems see a far darker future.
