Americans are warmer to President-elect Donald Trump now than they were in 2016 and 2020, according to a new poll that found they believe he’ll steer the economy correctly as he takes office.
The Pew Research Center polled nearly 10,000 people after the election and said most expect him to make good decisions about the economy, crime issues, immigration and foreign policy, though they’re less enthused about his ability to unify the country.
Some 43% said they have a warm feeling toward Mr. Trump, which while less than a majority is still better than 2016, when 36% felt that way toward him, and 2020, when that was just 34%.
When asked how they felt about his victory, 22% said excited and 28% said relieved. Both are up from 2016. Those saying they were angry held steady at 15%, but those disappointed dropped from 41% last time to 33% this time.
After his 2016 victory, 73% of Americans said it surprised them. This time just 32% were caught off guard.
Overall, Americans approve of Mr. Trump’s plans for his second term by 53%.
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And Mr. Trump is leading a political resurgence for Republicans, with 50% of the country saying the GOP represents their interests. Just 43% say the Democratic Party represents them.
That’s the best showing for Republicans in Pew’s data going back to 2016.
The poll was conducted from Nov. 12-17 and included 9,609 adults.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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