Americans' Reaction to President Trump's First State of the Union Address Was Overwhelming
The results are in: Americans overwhelmingly approve of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech.
According to a CBS News poll, a whopping 75 percent of respondents said they approve of Trump’s address Tuesday night, and only 25 percent said they disapprove. The survey indicated even more positive news for the Republican president’s first State of the Union address.
An overwhelming majority of Americans who tuned in felt that Trump was trying to unite the country, not divide it. Two-thirds of respondents said that the speech made them feel proud and one-third said they felt safer.
A small minority of those polled said that the speech made them feel scared or angry.
The response, however, changes considerably when party affiliation is factored in.
While GOP voters approved of the speech by wide margins, a majority of Democrats who watched the speech did not feel the same way. Nine out of 10 Republicans said the president’s speech boosted their sense of pride. On the other hand, slightly more than half of Democrat respondents said the speech made them angry.
Most independent voters who tuned in also favored the speech and said it made them feel proud.
When it came to believing whether Trump’s policies would help them personally, Democratic voters yet again deviated from other Americans. Most viewers believe the policies Trump touched on would help them on a personal level, but Democrat respondents did not agree.
Not only did respondents enjoy the speech, but most Americans gave approval for many of the policies the president addressed, stating their support for Trump’s proposals on national security, infrastructure and immigration.
Trump’s address boosted his credit for the U.S. economy. Before the speech, 51 percent of Americans gave him credit for the growing economy. Immediately following the speech, that number rose to 54 percent.
The survey, based on 1,178 interviews, was conducted online by U.S. residents who tuned in to watch the address Tuesday night.
Trump’s speech — his first State of the Union address as president — has been widely lauded. Not only did the president touch on major issues plaguing Washington, D.C. and the country, he also invited several guests that added an emotional touch to his agenda.
Evelyn Rodriguez, whose daughter was brutally murdered in 2016 by MS-13 gang members, offered a personal account of the dangers of unchecked illegal immigration. Ji Seong-ho, a disabled North Korean defector who was tortured by the communist regime, revealed the suffering of North Koreans at the hands of Kim Jong Un’s devastating regime.
Also in reference to the brutal North Korean regime, the parents of Otto Warmbier, a Virginia college student who was held captive in the Hermit Kingdom and later died, were present for the address. Other guests included military war heroes and business leaders who have benefited from the rapidly growing U.S. economy.
Trump, when referring to the Capitol building as “the monument to the American people,” spurred momentous applause and chants of “USA” among the crowd.
The speech was a clear indication that Trump will move forward with his “America First” agenda and is more than willing to take on the nation’s challenges.
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