President Donald Trump is beginning his second White House term with an approval rating 10 points higher than at the start of his first term, while the Democratic Party owns its highest unfavorable rating since 2008, Quinnipiac University poll results show.
The survey found that 46% of voters say they approve of the job Trump is doing, while 43% say they disapprove, and 11% did not offer an opinion.
In January 2017, Quinnipiac results showed 36% approved of the job Trump was doing, while 44% disapproved and 19% did not offer an opinion.
The results also show that voters' views of the Democratic Party and Republican Party set records since the Quinnipiac University began asking about the major parties in November 2008.
A share of 31% of voters say they have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, while 57% say they unfavorable opinion — the party's highest unfavorable rating since Quinnipiac began asking this question.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party has its highest favorable share (43%) since Quinnipiac began asking this question. A share of 45% say they have an unfavorable opinion of the GOP.
The new poll results show two parties have drastically different opinions of the job Trump is doing, with 86% of Republicans approving and 86% of Democrats disapproving. Among independents, 41% say they approve and 46% say they disapprove.
A majority of voters (54%) say they are generally optimistic about the next four years with Trump as president, while 42% are generally pessimistic, according to the Quinnipiac poll results.
A majority of voters (60%) say they approve of sending U.S. troops to the southern border to enforce border security, while 36% disapprove. Among independents, 57% say they approve, while 40% say they disapprove.
"The huge deployment of boots on the ground is not to a dicey, far away war theater, but to the American border. And a majority of voters are just fine with that," Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said.
A plurality of voters (48%) say they expect U.S. tariffs on goods made in other countries to hurt the U.S. economy, while 42% say they expect them to help the U.S. economy.
Trump's pardoning of Jan. 6 defendants is disapproved by 57% overall, including 96% of Democrats and 60% of independents. A share of 74% of Republicans, though, say they approve.
Former President Joe Biden's pardons for family members is disapproved by 62% overall, including 87% of Republicans and 63% of independents. Only 58% of Democrats say they approve.
The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted Jan. 23-27 among 1,019 self-identified registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus/minus 3.1 percentage points.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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