On Monday, President Donald Trump dismissed “negative polls” by news organizations finding opposition to his temporary ban on immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries. While surveys show Trump’s policies draw mixed reviews from the public overall, almost every one wins majority support from Republicans.
What Trump may be reacting to then is that everyone he talks — aka loyal supporters — seem to love his proposals even though polling shows them with middling support.
Take Trump’s controversial ban on immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries. Polls show support for Trump’s proposal ranging from small majority support to small majority opposition, suggesting the public is roughly divided on the policy. But even in the poll showing the most negative appraisal, Republicans are overwhelmingly supportive.
A Gallup poll last week found 42 percent approve of Trump’s temporary ban on entry into the U. S. for most people from seven predominantly Muslim countries while 55 percent disapprove. Support climbs to 83 percent among Republicans, but dips to 42 percent of independents and just 14 percent of Democrats.
A CBS News poll found strikingly similar results, with 85 percent of Republicans supporting Trump’s immigration ban compared with 44 percent of independents and 11 percent of Democrats.
Border wall
One of the first things Trump did as president was sign an executive order to build a wall on the Mexican border. A Gallup poll last week found just under 4 in 10 Americans support Trump’s plan to build a wall across the U. S.’s southern border (38 percent). But an 80 percent majority of Republicans support a border wall, compared with 39 percent of independents and just 8 percent of Democrats.
Removing regulations
Trump pledged to slash business regulations, but a slight 51 percent majority of voters in a January Quinnipiac poll disagreed with that stance, saying he should not remove regulations on business and corporations in general. A smaller 39 percent supported loosening regulations.
Two-thirds of Republicans supported cutting back business regulations but support drops to 37 percent among independents and 18 percent among Democrats.
Voters are even less supportive of removing regulations specifically intended to combat climate change. In the same Quinnipiac poll, 59 percent of voters voiced opposition to removing climate-focused regulations, compared with 32 percent in support. But Republicans supported removing them by a 52 to 35 percent margin.
That’s not say every Trump policy is favored by a majority of Republicans — and no one else. Another set of proposals have somewhat broader appeal, and even enjoy some support among Democrats.
Cutting business taxes
Trump said he wanted to cut taxes for businesses and corporations to keep them in the country. Cutting income taxes paid by businesses got a mixed reception overall in a January Post-ABC poll , but higher 65 percent support from Republicans. Independents were split though, 48 percent support to 46 percent opposed while just over one-third of Democrats supported the idea (35 percent).
Keystone XL Pipeline
Trump is looking to revive the Keystone XL pipeline , a move which a 55 percent majority of Americans wanted the next president to support according to an 2015 Post-ABC poll. That included 79 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of independents. A slim majority of Democrats, 52 percent, sought a president opposed to building the Keystone pipeline.
Renegotiating NAFTA
Trump pledged to renegotiate the NAFTA trade accord between the U. S., Mexico and Canada, a decision which 57 percent of Americans support in a January Post-ABC poll , which swells to 80 percent among Republicans. A 61 percent majority of independents supported the effort, as did over 4 in 10 Democrats (42 percent).
Pulling out of TPP
Trump has already pulled the U. S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but in an October 2015 Post-ABC poll 44 percent of Americans wanted the next president to support the trade agreement while 33 percent wanted someone opposed to it. A narrow 51 percent majority of Democrats looked for a president who supported the agreement, while both Republicans and independents were split on it, with around 4 in 10 of each seeking a president who backed the policy.
Hiring freeze
The most popular thing that Trump might have done is instituting a federal hiring freeze , a move seemingly popular with Republicans, independents and even many Democrats. In 2012, a Fox News poll asked about a more drastic policy of reducing the number of government employees by 10 percent in order to reduce the budget deficit. A 65 percent majority of registered voters approved, including 83 percent of Republicans and 69 percent of independents. Nearly half of Democrats, 48 percent, also supported the cutbacks.
Punishing businesses that move jobs from the U. S.
On his first « official » day in the White House, Trump said companies who keep production in the U. S. will be rewarded with incentives and that those who do not could face “major” tariffs. When asked about retaliation against outsourcing companies generally, 53 percent of the adults in a January Post-ABC poll supported the move while 43 percent were opposed.
Support for this plan is strongest among Republicans at 67 percent, but 57 percent of independents and 44 percent of Democrats also said companies that move jobs from the U. S. should be punished.
Broadly speaking, Trump’s slew of executive orders doesn’t seem to have had a major impact on his overall job approval ratings, though this is little comfort given that he entered office with historically low marks and heavy partisan polarization.
