Majority of Americans approve of Trumps plans and policies for the future: poll

More than half of Americans support President-elect Donald Trump’s general agenda as he prepares for his second term in the White House, according to a poll released Friday. The Pew Research Center survey found 53% of Americans “somewhat” or “strongly” approve of the president-elect’s agenda, while 46% disapprove. Support for Trump’s second-term plans broke along party lines, with 88% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents approving and 82% of Democrats and Democratic leaners disapproving. Nearly 60% of respondents indicated they were confident in the 78-year-old president-elect’s ability to make good decisions about economic policy, the survey found. Majorities also expressed confidence in Trump when it comes to issues related to law enforcement and criminal justice (54%), immigration (53%) and foreign policy (53%). Most Americans (55%) described Trump as “mentally sharp,” and 51% said they believe he will keep his campaign promises. The post-election positive vibes toward Trump have never been stronger, the poll found, with 43% giving the 45th president a “warm” or “very warm” rating on Pew’s “feeling thermometer.” In contrast, Trump’s warm rating was only 34% after the 2020 election and 36% after the 2016 contest. More Americans indicated that they were satisfied with the direction of the country post-election (29%) than in October (23%), but a massive majority of 70% remain dissatisfied with the way things are going. The vast majority of respondents (70%) anticipate a smooth presidential transition, and Trump’s post-election conduct was described as “excellent” or “good” by 53% – far higher than the incoming president’s 28% rating four years ago. But Trump received low marks in questions related to national unity, with just 31% describing his efforts to bring the country together after Election Day as “good” or “excellent.” Only 14% of respondents said they expect partisan relations...