It seems to be a good time to be President Donald Trump — and a member of the Republican Party.
That’s according to a Quinnipiac University national poll of registered voters.
Trump is starting his second term as president on a good note with a job approval rating that is 10 points higher than at the start of his first term.
Trump, who was sworn in on Jan. 20, enjoys a 46% approval rating for the job he is doing. He has a disapproval rating of 43%, while 11% did not offer an opinion.
This is a marked difference from the poll released on Jan. 26, 2017. At that time, 36% approved of the job Trump was doing, compared to 44%, who did not. In addition, 19% did not offer an opinion.
Voters are split on how Trump is handling immigration issues with 47% approving, 46% disapproving and 7% not offering an opinion.
Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said:
“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.”
The poll also asked voters their opinions of both parties. This marks a new high for Republicans and their favorability rating and a new low for Domecrats for the same rating.
Thirty-one percent of voters have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party. This is compared to 57% who do not have favorable opinion.
This marks the highest percentage of voters that do not have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party since the pollster started asking the question.
On the flip side, the Republican Party enjoys the highest percentage of voters with a favorable opinion at 43%. However, the Republican Party has a 45% unfavorable opinion. It is the highest favorable opinion of the Republican Party since the pollster started asking the question.
Voters also offered opinions regarding pardons from both Republican and Democratic presidents.
Voters 57 – 37 percent not not approve of Trump pardoning or commuting the sentences of those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
President Joe Biden issued a flurry of pardons before leaving the Oval Office and voters 62 – 31% do not approve of him pardoning five members of his family who haven’t been charged with any crimes.
Not all is rosy with how voters view Elon Musk, according to the poll. Voters 53 – 39% disapprove of Musk’s prominent role in the Trump administration.
“Elon Musk, a powerful and pivotal player in Trump’s inner circle, gets a shaky assessment from voters, with women clearly more critical of him than men,” Malloy said.
