Well, well, well—look who’s winning over America. After just a few weeks back in the White House, President Donald Trump is already scoring approval ratings that outshine anything from his first term. And, of course, the media is trying to act shocked. According to a new report from CBS News and YouGov, 53% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling his second term. That’s right—after years of being told that the man was “too divisive” to win again, here he is, not only back in office but pulling in higher marks than ever before.
Naturally, CBS’s Anthony Salvanto tried to rationalize it in the least complimentary way possible, explaining that Americans are happy because Trump is “doing what he said he would do.” Well, yes—that’s exactly the point. When you campaign on strong borders, an America-first economy, and taking a flamethrower to government waste, and then actually do it, people tend to approve. Shocking, right?
And the numbers don’t lie. A whopping 70% of Americans say Trump is keeping his campaign promises. That alone explains why his support is holding steady. When he said he’d get tough on illegal immigration, he wasn’t kidding. The report found that 59% of Americans approve of Trump’s deportation policies. Even better? 64% back the decision to send U.S. troops to the border. Apparently, securing the nation is a wildly popular idea—who knew? (Oh right, Trump knew back in 2016, and Washington has been pretending otherwise ever since.)
Of course, the media had to highlight the few areas where opinions weren’t as favorable. For example, when it comes to using large detention centers for illegal immigrants while determining deportation status, Americans were evenly split. But let’s be real—those same folks who claim to oppose detention centers also don’t want mass releases into the country. So unless someone has a genius new plan for handling millions of illegal border crossers, this debate isn’t as complex as they’re making it out to be.
On the foreign policy front, Trump’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict received 54% approval, largely thanks to Republicans backing his strong pro-Israel stance. However, Americans were more hesitant about his proposal to take over Gaza, with only 13% calling it a good idea. That’s one of those classic “we’ll see” situations—because let’s be honest, Biden’s approach of sending billions in “humanitarian aid” (that mysteriously ends up in the hands of Hamas) hasn’t exactly been a smashing success.
CBS POLL: President Trump’s approval rating is better than it has ever been.
“He’s doing, in the eyes of the public, what he said he would do … 70% of people say he’s doing what he promised.” pic.twitter.com/O7Ze6lltJU
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 9, 2025
Now, the left will really seize on the economic numbers. The report found that 66% of Americans think Trump isn’t focused enough on lowering prices, with just 31% saying he’s doing the “right amount.” Fair enough—people are still feeling the pain of Biden-era inflation, and they want results. But it’s also worth noting that Trump has barely had time to implement his full economic strategy yet.
Unlike Biden, whose entire presidency seemed to revolve around pretending inflation wasn’t happening, Trump actually understands the need to restore energy independence and fix our disastrous trade policies. Speaking of which, majority support exists for tariffs on China (because Americans like the idea of hitting back at the CCP), while penalties on goods from Mexico, Europe, and Canada didn’t fare as well.
And then, there’s the real controversy: the Elon Musk factor. Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force, led by Musk, has been shaking up Washington, exposing corruption, and slashing bloated budgets. According to the report, Americans are split on how much influence they think Musk should have in government operations. Which is hilarious, because the same people who spent years insisting that unelected bureaucrats in Washington should have total control over everything are now deeply concerned about a billionaire actually trying to make government efficient. Funny how that works.
The takeaway is simple: Trump is winning. He’s doing exactly what he said he would do, and the American people are taking notice. The media can spin, the left can panic, and the D.C. swamp can seethe, but the numbers don’t lie. Trump’s second term is off to a strong start, and no amount of breathless reporting is going to change that.
