Trump earns high marks for State of the Union in CBS and CNN polls

About three-quarters of those who tuned in to the State of the Union on Tuesday approved of what President Trump said in the address, according to two instant polls.

A CBS News poll found that 76 percent of speech-watchers approved of Trump's remarks, and 72 percent specifically approved of what he had to say about immigration. Additionally, 71 percent of those polled agreed with Trump that there is a crisis on the southern border. Twenty-four percent of respondents disapproved of the speech.

The overwhelming majority of Republicans — 97 percent — approved, but Trump also earned the approval of 82 percent of independents. Only 30 percent of Democrats approved of the speech. The margin of error in this CBS poll, which was conducted by speaking to 1,472 U.S. adults who watched the State of the Union, is 3 percentage points.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Meanwhile, CNN found that 59 percent of speech-watchers had a very positive reaction, up from 48 percent in 2018, while 17 percent had a somewhat positive reaction, and only 23 percent had a negative reaction. CNN's poll was conducted by speaking to 584 U.S. adults who watched the speech, and the margin of error is 5.4 percentage points.

It's worth noting, though, that these polls are just among people who actually tuned in, and people who watch the State of the Union tend to be more favorable toward the president than the general public. CNN in its poll found that the speech's audience was more partisan than that of any State of the Union since 2001, and of those CBS polled, 43 percent identified as Republicans.