Polling shows that President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union Address earned “high marks” from the American people, while commentators continue to applaud his unifying speech.
Polling
POLITICO: Poll: Trump SOTU Address Earned High Marks
“President Donald Trump earned high marks for his first State of the Union address, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll of Americans who watched the speech earlier this week. A combined 62 percent of speech-watchers called Trump’s performance ‘excellent’ or ‘good,’ with 17 percent saying Trump did only a fair job, and another 20 percent calling the speech ‘poor.’ The sample consists of Americans aged 18 or older who said they watched the speech, either live or after it happened.”
NBC NEWS: Poll: Majority of Viewers Give Trump a Thumbs-Up for State of the Union Speech
“The majority of Americans who tuned in or followed news coverage of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night thought that the president hit the right notes, according to the results of an NBC News/Survey Monkey poll released Thursday…. Of the 69 percent of Americans who watched the speech or followed the coverage, the majority — 60 percent — said Trump mostly focused on the right things.”
CBS NEWS: Viewers Approve of Trump’s First State of the Union Address – CBS News Poll
“Three in four Americans who tuned in to President Trump’s State of the Union address tonight approved of the speech he gave. Just a quarter disapproved. Eight in 10 Americans who watched tonight felt that the president was trying to unite the country, rather than divide it. Two-thirds said the speech made them feel proud…”
REALCLEARPOLITICS: The Takeaway: The State of Trump’s Union – Positive
“Trump’s SOTU Triumph: The numbers are in for President Trump’s first State of the Union address and it’s clear large majorities of the public liked what they saw and heard on Tuesday night. A snap poll conducted by CBS News/YouGov showed 75 percent approved of Trump’s speech, with another 65 percent saying it made them feel ‘proud.’ A CNN snap-poll found 70 percent saying they had a ‘very positive’ or ‘somewhat positive’ reaction to Trump’s speech. And an NBC News/Survey Monkey poll released Thursday evening showed 60 percent of those who watched the speech said Trump ‘focused on the right things.’ Thirty-five percent said they were ‘enthusiastic’ about the address, with another 21 percent saying they were ‘satisfied’ with it.”
Commentators
WASHINGTON TIMES CONTRIBUTOR CHARLES HURT: Trump the Orator Outlines the Greatness of America to Democrats’ Disgust
“President Trump has officially transformed himself from merely a great American president into a historic world leader keeping lit the torch of freedom for all people around the world….Mr. Trump joins Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II and Martin Luther King Jr. in the pantheon of great champions of freedom from the past half-century. In his spectacular State of the Union address, Mr. Trump was America’s biggest cheerleader, celebrating the daring ingenuity and industry that has always made America great. ‘If there is a mountain, we climb it; if there is a frontier, we cross it; if there is a challenge, we tame it; if there is an opportunity, we seize it.’”
FORMER SPEAKER NEWT GINGRICH AT FOX NEWS: Trump’s State of the Union Was Very Inclusive – No Wonder It Shook Up Democrats
“Watching and listening to President Trump’s first State of the Union address Tuesday night, I was struck by how wide-ranging and visionary it was….Beyond these moving personal stories, this speech was a powerful collection of reform proposals that outlined a vision for a successful America which, as the president said, has to involve success for all Americans. His theme of making America great again for all Americans is one of the keys to what makes President Trump is so different.”
ROGER KIMBALL AT AMERICAN GREATNESS: Trump Restores the ‘We’
“Trump’s speech was full of memorable lines: the ‘new American moment,’ ‘Americans are Dreamers, too,’ ‘complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation.’ But perhaps the most memorable line, playing off the president’s campaign slogan, came at the end: ‘It is the people who are making America great again.’ Any dispassionate observer has to acknowledge that over the last year Donald Trump has given a series of great speeches…. And on top of all those was Tuesday night’s speech at the Capitol. Its theme? Putting aside the partisan passions that divide us in order to go forward as a people united in the goal of making a better America.”
THE WASHINGTON TIMES CONTRIBUTOR MATT MACKOWIAK: Sullen Democrats Sit Out Trump’s Offer of Bipartisanship
“The reviews for the speech were uniformly encouraging for the president. Both CNN and CBS News found 70 percent or more of those who viewed the speech rated it positively…. He opened the door to bipartisanship last night and provided clear direction to Congress. Perhaps most importantly, he stirred all Americans with examples of heroic stories, whether it was a North Korean defector raising his crutches, the parents of two children killed by MS-13 gang members, the police officer and his wife who adopted a child who was born to a heroin-addicted mother, or the boy who inspired a movement to place tens of thousands of American flags on the grave sites of veterans. Anyone watching was surely proud to be an American, to live in a country with people who are capable of such strength, courage, generosity and resolve.”
AMERICAN MAJORITY PRESIDENT NED RYUN IN THE HILL: Trump’s State of the Union Speech Was Magnificent
“In his first State of the Union speech, President Trump did exactly what he needed to: He gave a magnificent speech that was nothing short of a home run. At some point the rest of the world is going to realize Trump can give these speeches and hit them out of the park. He took his victory lap, touting the success of the recent tax bill, talking about the three million Americans who have received bonuses from almost 300 companies, and all of that in roughly the first month of the tax bill being enacted…. Trump’s vision for the future of America is one of hope, that we can have more jobs for American workers, that we can have a booming economy and bold, beautiful new infrastructure, and that we can be safe and secure.”
