TYB
o7
Trump’s Actions Receive Mixed Reviews, but So Far More Approve Than Disapprove
President Trump’s decision to pardon Jan. 6 rioters is deeply unpopular, though he has a slightly positive approval rating so far.
By Ruth Igielnik
nytimes.com
Jan. 30, 2025, 5:14 p.m. ET
Slightly more Americans approve than disapprove of the job President Trump is doing, even as they have mixed views on the actions he has taken in his attempt to reshape the federal government, the first set of polls after his inauguration show.
Support is high for some of Mr. Trump’s actions, including many of his immigration proposals, while other actions, such as pardoning the Jan. 6 rioters, have proved to be deeply unpopular. The polls echo those taken immediately before the inauguration, which showed an electorate that was broadly open to many of Mr. Trump’s ideas even as many people disagreed with some of his specific plans.
The sometimes conflicting ideas voiced by voters in the polls may also serve as a reminder that roughly one-third of Americans consistently say that they do not pay much attention to the news at all.
About half of voters approve of Mr. Trump’s job in office so far, according to an average across recent polling, and less than 45 percent disapprove. That is a far lower approval rating than other presidents enjoyed as they took office, but it’s better than Mr. Trump’s approval rating at the beginning of his first term in 2017, according to data compiled by FiveThirtyEight.
Just over a week past the inauguration, it is difficult to gauge precisely how the public feels about specific actions Mr. Trump has taken. Public opinion polling often takes several weeks to accurately assess current events, and the flurry of news out of the new administration could be hard for many Americans to keep up with. Still, the early polls provide some sense of public opinion.
A poll by Quinnipiac University taken from Jan. 23 to Jan. 27 found that more Americans approved than disapproved of Mr. Trump’s approach to immigration so far, with 60 percent of voters supporting sending troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. However, just 30 percent of voters supported an end to birthright citizenship, according to the poll, with more than 60 percent of voters supporting it.
The same poll found that 57 percent of voters, including 19 percent of Republicans, disapproved of Mr. Trump’s decision to pardon those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken from Jan. 24 to Jan. 26, a slim plurality of Americans supported Mr. Trump’s decision to require government employees to return to the office full time, and 61 percent of Americans supported downsizing the federal government.
About 56 percent of Americans in the Reuters/Ipsos poll opposed withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate accord, and 55 percent opposed new tariffs or taxes on imported goods from Mexico. The Quinnipiac poll found that slightly more Americans believed tariffs would hurt the U.S. economy than believed they would help it.
A poll from the Republican pollster Echelon Insights, conducted from Jan. 22 to Jan. 24, found that more voters approved than disapproved of how Mr. Trump was handling the economy, immigration and foreign policy, even as less than 40 percent of voters believed the country was headed in the right direction.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/us/politics/trump-approval-polls.html
Trump Responds to Fatal Passenger Jet, Army Helicopter Crash
Story by Rebecca Schneid
time.com
In the deadliest U.S. major commercial aviation incident in 16 years, no one is believed to have survived a collision between a commercial aircraft and an Army helicopter by Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
There were 64 people on board the jet, and three military personnel on the helicopter. Recovery operations are underway at the Potomac River, over which the crash occurred.
This is President Trump’s first major incident to lead the country through in his second term at the White House. Late Wednesday night, Trump’s Press Secretary posted a statement from him on X (formerly Twitter), in which he thanked first responders and said he had been “fully briefed on the terrible accident.” He later posted this same statement on his Truth Social account.
“I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise,” Trump said.
Trump posted another remark about the incident just after midnight on Thursday, seemingly suspicious of the incident, and saying the situation “looks like it should have been prevented.”
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time,” he wrote on Truth Social. “It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.”
On Thursday morning, Trump posted: “I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
Later on, just before 11:30 a.m., the President delivered remarks about the crash to press in the White House briefing room. He was joined by Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Trump emphasized putting aside differences and grieving this “tragedy” as a nation, also stating he would contact the countries of origin of the non-Americans on board, including the Russian figure skaters.
“On behalf of the First Lady, myself, and 340 million Americans, our hearts are shattered alongside yours, and our prayers are with you now and in the days to come, we'll be working very, very diligently in the days to come,” he said. “In moments like this, the differences between Americans fade to nothing compared to the bonds of affection and loyalty that unite us all, both as Americans and even as nations, we are one family, and today we are all heartbroken.”
Soon after, Trump went on to call out former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s air traffic policies. He then started to focus on “diversity” within the Federal Aviation Administration.
Last week, on his second day in office, Trump signed an Executive Order to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs (DEI) in the Federal Aviation Administration, proclaiming that DEI “penalizes hard-working Americans who want to serve in the FAA but are unable to do so, as they lack a requisite disability or skin color.”
When asked by a reporter if he had any evidence to show that DEI policies were to blame for the crash, Trump said “it just could have been.” When asked if he was getting ahead of the investigation, he said he did not think so.
“Because I have common sense,” Trump said when asked how he could already come to the conclusion that diversity had something to do with the crash. “We want brilliant people doing this. This is a major chess game at the highest level when you have 60 planes coming in during a short period of time and they're all coming in different directions.”
Trump also fleshed out his suspicions about how this tragedy occurred, again emphasizing the visibility during the clear night, and the potential maneuvers the pilots could have made to prevent the crash.
“We don't know that necessarily it’s even the controller's fault, but one thing we do know: there was a lot of vision, and people should have been able to see that,” Trump said. “At what point do you stop at what point you say ‘wow that plane's getting a little bit close,’ so this is a tragedy that should not have happened.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-responds-to-fatal-passenger-jet-army-helicopter-crash/ar-AA1y8xVU