Just 32% of Americans say Trump has right priorities, new poll finds, ahead of State of the Union speech – live | Trump administration
Just 32% of Americans believe Trump has the right priorities, CNN poll finds
A new CNN poll shows Trump’s approval falling ahead of his State of the Union address.
The poll, conducted by polling firm SSRS, showed his approval among independents at a new low among CNN’s polls, at 26%, the outlet reported.
Among the findings: only 32% of Americans believe Trump has the right priorities, his job approval rating among all adults was 36%, and 61% said his policies are moving the country in the wrong direction.
The outlet noted a steep drop in approval among Latino Americans, at a 19-point drop, and Americans under age 45, with an 18-point drop.
Respondents said they want Trump to talk about the economy and cost of living during the State of the Union, the issue that far outpaced other topics they were asked about.
Key events
Ted Cruz, a Republican US senator from Texas, called the US supreme court decision that struck down a specific type of tariffs Trump sought to install “unfortunate”.
“I think it’s going to cause a lot of chaos, a lot of litigation. I think you’re going to see billions of dollars litigation drag on for years. That’s unfortunate,” he told CNBC.
The court ruled against tariffs Trump put in place under emergency powers, saying Congress needed to approve these tariffs because the taxing power sat with Congress. Trump has bashed the decision and set up an across-the-board 10% tariff, threatening more if countries try to “play games” over previously negotiated deals.
Cruz said, as a lawyer, he stood with the arguments made by the conservative justices who dissented from the majority, believing the president could use this power as he did.
“The supreme court decision, I don’t think is going to have much consequence other than a bunch of chaos and litigation, because there are a host of other federal statutes that let the president impose basically the same tariffs,” Cruz said.
Tuesday so far…
Here’s what we’re watching today:
-
Trump will deliver his state of the union address tonight. He’s warned it’ll be a long one, so prepare for a late evening.
-
He is expected to focus on the 250th anniversary of US independence and affordability, including an announcement of new programs such as a pledge from tech companies to cover increased electricity costs for data centers.
-
A new CNN poll showed Trump’s approval ratings sliding ahead of the address. Only 32% of Americans believe Trump has the right priorities, his job approval rating among all adults was 36%, and 61% said his policies are moving the country in the wrong direction.
-
Dozens of Democrats are skipping the event and instead attending a counter-program. Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger will give the customary Democratic rebuttal speech.
-
Mike Lee, a Republican US senator, retorted in response to reports that Democrats would be skipping tonight’s state of the union address: “More room for the hockey team.”
-
LaMonica McIver, a Democratic member of Congress who the Trump administration has criminally charged, gave a prebuttal address warning that Trump will lie and highlighting the expanded power and politicization of the administration.
-
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem and her adviser Corey Lewandowski came up with the plan to suspend TSA PreCheck services at airports amid the partial government shutdown, the Washington Post reported.
-
The US state department continues to field calls and provide advisories about safety and travel in western Mexico after the killing of a major drug lord and subsequent violence by cartels.
LaMonica McIver, a Democratic US representative who the Trump administration criminally charged over a visit to an immigration detention facility, issued a prebuttal to his state of the union address today.
McIver’s remarks centered on Trump’s consolidation of power and the strain on the rule of law because of it. Her prosecution, which the Guardian wrote about in December as part of a series on people Trump has targeted for retribution, is part of a pattern of silencing dissent and expanding politicization.
“The administration is testing our humanity, and they are testing the strength of our democracy – pushing, bending, and even breaking the guardrails that hold it together,” she said in the address. “The administration weaponizing the Department of Justice against me is just one example. They are doing something that hasn’t happened in our country since the 1700s: trying to put someone who the people elected in jail for using my voice to question his.”
In tonight’s speech, she said, Trump will “do what he always does: lie” and tell Americans that they are safer and better off than they were before he took office. Trump has made life worse, she said, and he only cares about helping himself, his family and billionaires.
“Watch not just what the president is saying, but what he is doing,” she said. “Think about what he has done. Is this the America you want? Because that is the real measure of the state of our union. And if the answer to that question is no, then the work is ours. And I know that we can do it together. We must.”
Mike Lee, a Republican US senator, retorted in response to reports that Democrats would be skipping tonight’s state of the union address: “More room for the hockey team.”
He’s referencing the US men’s hockey team, which won a gold medal in the Olympics, then partied in the locker room with FBI director Kash Patel.
On a phone call, Trump invited the team to attend the state of the union, then joked that he’d “have to bring the women too,” a reference to the US women’s hockey team, which also won a gold medal. The men’s players laughed as Trump continued that if he didn’t invite the women’s team, he “probably would be impeached”.
The laughs from the players led to backlash, as the women’s team, more decorated than the men’s, was treated as a joke rather than equals.
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem and her adviser Corey Lewandowski came up with the plan to suspend TSA PreCheck services at airports amid the partial government shutdown, the Washington Post reported late Monday, citing unnamed officials.
The plan was scrapped after the White House got involved, and PreCheck is now open on a case-by-case basis depending on each airport’s ability to manage it, the Post said.
Shutting down PreCheck, a paid program where travelers can go through security faster if they’re signed up and pre-screened, only lasted a few hours and went over poorly with travelers and Democrats.
A former DHS official under Obama told the Post that shutting down PreCheck seemed like a move to attack Democrats rather than an operational decision. “If your goal is to process many people as efficiently as possible to limit the number of staff you need, you would actually enhance or quickly clear the TSA lines and then go to your general aviation line — so that did not make sense,” Juliette Kayyem told the Post.
Noem, Lewandowski, the White House and DHS did not directly address questions from the Post over whether the two DHS officials came up with the plan.
At least 30 lawmakers are expected to skip Trump’s speech for Democratic event
About 30 members of Congress are planning to attend a Democratic counter-program event tonight instead of the State of the Union, according to the organizers of the “People’s State of the Union,” led by liberal group MoveOn and progressive media outlet MeidasTouch.
Here are the lawmakers who are expected to attend the separate event and skip the Trump speech:
-
Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
-
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA)
-
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
-
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT)
-
Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA)
-
Senator Tina Smith (D-MN)
-
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
-
Representative Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03)
-
Representative Becca Balint (D-VT)
-
Representative Greg Casar (TX-35)
-
Representative Lizzie Fletcher (TX-7)
-
Representative Maxwell Frost (FL-10)
-
Representative Robert Garcia (CA-42)
-
Representative Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07)
-
Representative Jim Himes (CT-04)
-
Representative Sara Jacobs (CA-51)
-
Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)
-
Representative John B. Larson (CT-01)
-
Representative Summer Lee (PA-12)
-
Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03)
-
Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37)
-
Representative April McClain Delaney (MD-6)
-
Representative Christian Menefee (TX-18)
-
Representative Chellie Pingree (ME-01)
-
Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-7)
-
Representative Emily Randall (WA-6)
-
Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05)
-
Representative Melanie Stansbury (NM-01)
-
Representative Delia Ramirez (IL-03)
-
Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12)
The US state department set up 24/7 phone lines for US residents stuck in Mexico after the killing of a major drug lord and subsequent retaliatory violence by the cartel, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said this morning on Fox and Friends.
The state department continues to update its travel advisories, she said, so people should continue to monitor those for their safety.
“Right now, we are unaware of any reports of any Americans being hurt, kidnapped or killed, and the Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American, or they will pay severe consequences under this President, and they already are,” she said.
As part of his focus on affordability, Trump is expected to announce new policies, including a “rate payer protection pledge,” the Wall Street Journal reports this morning.
The administration negotiated these “pledges” with tech companies, and they will require those companies to pay more electricity costs in places where data centers are being built, the Journal reports. The pledges entail companies saying they will “pay their own way” instead of other customers enduring price increases, the paper wrote.
Backlashes against data centers, and the increased cost and environmental burdens they bring, have increased across the political spectrum as more are being built.
The president is also expected to call for Congress to pass his “Great Healthcare Plan” that would move federal subsidies from insurers to consumers.
White House: Trump address to focus on US’s 250th anniversary and affordability
Trump’s State of the Union will focus on the 250th anniversary of US independence and affordability concerns, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said this morning on Fox and Friends.
“He is going to share the stories of great American heroes who exemplify bravery and the spirit of 1776,” she said.
He will lay out an “ambitious agenda” designed to make life more affordable for working class people, she said.
One of the president’s guests will be a Pennsylvania waitress who is benefitting from a no tax on tips or overtime policy. Other guests will include members of the military, and first lady Melania Trump will have guests with her as part of her “fostering the future” initiative.
“There will be some tear-jerking moments, as there was last year, in addition to some moments of levity,” Leavitt said.
Just 32% of Americans believe Trump has the right priorities, CNN poll finds
A new CNN poll shows Trump’s approval falling ahead of his State of the Union address.
The poll, conducted by polling firm SSRS, showed his approval among independents at a new low among CNN’s polls, at 26%, the outlet reported.
Among the findings: only 32% of Americans believe Trump has the right priorities, his job approval rating among all adults was 36%, and 61% said his policies are moving the country in the wrong direction.
The outlet noted a steep drop in approval among Latino Americans, at a 19-point drop, and Americans under age 45, with an 18-point drop.
Respondents said they want Trump to talk about the economy and cost of living during the State of the Union, the issue that far outpaced other topics they were asked about.
Who is Abigail Spanberger: the centrist Democrat responding to Trump’s speech
Joseph Gedeon
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic governor of Virginia, will deliver the Democratic response to Trump’s State of the Union tonight. Alex Padilla, a Democratic senator from California, will deliver a response in Spanish.
Spanberger, seen as a moderate, won the governorship last year by 15 points, flipping the office from a Republican, Glenn Youngkin, back to Democrats.
Since taking office, she followed through on a campaign promise to end Virginia law enforcement’s cooperation agreements with ICE and has backed the idea of redrawing congressional maps ahead of the midterms.
She’s leading a state where Democrats now hold the governor’s office, state senate and state house of delegates – providing a way for Democrats to tell voters what they can do when they have control.
Pennsylvania Democrat Summer Lee, a progressive, is delivering the Working Families party response.
Read more about Spanberger ahead of her big moment:
During his State of the Union address tonight, Trump is expected to defend his record during his first year back in office.
And he’s planning for a lengthy rehashing: “It’s going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about,” Trump said.
Democrats are either attending in “silent defiance” or skipping the event, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said. Some are using their choice of guests to send a message, including by bringing survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse or people affected by immigration enforcement.
Ruben Gallego, a Democratic senator from Arizona, is one of the Democrats who will be skipping the event, saying, “I have more productive ways to spend two hours than listening to more lies.”
Gallego and other Democrats are expected to attend a separate event organized by the progressive media outlet MeidasTouch and liberal group MoveOn.
Read more about what to expect for the State of the Union here:
Donald Trump will deliver the State of the Union in Washington on Tuesday, his second major address to Congress this term and the last before the 2026 midterms.
It’s also the first time Trump will be confronted with the supreme court justices since they ruled his tariffs illegal.
Historically, the State of the Union is an opportunity for the president to lay out their agenda and talk about key policy objectives.
While it’s not officially a campaign event, it’s likely Trump will use the speech as an opportunity to tout his accomplishments.
Here’s what to know and how to watch Trump’s State of the Union:
USS Gerald Ford, world’s largest aircraft carrier, at US base on Crete
The USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, has reached the US naval base of Souda Bay on Crete, en route to joining a massive military build-up in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump – who ordered strikes on Iran last year – has repeatedly threatened Tehran with fresh military action if it does not cut a new deal on its contentious nuclear programme, which the West fears is aimed at building an atomic weapon.
The Ford reached the Greek island on Monday, according to an AFP photographer.
Trump reportedly frustrated as he waits on envoys’ judgment over Iran strikes
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
Donald Trump is reportedly becoming increasingly frustrated as he weighs up whether to strike Iran. The president has been told any attack would not be “a singular, decisive blow” and could risk drawing the United States into a protracted war in the Middle East.
Trump’s decision to order airstrikes against Iran will hinge in part on the judgment of Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, about whether Tehran is stalling over a deal to relinquish its capacity to produce nuclear weapons, according to people familiar with the matter.
However, Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with what aides describe as the limits of military leverage, CBS News reports.
He has asked his advisers for options that would deliver a strike substantial enough to force Iranian leaders negotiate from a weaker position – but military planners have warned that there can be no guarantee, according to reports.
The president has not made a final determination on any strikes, as the administration prepares for Iran to send its latest proposal this week, ahead of what officials have described as a last-ditch round of negotiations scheduled for Thursday in Geneva.
Read our latest report here:
In other developments:
-
Trump has declared that he can use tariffs in a “much more powerful and obnoxious way”, as the UK and the EU said they were seeking urgent clarity on the US trade deals they struck last summer. Trump threatened to escalate his global tariff war on Monday, after a supreme court ruling last week that he had overstepped his legal authority to impose his “liberation day” measures last year. More here.
-
The 21-year-old man who was shot and killed after having entered Trump’s Florida resort on Sunday – while carrying a shotgun – came from a North Carolina family of the president’s supporters and had reportedly become increasingly fixated on the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files. The focus of the FBI’s investigation into the intrusion attributed to Austin Tucker Martin is tightening on his movements and motives. More here.
-
The US military launched a strike on an alleged drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean, which killed three men – its third such attack over the course of a week. The Southern Command identified the three men killed as “male narco-terrorists” and clarified that no US military forces were harmed in the strike. More here.
-
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives, announced that he is inviting the family of Rev Jesse Jackson, the civil- and human-rights trailblazer who died last week, to the State of the Union address on Tuesday. Several other lawmakers have announced they’re inviting survivors of sexual assault by Jeffrey Epstein.
