Trump’s return to office met with optimism, high expectations — CBS News poll

A majority of Americans are optimistic about next four years with Donald Trump, even more than they were in 2017 before his first term. And most are hopeful for the coming year.

It is reinforced by Americans’ expectations of a good economy in 2025 — higher than they currently estimate — along with widespread belief among his voters that Trump will bring down grocery prices, make them economically better off, and bring more peace and stability to the world.

It all reflects many of the reasons Trump won in the first place.

In this hyper-partisan era, however, optimism for future presidents isn’t quite as high as it once was. For Carter and Reagan, both the Bushes, Clinton and Obama, CBS News polling at the time showed higher optimism than either President Biden in 2021 or Trump enjoys today. That’s largely because these days opposing partisans are less likely to express positivity.

Just as economic views and inflation propelled Trump to victory, many Americans – especially Trump voters – today expect to be financially better off.

And just as inflation and the economy were top issues in the election, they are far and away the top things they want Trump to prioritize now.

Americans are more hopeful about the coming year in general than they were at the start of 2021, when the pandemic was still ongoing.

Looking overseas, there are more people who believe that Trump will increase peace and stability in the world than decrease it, and specifically decrease the conflict between Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East.

(In contrast, just over half now look back and say Mr. Biden’s policies created more conflict there.)

Other potential policy ideas

Most Americans are in favor of deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally, as voters were during the campaign, though not in favor of using the military to carry out deportations.

On a number of other potential policy ideas, things are more divided. Ending birthright citizenship is not very popular, and it only divides Trump voters.

People are not sold on the idea of ​​buying Greenland. Most Trump voters would approve, but not universally, and it’s not a popular idea beyond that.

However, it sheds an important light on how Americans think Trump thinks: Many of them feel that he is simply taking advantage of a larger negotiation.

As for imposing tariffs on imported goods, Trump’s voters overwhelmingly favor the idea (although they don’t necessarily think this will bring down prices), while a small majority of Americans are generally opposed.

The idea of ​​ending or reducing DEI programs is strongly supported by his constituents; the rest of the country is more divided.

Looking Ahead: Democrats and Opposition

Still, most Americans say they’re worried about the state of American politics right now, and that worry is greatest among Democrats, whose ranks don’t look particularly energized right now.

Many Democrats describe themselves as “demoralized” along with being “exhausted” and “concerned” about American politics when asked to choose descriptors. Few say they are even “interested.” Even fewer say they are “motivated.”

They are roughly divided on whether they want congressional Democrats to find common ground or oppose Trump in every way now; the most liberal are the most opposed. And then they have some – though not much – confidence that their congressional leadership can effectively oppose Trump when they disagree.

There is also a certain sense among them of missed opportunity, as Mr. Biden leaves: just over half think Harris could have won if Mr. Biden had stepped aside before.

Biden, meanwhile, leaves with Americans assesses his presidency as low as they have ever been during his tenure.

Looking ahead along other demographic lines, some Americans’ outlook for the Trump administration follows some of the contours of what happened in November.

Trump made gains during 2020 with younger voters, and today young Americans are more likely to express optimism about him than older Americans. (They are also generally more likely to express optimism when asked to look ahead.) Trump fared better with men and thrived with women, and today both are optimists, especially men.

Today, nearly a quarter of voters who supported Kamala Harris are now optimistic about the next four years with Trump, perhaps reflecting some willingness on their part to reevaluate him once he takes office, something we often see in a losing candidate’s supporters, at least early on.

Overall, more Americans are rooting for the new administration to succeed than very few are rooting for it to fail. The ratio is much higher for desired success. It is similar to how it was for Joe Biden four years ago. And then too many say it simply depends on what Trump is trying to do.

This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,174 American adults who were interviewed between 15-17. January 2025. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to sex, age, race and education, based on the US Census American Community Survey and the Current Population Survey, as well as the 2024 presidential election. The margin of error is ±2.5 points.