By a wide margin, Americans approved of President Donald Trump’s speech before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. At over 100 minutes, Trump’s address became the longest presidential speech in modern history, covering familiar themes such as ending foreign wars quickly and defending new tariffs. Delivered in Trump’s signature bold style, the speech struck a chord with viewers, who responded with overwhelming approval.
According to a CBS News poll released just hours after Trump’s speech, 76% of viewers approved of his remarks, while only 23% disapproved. The survey’s respondents were 51% Republican, 27% independent, and 20% Democrat, meaning that while the audience leaned conservative, nearly half were not Republican. This broad approval highlights the public’s optimism about Trump’s first six weeks in office.
Previous polls have shown that President Trump continues to maintain strong support by emphasizing the most popular aspects of his agenda. Just a week after publicly confronting the Ukrainian president on the world stage, Trump doubled down, asserting that his approach will bring an end to the two-and-a-half-year-long war.
“Millions of Ukrainians and Russians have been needlessly killed or wounded in this horrific and brutal conflict with no end in sight. The United States has sent hundreds of billions of dollars to support Ukraine’s defense,” Trump said. “It’s time to stop this. It’s time to halt the killing. It’s time to end the senseless war.” A survey conducted last month found that nearly three in four Americans would prefer a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, even if it requires Ukraine to cede territory lost to Russia during the conflict.
Meanwhile, a recent Harvard University poll showed that 57% of respondents agreed with Trump’s stance on tariffs, viewing them as an “effective foreign and economic policy tool.” During his speech, Trump acknowledged the temporary economic strain his tariffs may cause—particularly for farmers—but urged Americans to remain patient as the policy yields long-term benefits.
“Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again. And it’s happening, and it will happen rather quickly,” he said. “There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re OK with that. It won’t be much.”
Trump did not hesitate to contrast his first six weeks in office with the past four years under his predecessor. Throughout the night, he repeatedly referenced former President Joe Biden, whom he labeled “the worst president in American history,” emphasizing how far the country had strayed off course before his return to the White House. In the same Harvard University poll, 58% of respondents said they were more satisfied with Trump’s job performance than Biden’s.
