President Trump said America was optimistic about the future when he entered the White House, but the data show something different.
In his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump said:
“Less than one year has passed since I first stood at this podium, in this majestic chamber, to speak on behalf of the American People — and to address their concerns, their hopes, and their dreams. That night, our new Administration had already taken swift action. A new tide of optimism was already sweeping across our land.”
The day after the speech, a poll showed just how few Americans were optimistic in the first year of Trump's presidency.
Nearly six in 10 — 57 percent — of Americans say things in the country are on the wrong track, according to a recent Monmouth University poll.
Sixty percent of Americans told CBS News they thought this country has “seriously gotten off on the wrong track.”
In December, nearly seven in 10 — 67 percent — of Americans said they are “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with the way things are going in the nation, according to the Quinnipiac University poll.
There are a few reasons many Americans feel so down about the country — the ongoing Russia investigation, Trump's low approval ratings, anxiety about a potential war between the United States and North Korea.
According to a Washington Post poll:
“It appears that polarization, frustration with Washington and, most of all, antipathy toward President Trump have severed the connection between economic progress and contentment.”
Nearly six in 10 — 58 percent — people said 2017 was a bad year for Americans overall. The overwhelming majority — 81 percent — said it was a bad year for the U.S. political system specifically.
The Post wrote:
“Chaotic” was the most common one-word summation of the year, volunteered by 5 percent of adults in our late-November poll. Roughly four times as many people — 53 to 13 percent — described 2017 with a negative word than with a positive one. “Great” and “good” made the top 10, with 2 percent apiece, but so did six other razzes: “crazy,” “challenging,” “tumultuous,” “horrendous,” “disappointing” and “disastrous.” A sense of action and upheaval was also clear among the 35 percent of respondents who used neutral or ambiguous terms, with “interesting,” “hectic,” “eventful” and “busy” all making the top 20.
While Trump attempted to use his speech to persuade Americans that despite his low approval ratings, he is equipped to make America's future better than its past, many are not so sure.
Less than half of Americans — 48 percent — who watched Trump's first State of the Union address say they had a “very positive” impression of the speech, according to a new CNN poll. That number is a nearly 10-point drop from the 57 percent Americans who felt the same way after former president Barack Obama's first State of the Union address.
The president's approval ratings are increasing. The latest Monmouth poll said 42 percent of the American public approves of his job performance — a 10-point increase from the previous Monmouth poll. Given the upcoming midterms, Republicans are hoping this continues and works out in their favor.
As of now, Democrats maintain a 14-point lead among likely voters in congressional preference heading into the November midterm elections, according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll.