A significant number of viewers of the speech expressed approval of President Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday evening.
The audience was predominantly Republican — a trend typically seen where a president’s own party attracts more viewers. This time was no different, and their response was mostly positive.
This CBS News/YouGov poll surveyed a nationally representative group of viewers right after the president’s Congressional address.
The majority of viewers characterized the president as “presidential,” “inspiring,” and more “unifying” than “divisive.” A large portion also found the speech “entertaining.”
The majority felt that Mr. Trump addressed topics they care about significantly.
Most viewers who tuned in reported feeling “hopeful” and “proud.”
The Democrats who watched largely felt “worried,” with about 40% expressing feelings of “anger.”
Before the speech, viewers indicated they wanted to hear plans for reducing prices, and approximately two-thirds believe the president has a clear strategy for this issue.
A large majority of viewers appreciated the proposed plans surrounding immigration, wasteful government spending, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. A somewhat smaller majority approved of the remarks regarding tariffs.
The majority believed the president accurately portrayed the crime situation in the U.S.
Most viewers approved of the House Speaker’s decision to have a member of Congress removed for interrupting Mr. Trump’s speech.
This CBS News survey is based on 1,207 interviews with adults who viewed the President’s address to Congress on Tuesday evening. An initial survey was conducted by YouGov between February 28 – March 3, 2025, utilizing a nationally representative sample of 11,406 U.S. adults, including 4,131 respondents who intended to watch the address. Only those who watched the speech were included in the analysis.
The original sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on data from the U.S. Census American Community Survey and the U.S. Census Current Population Survey, as well as the 2024 Presidential vote. The final sample of post-speech follow-up interviews was weighted to be representative of those who stated they would watch the President’s address according to gender, age, race, education, geographic region, 2024 Presidential vote, and pre-speech partisan identification. The margin of error is ±3.4 pts.
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