A new poll finds that a plurality of Gen Z would hop in a time machine and leave their life behind as many young people grow disillusioned with modern technology and increasingly pessimistic about their economic futures.
If given the option, nearly half (47%) of 18-29-year-olds said they&#8217;d choose to live in the past, according to an <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28059030-genz-nbc-news-decision-desk-poll-march-2026-topline/">NBC News Decision Desk Poll</a>. One in three surveyed said they’d pick a time period less than 50 years ago, while another 14% would choose more than 50 years in the past. Only 38% of young people said they’d prefer to live in the present.
Members of this generation, born in 1997 or later, yearn for an era “right before social media and computers mediated life,” Clay Routledge, a nostalgia researcher and existential psychologist, said in an <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/discomfort-modern-technology-gen-z-desire-live-past-poll-rcna340897">interview with NBC News</a>.
Ben Isaacs, a 20-year-old Colorado student, said he’d choose to live in the 1990s, arguing smartphones are eroding young people’s ability to connect face-to-face and live beyond “the realm of the phone,” according to NBC.
The survey captures Gen Z’s deepening dissatisfaction with the country’s trajectory, social cohesion, and their financial futures.
A whopping 80% of Gen Z—more than any other generation—said the United States is headed in the wrong direction, according to the NBC poll, and 62% expect their lives will be worse than those of previous generations.
Plus, a majority rated the economy—especially inflation and the cost of living—as their top political concerns.
Artificial intelligence, which is transforming the higher education landscape and entry-level job market, is adding to the uncertainty and economic anxiety. <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/704087/college-students-weigh-impact-majors-careers.aspx">One in six college students</a> has changed their major because of AI, and 48% of Gen Z workers now say its negatives outweigh its benefits—an 11-point increase from 2025, according to a recent Gallup poll.
Unemployment among recent college graduates has risen since the pandemic, reaching 5.6% at the end of 2025 and extending well beyond the humanities, according to the <a href="https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:unemployment">Federal Reserve Bank of New York.</a> Computer engineering now has one of the <a href="https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:unemployment">highest unemployment rates</a> among college majors at 7.8%, a sharp reversal from 2021, when it ranked among the lowest at 3.2%.
Economic, cultural, and political turbulence is helping drive a cultural shift among some young people, especially men. Another Gallup poll released this month indicates that young men have become more religious in recent years.
<a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/708410/young-men-religious-young-women.aspx">The survey</a>, released April 16, finds that 42% of men ages 18–29 now say religion is “very important” in their lives, up sharply from 28% in 2022–2023. Monthly religious attendance among young men also rose to 40% from 33%, the highest level in more than a decade, surpassing women for the first time.
&#8220;When there’s a lot of disruptions — political divisiveness, or, you know, worries about AI or other kinds of societal, technological or social, cultural changes — people tend to become more nostalgic for the past to help them with the things that they’re worried about,” <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/discomfort-modern-technology-gen-z-desire-live-past-poll-rcna340897">Routledge told NBC</a>.

Teens in circle holding smart mobile phones – Multicultural young people using cellphones outside – Teenagers addicted to new technology concept

Why Gen Z Wishes They Could Time Travel

Economy

Gen Z

Polls

Social Media

U.S.

A sharp uptick in religiosity among young American men is reversing decades of cultural trends, with new polling showing the largest year-over-year increase in religious engagement for any age group in more than two decades, an outcome many on the Right have been working toward for years.
According to a <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/708410/young-men-religious-young-women.aspx">new survey from Gallup</a>, 42% of men aged 18 to 29 now say religion is “very important” in their lives, up from just 28% two years prior. The 14-point jump marks the steepest increase measured across any demographic group in the poll’s recent history and returns young men to levels of religiosity not seen since the early 2000s.
The surge has also upended a longstanding gender dynamic. For decades, young women consistently reported higher levels of religious commitment than their male peers; that gap has now reversed, with young men surpassing young women in the importance they place on religion, holding a slight edge in religious affiliation, and matching them in attendance at religious services.
Gallup’s data show the increase is not merely attitudinal, as religious service attendance among young men rose seven points over the same period, reaching 40%, their highest level in more than a decade, bringing them into parity with young women and closer to older male cohorts than at any point in recent years.
The poll finds that the rise in religiosity is concentrated heavily among Republicans, with young Republican men driving much of the increase. That political alignment hints that the trend is not simply an ideological shift, but part of a broader cultural realignment among younger Americans.
For years, conservative leaders, media figures, and grassroots organizations have placed renewed emphasis on religion, tradition, and moral structure, particularly in response to what they describe as a vacuum of meaning created by secular institutions. That messaging has been especially targeted toward young men, a demographic often described as politically disengaged and culturally adrift in the social media era.
The late Charlie Kirk was among the key forces in the movement, consistently urging young men to reject modern nihilism in favor of the &#8220;ancient and the beautiful.&#8221; Shortly before his death, he <a href="https://www.christianitydaily.com/news/charlie-kirk-beautiful-to-see-young-men-reengaging-with-church.html">delivered a call</a> that resonated with the very men now appearing in Gallup&#8217;s data: &#8220;Find yourself back to church &#8230; that will reorient your life. Do what the church tells you to do: Find a woman, marry her, provide &#8230; have more kids than you can afford.&#8221;
The data now suggest that his effort bore fruit. While the broader trajectory of American religiosity remains in decline — with overall levels of belief, affiliation, and attendance near historic lows — young men have emerged as a clear exception. Their return to levels of religious importance last seen in 2000-2001 stands in stark contrast to women of all age groups, as well as older men, who remain at or near their lowest points in Gallup’s long-term tracking.
At the same time, young women have moved in the opposite direction. At just 29%, they are now the least religious demographic measured, widening a gap that now extends beyond religion into politics and culture more broadly. The result is a striking divergence: one cohort moving back toward faith, structure, and institutional religion, while another continues to drift away.
Gallup’s own analysis suggests the answer may lie in politics as much as in theology. The sustained increase in attendance among young Republican men since the late 2010s, as well as the more recent acceleration, indicates that religious engagement is increasingly intertwined with political identity. That dynamic has amplified the impact of the shift. With nearly half of young men now identifying as or leaning Republican, gains within that group are large enough to reshape the overall trend line. It marks a major victory for the conservative movement’s central argument — that cultural renewal requires a return to faith and tradition.
The data offer early signs that such a shift may already be underway among a key demographic.
Whether that trend continues or expands beyond its current base remains to be seen. For now, however, the numbers point to a clear break from the recent past: after decades of steady decline, young men are moving back toward religion in measurable and historically significant ways.

intersection of religion & politics: rear view of rows of wooden pews with religious liturgy books stored in pew racks in church

Young Men Just Surged In One Key Area And It’s Flipping A Decades-Old Gender Gap

Christianity

Gender

Religion

Republican Party

Candidates will likely take aim at health insurance companies on the campaign trail this election cycle, according to new polling.
Eighty-one percent of likely voters said they “would be more likely to vote for a candidate who wants to cut out waste, fraud, and abuse in government health care and health insurance programs,” according to a new survey conducted by the Insurance Watchdog Coalition and OnMessage Public Strategies.
“The cost of health insurance is near the top of the list of affordability issues now, for a big chunk of American voters,” OnMessage pollster Wes Anderson told The Daily Wire.
“I’m sure the insurance companies want themselves not to be in the spotlight, but I think gravity is gonna take us that way, because for too many middle-class families, their health insurance costs are starting to rival their mortgage payments,&#8221; Anderson added.
The poll also found that Americans have a 78% unfavorable opinion of health insurance companies, with only 17% viewing them favorably. Respondents said Congress should prioritize health insurance companies, while pharmaceutical companies were also cited as an industry deserving greater scrutiny.
Support for more aggressive action against insurers was also high. Ninety percent of those polled said they believe health insurance companies should be broken up, and 70% said they would be “more likely” to back a political candidate who supports such a move.
Similarly, 84% of respondents said they would back a candidate who “takes on insurance companies to lower costs,” while 86% said they would be “less likely to vote for a candidate funded by big insurance companies.”
The findings come as healthcare costs remain a major issue in Washington. The Trump administration in February launched what it calls &#8220;TrumpRx,&#8221; an initiative to “find the world’s lowest prices on prescription drugs.”
Broader healthcare policy debates are continuing following the expiration of some Affordable Care Act subsidies at the end of last year. The administration has also proposed drastic changes to the current system through what it has branded “The Great Healthcare Plan.”
&#8220;The Great Healthcare Plan stops sending big insurance companies billions in extra taxpayer-funded subsidy payments and instead send that money directly to eligible Americans to allow them to buy the health insurance of their choice,&#8221; according to the White House, adding that the plan would also include &#8220;a cost-sharing reduction program for healthcare plans.&#8221;
The path forward on health insurance policy will likely fall on Congress, as both parties are in a heated battle for control of the legislative branch for the second half of Trump&#8217;s term. Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both chambers, and issues like healthcare could be deciding factors for voters in November.
The survey was conducted from April 8-11 among 1,000 likely voters across the United States and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Close-up of gloved hands passing the surgical scissors, operating room, hospital

Midterm Candidates Have A Major Political Target That Impacts Your Wallet

2026 election

Congress

Healthcare

insurance

Tucker Carlson&#8217;s popularity has collapsed and is in &#8220;absolute free fall&#8221; among Republican voters as President Trump blasts the former Fox News host as &#8220;<a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/07/us-news/trump-tears-into-tucker-carlson-over-iran-war-claims/">a low IQ person that has absolutely no idea what’s going on.</a>&#8221;
The commentator&#8217;s favorability rating among Republican-leaning voters has dropped by a stunning 47 percentage points over the last two years, according to a <a href="https://www.uml.edu/docs/2026-Nat-Pol-March-Topline_tcm18-417813.pdf">poll</a> from YouGov and UMass Lowell. The poll was conducted at the end of March, before Trump&#8217;s full onslaught, but well into the war in Iran.
In March 2024, Carlson held a +54 favorability rating with conservative voters. Two years later, that figure has cratered to just +7, the poll shows.
The numbers reflect a trend that began with former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned from Congress after a bitter split with the president. Trump-backed Republican Clay Fuller <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/voters-pick-replacement-for-former-trump-ally-marjorie-taylor-greene?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Voters+Pick+Replacement+For+Former+Trump+Ally+Marjorie+Taylor+Greene">won the special election</a> Tuesday night to fill the seat.
CNN&#8217;s polling expert described Carlson as &#8220;electoral poison,&#8221; pointing to data showing that California Gov. Gavin Newsom would beat him by 11 percentage points in a general election. Vice President JD Vance, on the other hand, would win by 3 points over Newsom.
&#8220;When you go up against Donald Trump and you want to appeal to the Republican base, to quote the movie &#8216;Good Burger,&#8217; you&#8217;re going in the grinder, and that&#8217;s exactly what has happened to Tucker Carlson, who has absolutely collapsed among Republicans,&#8221; Enten said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Tucker Carlson has been in absolute free fall among the GOP. His net favorable has dropped by 47 points.
Meanwhile, Trump crushes Tucker among the GOP. Trump&#8217;s net favorable is 54 pts higher than Carlson&#8217;s.
When you up against Trump, you in the grinder to quote Good Burger. <a href="https://t.co/oz30tsWGhW">pic.twitter.com/oz30tsWGhW</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/2042628510729277697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
Kalshi prediction markets only give Carlson a five percent chance of securing the 2028 GOP nomination, with Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio running well ahead.
Republican voters &#8220;choose Donald Trump basically every single time,&#8221; Enten added, a point raised by conservative commentator Meghan McCain.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know how every single podcaster and influencer hasn&#8217;t realized by this time that republicans will choose Trump over them &#8211; absolutely every single time,&#8221; McCain said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I don&#8217;t know how every single podcaster and influencer hasn&#8217;t realized by this time that republicans will choose Trump over them &#8211; absolutely every single time. <a href="https://t.co/Wi4z78YhQ5">https://t.co/Wi4z78YhQ5</a>
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) <a href="https://twitter.com/MeghanMcCain/status/2042639626427375790?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
The fresh data comes after President Trump went scorched earth Thursday night on Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones, calling the four podcasters &#8220;low IQ,&#8221; &#8220;losers,&#8221; and &#8220;nut jobs.&#8221;
&#8220;They’ve all been thrown off Television, lost their Shows, and aren’t even invited on TV because nobody cares about them, they’re NUT JOBS, TROUBLEMAKERS, and will say anything necessary for some &#8216;free&#8217; and cheap publicity,&#8221; Trump said in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116376634773749603">Truth Social post</a>.
In response, the Tucker Carlson Network started selling &#8220;low IQ&#8221; hats, &#8220;calling all nut jobs, troublemakers, and third rate podcasters&#8221; to buy their merchandise.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Calling all nut jobs, troublemakers, and third rate podcasters! New merch just dropped: <a href="https://t.co/PICYxuIV5A">https://t.co/PICYxuIV5A</a><a href="https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TuckerCarlson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/megynkelly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@megynkelly</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RealCandaceO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealCandaceO</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RealAlexJones?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealAlexJones</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mtgreenee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mtgreenee</a> <a href="https://t.co/O8s6DRpC29">https://t.co/O8s6DRpC29</a> <a href="https://t.co/XOKveI5h41">pic.twitter.com/XOKveI5h41</a>
— Tucker Carlson Network (@TCNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/TCNetwork/status/2042614462645956621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
All four commentators have become <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-goes-nuclear-on-tucker-megyn-and-candace?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Goes+Nuclear+On+Tucker%2C+Megyn%2C+And+Candace">increasingly critical</a> of the president over his decision to launch “Operation Epic Fury” against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Earlier this week, Carlson urged U.S. military members to refuse Trump’s orders and fumed at the president&#8217;s Easter Sunday message.
“Who do you think you are? You’re tweeting out the f-word on Easter morning?” Carlson said. “No president should mock Islam.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 Tucker Carlson slams US President Trump for mocking Islam.
&#8220;No President should mock Islam.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/ZnOtsLrDB6">pic.twitter.com/ZnOtsLrDB6</a>
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/BRICSinfo/status/2041312617717813468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2026</a></blockquote>

Donald Trump/Tucker Carlson

Tucker Carlson Popularity Is In ‘Absolute Free Fall’

Donald Trump

Elections

Marjorie Taylor Greene

Politics

Tucker Carlson

Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger entered office with a decisive mandate and a carefully crafted centrist brand. Now, just months later, new polling suggests both are under strain.
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/06/virginia-spanberger-approval-poll-affordability/">A survey</a> conducted by The Washington Post and George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government shows Spanberger at 47% approval and 46% disapproval, the weakest early-term standing for a Virginia governor in decades. The erosion is particularly sharp among independents, a key bloc that powered her November landslide. Just 45% now approve of her performance, while 46% disapprove, a stark shift from the 59% of independents she carried on Election Day, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/election/2025/exit-polls/virginia/general/governor/0">exit polls</a>.
Governors in the Commonwealth have typically enjoyed relatively stable approval ratings early in their terms, if not downright charitable. Glenn Youngkin, for example, maintained a solid 54% approval rating with just 39% disapproval at a comparable point in his tenure, despite only winning Virginia by two points in the 2021 election.
45% of voters say Spanberger’s views are “too liberal,” compared to 42% who say they are “just about right,” and just 7% who view her as “too conservative.” Nowhere is the shift clearer than on the issue that defined her campaign: affordability.
Spanberger repeatedly promised to lower costs, pledging an “Affordable Virginia” agenda aimed at easing pressure on health care, housing, and energy. But voters are increasingly skeptical. The poll finds 41% believe her policies will make Virginia less affordable, compared to 31% who say more affordable, while 23% expect no impact.
That skepticism extends across party lines. While 63% of Democrats believe her policies will improve affordability, a significant share, more than three in ten, say they will either make no difference or worsen costs. Among independents, the numbers tilt negative, with 41% saying her policies will make the state less affordable versus just 27% who expect improvement. Roughly eight in ten Republicans say her agenda will drive costs higher.
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/after-running-on-affordability-virginia-dems-push-for-nations-highest-income-tax?author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=After+Running+On+Affordability%2C+Virginia+Dems+Push+For+Nation%E2%80%99s+Highest+Income+Tax">previously reported</a>, Democrats in Richmond have introduced sweeping tax proposals that would create new income brackets and expand taxes on investment income, potentially pushing Virginia’s top effective rate to roughly 13.8%, higher than California’s. Supporters frame the measures as a “fair share” approach to fund public priorities, but critics argue they directly undercut Spanberger’s affordability message. The tension between centrist campaign rhetoric and left-wing governing reality is becoming a defining feature of her early tenure.
Beyond taxes, Spanberger is facing mounting scrutiny over a broader policy slate. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blue-state-dems-plow-ahead-with-dozens-of-gun-control-bills?author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Blue+State+Dems+Plow+Ahead+With+Dozens+Of+Gun+Control+Bills">More than 30 gun control measures</a> are advancing through the legislature, including proposed bans and new restrictions on firearms and magazines. Her decision to end cooperation between state law enforcement and federal immigration authorities has also drawn criticism, as has her support for rejoining a regional climate initiative opponents say could increase energy costs.
Taken together, the policy direction has fueled a perception that her administration is governing to the left of where she campaigned, a dynamic reflected in the polling.
Political observers say the speed of the shift is notable. Larry Sabato has <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/virginia-gov-abigail-spanbergers-approval-rating-drop-gmu-washington-post-poll-immigration-affordability-taxes-voters-redistricting">warned</a> the decline is “stunning” and could become a serious liability if it continues. Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government, similarly noted that while polarization is expected, the degree of early division is “unusual” for a governor who emphasized a centrist image.
But the more compelling explanation may not be polarization at all. Spanberger didn’t win as a culture-war left-winger or a doctrinaire liberal, she won as a center-leaning pragmatist who promised cost relief and moderation. What the early polling suggests is not simply that voters are sorting into partisan camps, but that a decisive bloc, particularly independents, believes the product they were sold is not the one being delivered.
The risk for Spanberger is that this isn’t a messaging problem, it’s a definitional one. Once voters conclude a candidate has misrepresented their governing approach, it becomes extraordinarily difficult to rebuild credibility, especially when the policy record continues to reinforce that perception.
In that sense, the centrist brand that carried her to office may not be fraying, it may already be gone.

Abigail Spanberger Is Sworn In As First Female Virginia Governor

Spanberger May Have Won In A Landslide, But She Just Got Hit With A Reality Check

abigail spanberger

Virginia

CNN data analyst Harry Enten is pushing back on claims of a growing fracture within the Republican base, arguing that new polling shows continued and near-total loyalty to President Donald Trump among self-identified MAGA voters, even as a high-profile rift plays out on the right over Iran.
Speaking on CNN, Enten pointed to what he described as a number that “jumps off the screen”: Trump’s approval rating among MAGA Republicans sits at 100%, with zero percent disapproving. “You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to know you can’t go higher than 100%,” Enten said, comparing Trump’s standing within the movement to the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins.
Enten also dismissed the idea that the figure is being inflated by an exodus of disaffected voters. According to the polling he cited, “The MAGA base within the GOP is not shrinking. If anything, it is slightly larger,” rising from 28% to 30%.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
There&#8217;s no break in MAGA. Trump&#8217;s approval with MAGA GOP is literally 100%.
90% of MAGA GOP approve of US military action in Iran.
Those who disapprove of Trump are not MAGA at this point.
Importantly: MAGA makes up the same share of voters as it did when Trump won in 2024. <a href="https://t.co/LqMRHm8t1B">pic.twitter.com/LqMRHm8t1B</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/2034294893929968050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But that analysis is colliding with an increasingly visible backlash from prominent voices on the right, who argue that Trump’s posture toward Iran cuts against core promises that defined the MAGA movement. Tucker Carlson blasted the policy in stark terms, <a href="https://abcnews.com/US/trumps-iran-decision-sparks-backlash-tucker-carlson-maga/story?id=130622270">calling it</a> “absolutely disgusting and evil,” adding: “This is Israel’s war. This is not the United States’s war. This war’s not being waged on behalf of American national security objectives.”
Carlson further warned the conflict “will be catastrophic” and could “end Trump’s presidency” or “shuffle the deck in a profound way.” Donald Trump responded directly, <a href="https://x.com/jonkarl/status/2029650210125652143">saying</a> Carlson “has lost his way” and declaring “he’s not MAGA.”
In the same camp, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene argued the move represents a fundamental break from the movement’s original platform.“We said on every single rally stage, no more foreign wars, no more regime change … this is a complete betrayal of those campaign promises,” Greene <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/16/politics/video/cnn-sitroom-pamela-brown-mtg-marjorie-taylor-greene-trump-president-war-iran-campaign">said</a>. “This is absolutely absurd. And it’s 100% a betrayal to what MAGA was supposed to be when we voted in 2024, and it’s turned into some perverted, deranged version of MAGA now that nobody wants.” 
Despite that rhetoric, Enten argued the available data does not show a measurable break within Trump’s base. Citing Republican views on potential U.S. military action in Iran, Enten said 90% of MAGA Republicans approve, compared to 54% of non-MAGA Republicans. Among MAGA voters, just 5% expressed disapproval.
“Those who disapprove… they ain’t MAGA,” Enten said.
The disconnect highlights a broader question emerging from the debate: whether the current divide represents a genuine fracture within the Republican electorate, or a loud but limited conflict among high-profile figures and online activists.
Critics of Enten’s analysis could argue that topline polling may not fully capture shifts in enthusiasm or intensity, particularly on an issue like foreign policy that has historically divided Republican factions. Supporters, meanwhile, can point to the numbers as evidence that Trump’s hold on the movement remains intact. For now, the data and the discourse appear to be telling two different stories, one of consolidation, and one of conflict, with the true state of the MAGA coalition to be tested in the midterms this November.

CNN Pollster Admits It: Reports Of MAGA’s Death Have Been Grossly Exaggerated

Media

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Democrats are fighting to claim the majority in one or both chambers of Congress. But, according to a recent poll, the Democratic Party is polling below almost every key figure and organization — with the exception of the brutal Iranian regime.
<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27777984-nbc-news-march-2026-poll-03-08-2024-release-final/">An NBC News poll</a>, published by the legacy news outlet on March 8, asked a number of standard questions regarding the economy, military action in Iran, and the overall performance thus far of President Donald Trump — but it also ranked a number of key figures and organizations based on their net favorability.
The Democratic Party, with a net favorability rating of -22, ranked near the bottom of the list — in fact, only the Iranian regime ranked below the Democrats, albeit with a much lower net favorability of -53. Pope Leo the 14th ranked highest overall with a net favorability of 34.
President Donald Trump (-12) and the Republican Party (-14) were near the middle of the list — and as far as 2028 presidential contenders, Republicans fared far better than Democrats did there as well. Two of the most likely Democratic primary candidates — former Vice President Kamala Harris at -17 and Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feminist-hero-katie-couric-asks-gavin-newsom-if-hes-too-hot-to-be-president-in-hard-hitting-interview">Gavin Newsom</a> (D-CA) at -18 — ranked decidedly lower than current Vice President JD Vance (-11) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (-7). Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who is rumored to be considering either a presidential bid or a move to unseat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, was the only Democrat to break into the top half of the list, tying with Vance at -11.
The poll surveyed 1000 registered voters, just over half of whom were female. They were evenly divided along political lines, with 42% saying they leaned Republican, 42% saying they leaned Democrat, and the rest identifying themselves as either independent or other.
As to the other questions, just under half (44%) said they approved of President Trump&#8217;s performance thus far, and 54% disapproved. On border security specifically, the president fared much better, with just over half (53%) approving of his actions and a little less than half (44%) disapproving. On foreign policy, 43% approved and 54% disapproved — a slight shift from one year prior, when 45% approved and 53% disapproved. On the war in Iran, more than one-third (41%) approved of the president&#8217;s actions, and just over half (54%) disapproved.
A number of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/odds-have-gone-plummeting-down-cnn-data-guru-says-democrat-hopes-of-flipping-house-are-fading">polls</a> in recent months have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/voters-abandon-democrats-support-hits-lowest-level-in-more-than-three-decades-poll">spelled trouble</a> for the Democrats, with one from The Wall Street Journal (in July of 2025) noting that Democrats had sunk to their lowest approval rating in decades, with well over half (63%) holding a negative view of the party.

Kamala Harris

Democrats Only Outrank Despotic Iranian Regime In Recent NBC Poll

Democrats

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Iran

JD Vance

Marco Rubio

Republicans

While critics of President Donald Trump&#8217;s foreign policy push the narrative that his Iran strikes are dividing MAGA, a closer look at the data suggests that any cracks are at the surface rather than deep in the president&#8217;s Republican base.
The RealClearPolitics <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/approval/donald-trump/issues/military-action-iran">Average</a> showed that overall support for Operation Epic Fury, the joint military campaign undertaken by the United States and Israel over the weekend, had the president underwater a bit with 39% approving of the action and 52% disapproving.
A breakdown of some of the individual polls showed that Republicans were united on the issue, with no one poll showing more than 18% opposing military action in Iran. The vast majority of the disapproval came from Democrats — who were also fairly united — and, to a lesser extent, independents.
A <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-trump-administration-iran-war-goals/">CBS/YouGov</a> poll taken between March 2 and March 3, for example, showed that just 10% of Democrats approved of military action in Iran and 90% disapproved. Among independents, 63% opposed the action and 37% were in favor. A majority of Republicans (85%) supported military action and just 15% did not.
A similar result came from a <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16eShJoxX7NNcoSPkAsymnz8loVbgDrC9HztvcTpS22Y/edit?gid=0#gid=0">Washington Post poll</a> taken on March 1, which showed Democrat opposition at 87% and support at 9%. On the Republican side, 81% approved and 12% did not — and independents once again fell in the middle, with 59% against military action and 28% in favor of it.
A <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2026-03/Reuters%20Ipsos%20Iran%20Airstrike%20Topline%203.1.2026.pdf">Reuters/Ipsos</a> survey followed the same pattern, with 5% of Democrats supporting military action in Iran and 95% against it. Republicans came out largely in favor of military action, showing 82% approving and 18% disapproving. Among independents, 67% disapproved and 29% supported the action.
The apparent outlier included in the average was a poll from <a href="https://insideradvantage.com/iran-flash-survey-top-line-tabs/">InsiderAdvantage</a> taken on February 28, but it still showed similar numbers from Republicans: 79.3% in favor and 12% opposed. The numbers for Democrats shifted slightly, with 62.5% disapproving and 32.1% approving. Independents also showed much higher numbers in favor of military action, with 45.3% supporting and 40.3% opposing.
Sentiments had been moving in Trump&#8217;s favor, if only slightly, just prior to the first strikes, however. A <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-news-poll-americans-views-on-iran-prior-to-conflict/">CBS/YouGov</a> poll taken on February 24 showed 47% in favor of Trump taking military action to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and 53% opposed. Just three days later, 51% were in favor and 49% opposed.
A <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-views-divided-us-action-against-iran">Fox News poll</a> conducted between February 28 and March 2 showed overall approval and disapproval deadlocked at 50% on either side — but also showed that a majority (61%) view Iran as a national security threat.
Among Republicans, as in the other polls, the sentiment lies primarily (84%) on the side of taking military action against Iran. Among independents, support for military action was just under half, at 40% — and only 20% of Democrats were in favor.
The Fox News poll went a bit deeper as well, noting that among those who had served in the military, a majority (59%) favored the campaign against the Iranian regime and 39% opposed it.

President Trump Delivers The State Of The Union Address

MAGA Unity: Polls Show Republicans Opposed To Trump’s Iran Strikes Are Loud, Small Minority

MAGA Unity: Republicans Opposed To Trump Iran Strikes Are Loud, Small Minority

Military

Most Americans say the Supreme Court of the United States was right to block much of President Donald Trump’s sweeping emergency tariffs, a decision on an issue that has exposed sharp divisions among Republicans and prompted open celebration from Democrats.
A <a href="https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/54148-most-americans-approve-of-the-supreme-court-striking-down-trumps-tariffs">YouGov</a> survey released Friday found that 60 percent of U.S. adults “strongly” or “somewhat” approve of the Court’s ruling, compared to 23 percent who disapprove and 17 percent who are unsure. Democrats backed the decision overwhelmingly at 88 percent, while 63 percent of independents also approved. Republicans were more divided: 43 percent disapproved, while 30 percent said they approve.
The ruling came Friday morning in a 6–3 decision against Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners. Trump became the first president to rely on the nearly 50-year-old statute for such broad import taxes. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts concluded that IEEPA does not authorize the president’s tariff regime.
The Court declined to address whether previously collected tariffs must be refunded, leaving that question to lower courts. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee who joined the majority, has previously warned that refunds could become “a mess,” a concern echoed in dissent by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.
The <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55693d60e4b06d83cf793431/t/6998a0b0febd02741b8399d0/1771610288746/Supreme+Court+Tariff+Ruling+IEEPA+Revenue+and+Potential+Refunds.pdf">Penn Wharton Budget Model</a> estimates the ruling could put as much as $175 billion in tariff revenue at risk, noting that importers typically have 180 days after goods are liquidated to file refund claims with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Reactions among Republican leaders ranged from constitutional praise to outright condemnation of the Court.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) applauded the ruling, writing on <a href="https://x.com/SenRandPaul/status/2024875042912285053">X</a> that the Court “defended the Constitution” by rejecting the use of emergency powers to impose taxes. “Tariffs are taxes and the power to declare them belongs to the Congress,” Paul added, warning that the precedent would have empowered future administrations to govern “by decree.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Supreme Court makes plain what should have been obvious: “The power to impose tariffs is “very clearly a branch of the power to tax.” <a href="https://t.co/FBjYD29Dfn">pic.twitter.com/FBjYD29Dfn</a>
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRandPaul/status/2024873705478758639?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Vice President JD Vance, by contrast, <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/2024928034667545067">blasted</a> the ruling as judicial overreach. “This is lawlessness from the Court, plain and simple,” Vance wrote, arguing the decision would make it harder for presidents to protect American industries and supply chains.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) struck a more cautious tone, emphasizing that tariffs remain a viable policy tool. Thune <a href="https://x.com/LeaderJohnThune/status/2024909322388423065">said</a> Senate Republicans would continue working with the administration and House lawmakers to strengthen rural America, adding that Trump “has a wide range of other tariff powers and he will use them to defend American workers.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) similarly defended the president’s strategy, <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/2024892242930884617">noting</a> that tariffs have “brought in billions of dollars and created immense leverage” for U.S. trade negotiations. “Congress and the Administration will determine the best path forward in the coming weeks,” Johnson said.
Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sided firmly with the Court, <a href="https://x.com/SenMcConnell/status/2024909495734808714">calling</a> the use of IEEPA “illegal” and warning that tariffs raise costs for American consumers, a reality he said Kentuckians know “better than most.”
Democrats were far less divided. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) <a href="https://x.com/RepJeffries/status/2024869850980421739">called</a> the ruling “a big victory for the American people” and “another crushing defeat for the wannabe King.” Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) <a href="https://x.com/timkaine/status/2024878481557844330">said</a> similarly of Trump’s plan, “tariffs were illegal, dumb, and harmful to families, farms, and small businesses. Americans don’t want tariffs, they want lower costs.”
Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House Friday afternoon, called the decision “disappointing” and criticized Barrett and Justice Neil Gorsuch, both of whom he appointed. “I don’t want to say whether I regret nominating them,” Trump said. “I think their decision was terrible.” He added that he was “proud” of Kavanaugh, saying the justice’s “stock has gone so up.”
Within hours of the ruling, Trump announced he had signed a new executive order imposing a 10 percent global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows temporary tariffs of up to 15 percent for 150 days to address large trade deficits.
The White House’s official X account responded more bluntly, posting: “Keep Calm and Tariff On.”

President Trump Departs White House For Florida

Republicans Divided As Tariff Debate Splits Voter Base After SCOTUS Decision

Executive

Supreme Court

Tariffs

President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has rebounded to levels slightly exceeding his 2024 election performance, according to a new national survey released this week.
An <a href="https://insideradvantage.com/trump-approval-exceeds-election-victory-margin-in-new-insideradvantage-national-survey-approve-50-disapprove-46/">InsiderAdvantage</a> poll of 800 likely voters conducted on Wednesday found Trump’s approval rating at 50 percent, with 46 percent disapproving and 4 percent undecided. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.46 percentage points.
The findings place Trump’s approval essentially in line with, or marginally above, his national popular vote showing in the November 2024 election against Kamala Harris, a benchmark closely watched by both parties as the administration enters its second year.
InsiderAdvantage pollster Matt Towery said the numbers reflect a recovery from a softer patch earlier in the year.
“After a period of weakness in his approval ratings, President Trump has come back to the 50% level, near to or exceeding his margin of victory against Kamala Harris in 2024,” Towery said in a statement accompanying the poll release.
Towery attributed the uptick to a combination of immigration enforcement and economic sentiment, arguing that recent developments have cut against expectations of political fallout.
“Basically it is a combination of ICE raids becoming orderly and strategic and obvious evidence that the economy is actually turning to the positive,” he said. “While the last government shutdown appeared to hurt Trump’s ratings, this one appears to be actually helping his numbers.”
Towery also pointed to methodological divides in the polling industry, noting that firms with stronger historical performance measuring Trump’s support are showing similar trends.
“There are clearly two camps of pollsters who utilize different methods of data collection and weighting,” he said. “But I would note that those firms who most accurately polled President Trump’s three elections use similar methodologies.”
Other polling firms have reported a comparable rise. Rasmussen Reports, which has frequently shown Trump outperforming consensus averages, has also <a href="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration_second_term/trump_approval_index_history_second_term">recorded</a> an upward trend in the president’s approval in recent weeks.
The White House welcomed the numbers, framing them as validation of the administration’s economic and domestic agenda.
“President Trump is fighting hard every single day to make life affordable for working people — from delivering the largest middle-class working tax cuts in history, directing executive actions that made housing affordability hit a four-year high, and unleashing American energy dominance to bring the national average for a gallon of gas below $3,” Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman, told The Daily Wire. “There is more to do, but President Trump is successfully delivering on his promise to Make America Affordable Again.”
Despite the improvement, the poll shows a return to a familiar political reality: a deeply polarized electorate. As Towery put it, “Basically the country is where it is when Trump was elected — highly polarized, but at the moment, more supportive of Trump than not.&#8221;

TOPSHOT-US-VOTE-REPUBLICANS-TRUMP

YUGE: Why Trump’s Approval Could Be A Bigger Story Than 2024’s Votes

Republicans are beginning to panic as polls show them losing popularity before the upcoming midterm elections. In a party Zoom meeting to discuss the crisis, GOP Senator Samuel T. Schnorrer from the great state of Lassitude told his colleagues, “When I first saw the new numbers, I nearly lost my head. I started babbling like a crazy man about passing laws and cutting entitlement spending before it drives us into insolvency. Thank God my consultant was there to slap me in the face until I came to my senses and realized: if we start passing laws and all sorts of loony stuff like that, we might be blamed for the results. I think we just have to stick to the original game plan of shaking our fists at Democrats on Fox News.”
GOP Congressman Lorne Loveless from the persistent state of hysteria, blamed President Trump for the bad poll numbers, saying, “The president keeps doing things. Things are bad, especially when you do them. That’s why we do nothing. It literally means &#8216;no thing.&#8217; It’s right there in the word. Really, being a congressman is not that complex if you know how to speak English. Also you have to know when to stop speaking English before you actually say something and instead just keep shaking your fist at Democrats on Fox News.” 
The polls do confirm that Trump’s actions are alienating some people in the party’s coalition. According to one poll — Nikolai Kaminski — sixty-seven percent of Republicans feel Trump is not carrying out their wishes that he would make government smaller while not cutting any of their benefits, bring down prices while continuing to print massive amounts of money so they don’t lose any of their benefits, and deport illegal immigrants without making it hard to find someone to mow your lawn while you pay him crap wages and shout, “That’s mucho dinero, amigo!” because what the hell does he know, he doesn&#8217;t even speak English.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1266-how-we-fight?contentProgram=The%20Andrew%20Klavan%20Show&amp;contentType=ShowEpisode&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;location=Home%20Tab&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Home%20Featured%20Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974735 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1024x171.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1024x171.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-768x128.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1536x256.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now.jpg 1800w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
According to another poll — Stanislaw Dabrowski — fifty-five percent of Independent voters feel the news under the Trump administration is far too chaotic and they yearn for the days when they could kick back in front of the TV and watch President Biden shuffle around aimlessly calling America racist while reporters marveled at his ability to lick an ice cream cone and fall down a flight of stairs at the same time.
In yet another poll — this one at the Spearmint Rhino Club in Oakland — seventy-five percent of Republicans who listen to Tucker Carlson blame Trump for sending Christian men to die for Israel in Carlson’s imagination. Ninety-five percent of Carlson’s listeners who named their first-born sons Adolf are also angry that Trump prevented the Iranian mullahs from acquiring nuclear weapons, which would’ve sure come in handy the next time their pagers blew their testicles off.
Finally, according to the traditionally reliable north poll, eleventy-six percent of readers of the New York Times, a former newspaper, are furious at the things they read about Trump doing in the Times and are deeply concerned he might start doing them in real life as well.
Democrats are seizing on these poll numbers to launch attacks on the administration that they feel will resonate with the public. Democrat strategist Lilith Abaddon rolled over in bed and told a reporter, “Affordability was a good issue until people discovered inflation was caused by president Biden printing massive amounts of money, before tripping over a sandbag, flying out the door, bumping into a little girl and burying his nose in her hair while calling half the electorate fascist. So now, we’ve cleverly switched to harping on deporting illegal immigrants who came swarming into the country by the millions while president Biden was falling off his bicycle and lying face down in the mud for three hours before anyone realized he was no longer running the country. Right now, we feel the idea of defunding ICE will be really popular with millions of poor refugees who came to this country simply looking for a better life with their 72 virgins in heaven.”
As for Republicans, they say they will continue to beat back the tide of unpopularity until their fists get tired from being shaken on Fox News.
* * *
This excerpt is taken from the opening satirical monologue of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Andrew Klavan Show</a>.”
Andrew Klavan is the host of “The Andrew Klavan Show” at The Daily Wire. Klavan is the bestselling author of numerous books, including the Cameron Winter Mystery series. The fifth installment, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/After-That-Cameron-Winter-Mysteries/dp/1613166869/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EGZUC370LG46&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Y_NI0mDOKeowShheDQTVx5NH-fAeimJoCD56_T0Acpl8C0mup7uJf-nGGSRLEItaaekoDnvS2vWLMa4Zd2UBXQ8Y-g-P502jOWz-Y8IX3ZQsdlO7WMLrg1xIhNoKmjCorSWUR4C2l_RbiZ7apJ1MfPzGOrrEf7AdAXX6xwnJRVP_XqUfWuMuVthTWscaU3P4vgmS86-96n-721enHfX12CFQWTajqFbVnrsDkexfUf4.6_gTH6h1Bb9Pn375QdF_VAVZSayDvjQBBKGXE-MTiFo&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=klavan&amp;qid=1754049918&amp;sprefix=%2Caps%2C80&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">After That, The Dark,</a> is NOW AVAILABLE. Follow him on X: <a href="https://x.com/andrewklavan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@andrewklavan</a>.
The views expressed in this satirical piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Portrait of shocked senior man

Republicans Alarmed By New Poll Showing Voters Expect Results

2026 Midterms

Humor

Satire

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten named President Donald Trump the &#8220;kingmaker in chief,&#8221; at least when it came to his record on Republican primary endorsements.
Enten spoke with CNN anchor John Berman about Trump&#8217;s decision to back Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) in a potential primary match-up with incumbent Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and said that Trump was nearly undefeated in primaries featuring a candidate he&#8217;d endorsed.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump going with Julia Letlow over Cassidy in the Louisiana GOP Sen primary is a huge deal!
Trump&#8217;s the kingmaker GOP primaries (endorsees win 95%+ of the time). His approval rating with the GOP? ~90%!
When Trump goes against you, you go in the grinder to quote Good Burger. <a href="https://t.co/xPBi0swOiV">pic.twitter.com/xPBi0swOiV</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/2013294448159957312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;President Trump is the kingmaker in Republican primaries, that&#8217;s why it&#8217;s such a big deal,&#8221; an animated Enten explained to Berman on Monday. &#8220;Take a look here: times Trump endorsees won GOP primaries, these are congressional and gubernatorial. In 2020, it was 98%; in 2022, it was 95%; in 2024, it was 96%.&#8221;
&#8220;President Trump has the magic touch when it comes to endorsing in Republican primaries,&#8221; Enten continued. &#8220;And when he doesn&#8217;t endorse you, you go — to quote the great movie &#8216;Good Burger&#8217; — into the grinder!&#8221;
Trump offered his full-throated endorsement to Letlow via a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115913724519885202">Truth Social post</a> on Saturday, saying in part, &#8220;I know Julia well, have seen her tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and she is a TOTAL WINNER! A Proud Mother of two children, Julia is a wonderful person, has ALWAYS delivered for Louisiana, and would continue doing so in the United States Senate.&#8221;
&#8220;As your next Senator, Julia will work tirelessly to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Support our Amazing Farmers and Fishermen, Champion Louisiana Oil &amp; Gas, Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Ensure LAW AND ORDER, Strengthen our Military/Veterans, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,&#8221; Trump added.
Letlow has not officially launched a Senate campaign, but is reportedly considering a run.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP-GOP

‘Kingmaker In Chief!’: CNN Pollster Says Trump Has 95% Win Rate In Primary Endorsements

'Kingmaker In Chief!': CNN Pollster Says Trump Has 95% Win Rate In Primary Endorsements

Harry Enten

Republican Primary

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