Prez on a poll roll
President Trump’s call for unity while maintaining a hard line on border security struck a positive chord with viewers of his State of the Union Address, according to two surveys.
A CNN poll showed 59 percent of those who tuned in had a “very positive” reaction to Tuesday night’s speech, 17 percent had a “somewhat positive” reaction and 23 percent viewed it negatively.
A CBS News survey found that 76 percent gave Trump a thumbs-up.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer didn’t agree with the majority, calling the speech “political, divisive, calculating, even nasty at times.”
“There’s very little nice to say about it. It’s sort of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the excitement and the enthusiasm was all in the Mr. Hyde parts,” Schumer said Wednesday on CNN.
During the 82-minute speech, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi applauded with a smirk and an eyeroll as the president turned his head to look at her — an image that quickly went viral.
His speech pulled in sky-high ratings, according to preliminary data.
Nielsen reported it got a 16.3 overnight rating — about 49 million viewers.
The CBS survey showed that 56 percent believe Trump’s speech will do more to unite the country than divide it.
Respondents in the CNN poll were more skeptical, with 53 percent saying Trump will not succeed in uniting Democrats and Republicans.