President Donald Trump’s 99-minute victory lap in front of Congress on Tuesday night was a hit with the watching American public, according to an exclusive snap poll for DailyMail.com.
Trump may have included taunts and boasts but some 57 percent of respondents gave the speech a thumbs up.
Only 32 percent said they disapproved, according to an online survey of 774 viewers conducted by J.L. Partners.
And some 58 percent said they thought it struck a generally optimistic tone, after Trump announced that the ‘American Dream is surging bigger and better than ever before.’
‘This was a knockout speech for Trump,’ said pollster James Johnson. ‘Viewers felt he was confident, optimistic, and strong – and they left feeling more positive about the future of America than when they left.’
Trump used the address to take a victory lap six weeks after taking office, laying out a string of achievements and listing objectives for the next four years.
‘It has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action,’ he said. ‘The people elected me to do the job, and I am doing it.’
The prime-time speech was his first to Congress since returning to power. And it highlighted another extraordinary facet of Trump’s political comeback in Washington, where his allies hold the House and Senate, allowing him almost unfettered power.
U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington
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The night bore all the hallmarks of a Trump rally, with bold exaggerations, multiple attacks on his predecessor, protests and walkouts, plus a string of made-for-television moments.
At 99 minutes, it was the longest presidential address to Congress in history.
To test reactions, J.L. Partners ran an online poll of viewers.
And the overwhelming reaction was that they got what they expected.
Three quarters said the speech showed the Trump they knew, compared with 20 percent who said it showed another side of Trump.
Some 62 percent said it was a 'strong' speech. But at the same time 53 percent said it was 'caring' (only 38 percent said it was uncaring), packed as it was with shout-outs to families in the audience who had been victims to violent crime or other hardships.
And there was good news for a president who has set out to entertain his public.
Almost two thirds (65 percent) said the speech was interesting while 27 percent said it was boring.
Yet Trump did not have it all his own way.
Vice President J.D. Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson looked on as Trump spoke
Viewers were asked to sum up how listening to Trump made them feel, and the results were more positive than negative
Elon Musk saluted the president after being introduced by Trump on Tuesday night
Democrats protested and Republicans applauded during the speech
He ran into opposition even as he entered the hall. One congresswoman held up a sign saying: 'This is not normal.'
And moments into his address, Rep. Al Green was ordered out after he refused to sit down.
Several more Democrats walked out but Trump shrugged off their concerns.
'I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud, nothing I can do,' he said.
'These people sitting right here will not clap, will not stand, and certainly will not cheer for these astronomical achievements.'
In fact he leant into some of his most polarizing culture war crusades, as well as talking up tariffs, and announcing the capture of the terrorist behind the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing at Kabul airport.
One of the biggest cheers came when he introduced Elon Musk.
'To further combat inflation, we will not only be reducing the cost of energy, but will be ending the flagrant waste of taxpayer dollars,' he said.
Rep. Al Green (D-TX) is removed from the chamber after protesting
The protests began as Trump entered the chamber with Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM)
Democratic women wore pink and held up signs through the speech
'And to that end, I have created the brand new Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE ... perhaps you've heard of it ... which is headed by Elon Musk, who is in the gallery tonight.'
Musk saluted the president, who then went on to claim that it had rooted out hundreds of billions of dollars of waste—numbers that are not borne out by evidence.
Trump used the occasion to attack opponents, referring to Joe Biden or the Biden administration 13 times.
Johnson, cofounder of J.L. Partners, which conducted the poll, said the results came with some caveats.
'The viewership was more likely to be Republican than Democrat: A reflection of Trump's base being more eager to tune in,' he said.
'And the public did not feel it was a unifying speech: they called it divisive, and felt that Trump was more incendiary than the protesting Democrats on the House floor.
'But they know the Trump they were going to get, and – as at the election – put more stock on Trump's policy positions and strength than his style.
'There was one unusual finding for a Trump speech: people felt it was "caring", with Trump’s big emphasis of people in the gallery clearly a savvy move.'
Jared Kushner and Trump's daughter Ivanka were in the audience
Melania Trump received a standing ovation as she arrived
Some of the biggest applause came during made-for-television moments.
Trump highlighted the story of 13-year-old DJ Daniel who had dreamed of becoming a police officer despite being struck by brain cancer, before directing Sean Curran, director of the United States Secret Service, to make him an honorary Secret Service agent.
And moments later he introduced high school senior Jason Hartley who wants to follow in his father’s legacy of service by attending the US Military Academy at West Point.
'That's a very big deal getting in,' said the president. 'That's a hard one to get into, but I'm pleased to inform you that your application has been accepted.'
He touted moves to rename the Gulf of Mexico and a mountain in Alaska, making English the official language of the country, ending diversity programs and preventing transgender girls and women from playing in female sports teams.
And he promised plenty more action, expanding production of critical minerals and rare earths, establishing an office of shipbuilding, and planting 'the American flag on the planet Mars.'
'My administration will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy, and we will restore true democracy to America again any federal bureaucrat who resists this change will be removed from office immediately, because we are draining the swamp,' he said.