Ever pondered just how dismal a president’s State of the Union address must be for members of his own party to rate it poorly? Trump’s 2026 SOTU address might just provide some enlightening insights.
Typically, audiences tuning into State of the Union addresses share two common traits: they are politically engaged and usually harbor some level of support for the sitting president. This makes it quite the feat for any president to receive unfavorable ratings from viewers post-address.
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Following each SOTU, CNN organizes a poll among viewers to gauge their reactions to the delivered speech.
CNN’s Washington Bureau Chief, David Chalian, provided a breakdown of the poll results after Trump’s address:
“Let’s take a moment to clarify something. This poll reflects the opinions of those who watched the speech, which typically skews towards supporters of the president—whoever that may be.”
“The audience for this event is generally about 13 percentage points more Republican than the national population, so keep that context in mind as we review the poll outcomes.”
“Now, regarding viewer reactions: 38% reported a very positive response to the speech, while 25% felt somewhat positive, and 36% had negative reactions. So, roughly two-thirds of viewers rated it positively, while about one-third did not.”
“How does this ‘very positive’ rating compare to past addresses? Here’s the kicker: it’s about six percentage points lower than the ‘very positive’ score Trump received last year.”
