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Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! In today’s edition, Scott Bland dives into the stark dividing lines revealed by our first NBC News poll of the year. Plus, Curtis Bunn reports on how the Tesla is no longer the status symbol on the left that it once was.
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— Adam Wollner
Election results change who holds power, and they change the course of history. But they don’t always change minds, at least in the short term.
That’s a major takeaway from the latest national NBC News poll, which finds, across dozens of questions, that the U.S. remains as closely and knottily divided on President Donald Trump and many key issues as it did before the November’s election.
Consider the questions on one of the centers of the action in the Trump administration: the Department of Government Efficiency. Asked whether “government should do more to solve problems and help meet the needs of people” or whether “government is doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals,” 56% choose “should do more,” while 42% say government “is doing too many things.”
But at the same time, voters are open to the idea of finding cuts and greater efficiency in government: 46% say establishing DOGE was a good idea, while 40% say it was a bad idea (and the remainder say they have no opinion or aren’t sure).
And at the same time as that, 47% say they view DOGE negatively, compared to 41% who view it positively. And there’s a degree of hesitancy about what DOGE has actually done so far — as well as a degree of willingness to support it even more, depending on what happens. One-third of voters say it should continue operating as is, another 28% say “it is needed but should slow down to assess the impact,” and another third say “it is reckless and should stop now.”
Divisions like these are in evidence throughout the poll — and, indeed, all throughout the U.S.
Trump’s approval rating is as high as he’s ever had as president, but a majority of registered voters still disapprove. Democrats and Republicans are essentially tied in an early 2026 midterm election ballot test, but views of the Democratic Party are as negative as they’ve ever been, driven in part by fed-up Democrats.
And while the nation has come around on Trump’s immigration policies, at least so far, he’s getting negative scores on other issues, including his handling of the economy, which has always been a bring spot in his numbers as president.
Check out the full poll here.
More from the NBC News poll: Most Americans are rooting for Ukraine. But nearly half think Trump prefers Russia, by Ben Kamisar
What to know from the Trump presidency today
Follow live updates →
It was not enough for Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., to announce that he had gotten rid of his Tesla. He did it on X, the social media platform headed by Elon Musk, who took over as CEO of the electric vehicle company in 2008.
Kelly made his reason for abandoning the car that one time represented progress and automotive and environmental achievement clear: Musk and his politics.
“Every time I get in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of just how much damage Elon Musk and Donald Trump is doing to our country,” Kelly posted.
Other well-known figures outside the political realm have recently dumped their Teslas as well, including actor Jason Bateman and musician Sheryl Crow.
Musk’s connection to President Donald Trump and the emergence of the Department of Government Efficiency and its vast federal government job cuts were the tipping points for many progressives who owned their once-beloved groundbreaking vehicles, as Tesla remains the top-selling electric car in the country.
Read more →
That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Bridget Bowman.
If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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