Cygnal's Pulse Pod: 48% Support Trump Negotiating Settlement to War in Ukraine as Optimism at Home Rises - Join us for the latest episode of Cygnal's Pulse Pod as we dive into the most recent political trends and public opinion shifts that are reshaping America's political landscape. Our data-driven analysis reveals some surprising developments that you won't want to miss.

Highlights:

Top Priorities: ‘Threats to democracy’ rose five points to an all-time high (22%) while concerns about inflation and the economy ticked up by two points remaining the number one priority. Trump’s massive action to curtail illegal border crossings by over 90 percent and deploy more resources has resulted in a three-point drop among Americans’ top issues. Sentiments at Home vs. Abroad: for the second straight month since we’ve been running this NVT poll, optimism about the direction of the country (45%) is at its highest level. Additionally, 42 percent believe things are getting better in America. Looking abroad, just 27 percent think things on the world stage are getting better while 64 percent say things are getting worse. America’s Role: Less than half of Americans (43%) say America should play a leading role in promoting democracy worldwide while 38 percent say our role should be more supportive and 12 percent said we should be neutral. Negotiate with Putin? 48 percent support President Trump engaging in direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek a resolution to the ongoing war with Ukraine. Sixty-nine percent of Democrats oppose this approach. Seventy-nine percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of Russia. Yay or NATO? Sentiment towards NATO has taken a hit over the past three years with only (55%) of Americans have a favorable opinion of NATO while 28 percent have an unfavorable opinion, largely driven by non-college men (41%) and Republicans (46%). Democrats (72%), Independents (61%), and college-educated (66%) have the most favorable opinions of NATO. United Nations Funding: views among Americans are mixed (43% support; 44% oppose) regarding President Trump’s executive order to withdraw funding for certain U.N. programs citing contradictions with American interests and value. Who’s the Superpower? 66 percent say the United States is the world’s leading superpower while 21 percent say China is the leader. Over a third (31%) of Black Americans say China is the leader over the U.S. Overall, Americans have an unfavorable opinion of China (75%) while only 13 percent have a favorable view. Every demo, except Blacks (45%), had a 50+ percent negative view of China. Most Disliked: three quarters (75%) of Americans of have an unfavorable opinion of Iran, including voters who switched to Trump (57%) in 2024 from Biden in 2020. Eighteen percent have no opinion of Iran and only seven percent have a favorable opinion. 

Quick Hits: 

• USA Image (71% favorable; 26% unfavorable) 

• Trump Image (47% favorable; 52% unfavorable) 

• Biden Image (40% favorable; 55% unfavorable) 

• Elon Musk Image (42% favorable; 53% unfavorable) 

• Congressional Republicans (44% favorable; 52% unfavorable) 

• Congressional Democrats (40% favorable; 54% unfavorable)