Image Resource: Lara Jameson
Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ platform, which helped secure his 2024 presidential victory, continues to influence US politics, with recent polling showing widespread support for stricter immigration policies and protectionist trade measures. The data suggests that the electorate increasingly favours stronger border security and tougher immigration controls, indicating that Trump’s positions reflect the shifting priorities of the majority of voters.
Increased Backing for Immigration Restrictions
A Gallup poll from June 2023 has revealed that 55% of U.S. adults now favour reducing immigration levels, a sharp increase from 41% just a year earlier. The poll highlighted that most Americans have expressed a desire for fewer immigrants for the first time since 2005. Support for stricter immigration controls spans party lines, with 86% of Republicans and 34% of Democrats prioritising the reduction of illegal immigration, according to an April 2023 Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey.
Meanwhile, the University of South Florida poll reported that 77% of Americans favour more Border Patrol agents at the southern border. In another finding, an April 2023 Axios-Ipsos poll revealed that 42% of Latino respondents supported building a border wall, a surprising shift among a demographic typically associated with more lenient immigration policies.
Shifting Trade Perspectives and Protectionism
In a September 2024 Reuters/Ipsos poll, 56% of registered voters expressed support for a trade policy that includes a 10% tariff on all imports and a 60% tariff on goods from China. This growing trend towards protectionism reflects deepening concerns over global trade’s impact on American industries and jobs. Additionally, polling data show that Democrats, traditionally advocates of free trade, are becoming more sceptical. In 2018, Pew Research found that only 67% of Democrats viewed free trade agreements positively, a sharp drop from 74% in 2014, with 52% now citing job losses as a key concern.
As Donald Trump enters his second term following a fiercely contested 2024 election, his commitment to his “America First” agenda remains unwavering. His proposal for mass deportations and tariffs up to 20% on foreign goods has already garnered the public attention beyond the US.