President Donald Trump went into the press cabin on Air Force One to brag about a USA Today analysis of the 2024 election that he won—another moment where Trump was poking fun at reporters.
USA Today published an article in mid-November by Karina Zaiets, Ramon Padilla, and Carlie Procell called “How America Voted: Which Counties Shifted Toward Trump and a Look at Voter Turnout.” The article had several interactive maps.
Trump went to Miami to give a speech on Wednesday night and then came back to the press cabin on Air Force One with a copy of that article that had a very red county-level map at the top.
“So you just saw this– this just came out. Yeah, and I’d say that’s quite good right? By any standard that’s quite good. We shouldn’t leave USA–. Is anybody here from USA Today?” Trump told the paper, and he tried to thank them in person.
“Yesterday we had someone,” a reporter said.
After that, he talked to reporters for about 15 minutes about a wide range of topics, including continuing to make controversial comments about the war in Ukraine and Elon Musk’s work with DOGE.
Among other things, that USA Today study showed how counties, even ones he lost, moved toward Trump:
How counties shifted from 2020
In the 2024 election, Trump needed to shift many left-leaning counties toward the right. That didn’t mean he needed to win the county, he just needed to narrow the gap.
Take Nevada. Trump won the state that went to Joe Biden in 2020. His victory was aided by two counties that he still lost in 2024 because he cut into the 2020 margins:
–Washoe County: In 2024, the margin shifted from blue to red by 3.5 points toward Trump.
–Clark County: Trump cut the margin already red, gaining 6.8 points.
WATCH:
Trump Pops Into Press Cabin On AF1 To Brag About Months-Old Election Map Of His Win: ‘This Just Came Out!’ https://t.co/ETBkQnbw16 via @mediaite pic.twitter.com/tXfA3PaZLZ
— Tommy moderna-vaX-Topher (@tommyxtopher) February 20, 2025
President Trump’s approval rating has managed to hold firm and remain in the positive exactly one month after taking office and amid a rapid introduction of his agenda.
Trump has recorded at least 50 percent approval ratings in three recent surveys, Newsweek reported, adding that the “surveys suggest that most Americans approve of the job the president is doing, despite other polls indicating that Trump’s favorability ratings have declined since his first few days back in office.”
A SurveyUSA poll of 2,000 adults found that a majority (51 percent) approve of Trump’s job as president, while 45 percent disapprove, giving him a net approval score of +6 points.
When analyzed by region, the results reveal that Trump enjoys stronger approval in rural areas (59 percent) compared to suburban (48 percent) and urban areas (51 percent).
The SurveyUSA poll was conducted between February 13 and 16, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
A separate Morning Consult poll, also released on Tuesday, showed that 50 percent of voters approve of Trump’s job as president, while 47 percent disapprove, Newsweek’s report continued.
Eli Yokley, U.S. politics analyst for Morning Consult, and Cameron Easley, head of U.S. political analysis, noted in their analysis that Trump’s approval rating has “stabilized” after three consecutive weeks of decline.
“The president’s approval and favorability ratings have stabilized following three straight declines week over week. Voters are slightly more likely to approve than disapprove of Trump’s job performance, 50% to 47%, and slightly more likely to view him unfavorably than favorably on a personal level, 49% to 48%,” Yokley told Newsweek. “Both figures represent marginal improvements from last week’s update and are similar to his numbers at the same point in his first term in office.”
Additionally, a recent survey from a Republican polling firm indicated that Trump maintains a strong approval rating.
The Napolitan News survey, conducted by Scott Rasmussen and RMG Research, showed Trump’s approval at 55 percent, with a disapproval rating of 43 percent, giving him a net approval score of +12 points, Newsweek added.
Trump’s approval rating among this group has remained above 50 percent since he returned to the White House on January 20, peaking at 57 percent during his inauguration week.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
