INSTANT POLL: Trump gets some of his highest marks yet for his first big speech to Congress

pulse

March 1, 2017 6:11 AM

The network's poll also found two-thirds of the people who watched Trump's speech were optimistic about the nation's direction.

President Donald Trump.

A majority of people who watched President Donald Trump's congressional speech approved of Trump's message, according to an instant CNN/ORC poll Tuesday night.

The survey, conducted by phone with people who planned to watch Trump's remarks and again after the president finished his speech, found 57% of viewers had a "very positive" reaction. Nearly seven out of 10 viewers said Trump's proposals would move the US in the right direction, CNN reported.

The network's poll also found two-thirds of the people who watched Trump's speech were optimistic about the nation's direction. Nineteen people out of a 21-member focus group conducted by pollster Frank Luntz said Trump's speech exceeded their expectations.

Here's where Trump's speech performed best among viewers polled by CNN:

Economy: 72% said Trump's proposals were right for the US.
Terrorism: 70% of viewers agreed to the same question on the issue.
Taxes: 64% of people who watched had a positive reaction to Trump's comments.
Immigration: 62% of viewers agreed with the president's reform agenda.
Healthcare: 61% of viewers polled said Trump's remarks on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act were on point.

The speech was expected to provide Trump with an overall boost in his approval ratings, which have languished in the first weeks of his presidency.

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