America Speaks with Frank Luntz (Video)

President Donald Trump is receiving mixed reviews on foreign policy 100 days into his presidency, according to a new Emerson College poll . His handling of the Russia-Ukraine conflict drew 27% approval, with 52% disapproving and 21% neutral. On the Israel-Hamas war, 46% disapprove of his response, while 30% approve and 24% are undecided. However, Trump fares better on immigration and border securi...

As President Trump wraps up his Middle East  tour , it’s clear his foreign policy marks a sharp departure from that of former President Joe Biden. He has withdrawn the U.S. from international agreements like the  Paris Climate Accord , cut numerous  foreign aid  programs and pursued closer ties with  Russia  to end the war in Ukraine. He has also floated the idea of taking over foreign territories...

Americans have mixed feelings about the country’s future, especially when it comes to politics and the  economy . Many expect political divisions to deepen by  2050 , and they tend to view the past more favorably than the present. Views on the future vary widely along party lines, with Republicans and  Democrats  expressing different levels of optimism about what lies ahead. Watch this 39-minute e...

America is split right down the middle, with its citizens continuing to clash over big issues like immigration and the economy. Social media keeps people locked in their own bubbles, ramping up the tension, while trust in the government is at an all-time low. Immigration remains the top divisive issue , with President Trump and his supporters’ stance clashing with other Americans, fueling the ongo...

The U.S. is going through a turbulent period early in President Trump’s second term, with a shaky stock market , new tariffs pushing up prices, federal job cuts and tough immigration crackdowns. These developments have fueled discussions about whether Trump’s 2024 voters remain supportive or are reconsidering their choice amid the instability. According to an April 2025 Reuters/Ipsos poll , Trump’...

President Donald Trump sparked nationwide controversy with a barrage of executive orders as soon as he returned to the White House to commence his second term on Jan. 20, 2025. Since then, Republicans in Congress have been largely supportive of Trump’s initiatives. However, a series of escalating crises has begun to fracture Republican support of the president both within Congress and among the wi...

In a typical year, the United States spends between 0.4% to 1.4% of its federal budget on international aid. In 2023, the most recent year for which data is largely complete, that worked out to be around $79 billion, or 1.2% . Much of that aid includes life-saving food and medical supplies, but it also funds clinics , provides for emergency services and helps reduce armed conflicts. Recently, the...

After losing the White House and control of the Senate in the 2024 election — while facing record-low approval ratings — the Democratic Party is now debating its future leadership and strategy for handling President Donald Trump’s second term. While Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ., recently gained attention with a record-breaking speech , other “rising stars” are vying to lead the Democratic Party. Watch...

Last November, Democrats lost the popular vote for the U.S. presidency for the first time in 20 years against a divisive Republican candidate who had nearly been barred from politics for life over his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. That defeat  shocked the Democratic Party  and its supporters, and some analysts say that Democrats today remain in a state of traumatized paralysis eve...

Tariffs have emerged as a key component of President Trump’s economic plan for the United States, with sweeping levies imposed upon Mexican, Canadian and Chinese goods shortly after the president began his second term, and with future tariffs expected on European goods. The returning president has long campaigned on tariffs, and sought to implement them to a lesser extent during his first term, as...

For years, the American public policy debate around billionaires has revolved around questions of wealth inequality, with hardline critics arguing that billionaires should be taxed out of existence to raise living standards for all Americans and center-left leaders like former President Biden instead proposing a milder 25% “billionaire tax.” But that debate is even further divided between party li...

On March 4, 2025, President Donald Trump delivered a 100-minute address to Congress , drawing sharply divided reactions from Democrats and Republicans. He tackled a range of contentious issues, including immigration , economic policy and national defense. Watch the above 37-minute episode of America Speaks as pollster and political analyst Dr. Frank Luntz asks a unique group of American voters — t...

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has emerged as a controversial subject not only in U.S. politics but also in corporate and academic debates and across American culture as a whole. An overwhelming majority of Americans say that one’s individual life circumstances largely determine that individual’s success, as opposed to simply hard work and merit, and yet Americans across the political spect...

There’s been an increase in new independent media voices over the past few decades, amplified especially in recent years by the rise of the internet and online media. Those trends, together with increasing financial difficulties for legacy newsrooms, have contributed to the relative decline of many mainstream news outlets and to the collapse of local investigative journalism. Added to these diffic...

Cracking down on immigration was one of Donald Trump’s top 2024 presidential campaign promises, and he has sought to ramp up U.S. deportations and border security efforts since his return to the White House last month. Some proponents of stricter immigration systems have applauded those efforts, while critics protest that they are cruel, inhumane , unnecessary and ultimately bad for the U.S. econo...

Donald Trump’s surprise win in the national popular vote count in the 2024 U.S. presidential race shocked even veteran political commentators. Part of that victory certainly owed itself to poor Democratic turnout — a turnout which resembled lower 2016 numbers instead of higher 2020 numbers and which traumatized the Democratic Party establishment with its first popular vote loss in two decades. A p...

Many of the future officers of the United States Armed Forces begin their journeys as  cadets at West Point , America’s oldest military academy and one of the top military academies in the world today. The United States military is often commended for its skill in complex organization and team-building, and students and faculty say that this culture starts early at West Point.   Watch the above 25...

Controversy has surrounded Donald Trump’s questionable selections for top cabinet positions in his upcoming second term, and around his close partnership with Elon Musk , a multibillionaire who spent at least $277 million to help Trump win reelection. Recent arguments between Musk and MAGA-affiliated U.S. Congress members, however, have revealed deep schisms within the Republican Party in the run-...

Only about  1 in 5 Americans  say they support or have an optimistic view of  Congress , while 3 out of 5 say they disapprove or have a pessimistic view. While these numbers  change a little over time , there are consistently more Americans who disapprove than approve.   Watch the above 28-minute episode of America Speaks as pollster and political analyst  Dr. Frank Luntz  asks Americans to share...

It can be difficult to predict the relative living standards of future generations in the modern world, where it seems like so much is changing so fast. Emerging technologies like AI , for instance, might empower and accelerate human productivity , but at the same time could also exacerbate wealth, income and power inequalities . And while many of today’s opportunities might not exist for the next...

Over the past few decades,  rising costs of living  and housing in the United States have outpaced real wage gains, which have remained more or less stagnant  despite consistent growth in worker productivity  over time. All of this — together with rising inequality, the shrinking of the middle class, and the inability of  unemployed or unhoused Americans  to access the welfare that they need — has...

American shoppers  say they will spend a  record high  amount this year on holiday gifts and expenses,  up 8%  from the same time last year. While the  holidays  are meant to be a time of celebration, those with tight budgets can experience acute anxiety from the costs associated with travel, gifts, and taking time off work to be with friends and family.   Watch the above 25-minute episode of Amer...

The U.S. 2024 presidential election delivered a  decisive victory for Donald Trump  in the Electoral College and a narrow victory in the national popular vote. In the  days after the election , social media was flooded with celebrations among those who voted for Donald Trump, but with alarm, anger and despair from those who voted for Kamala Harris.   Watch this 38-minute episode of America Speaks...

Election Day  is tomorrow, and very few American  voters have yet to decide  which candidate they’ll cast their ballot for. Some of those remaining undecided, however, reside in a  handful of key swing states , and their votes could ultimately decide who becomes the next president of the United States.   In this 34-minute episode of America Speaks, pollster and political analyst Dr. Frank Luntz as...

With Election Day just one week from today, polls are predicting an extremely tight race in the Electoral College between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Those projections have alarmed Democrats and pro-Harris Republicans , who continue to warn Americans about what they say are the existential dangers and national security risks posed by a second Trump preside...