US: Soft Voter Support For Energy Items In Trump's 'Day 1' Agenda

A new surveyfrom the Associated Press-NORC has found that Americans are divided over US President Donald Trump’s 'Day 1' agenda, with strong support for many of Trump's hardline immigration measures but comparatively weak support for the energy items in the agenda. 

• AP: “Most Americans think increasing security at the U.S.-Mexico border should be at least “a moderate priority” for the federal government… and about half think it should be a high priority.”
• The report notes "According to AP VoteCast, only about 4 in 10 voters in the 2024 presidential election said U.S. energy policy should focus on expanding production of fossil fuels, such as oil and gas. Most -- 55% -- said it was better to focus on expanding use of alternative energy, such as solar and wind."
• AP found that about one-third of Americans “somewhat” or “strongly” favor increasing oil drilling on federal lands, while about 4 in 10 are opposed. Increasing oil drilling is broadly popular with Republicans but not with Democrats or independents."
• The weaker support level for Trump's oil and gas proposals is likely to complicate the passage of energy legislation through Congress, necessary if Trump is to formalise his executive orders into durable law. 

Figure 1: Support for Trump’s Day One Actions