DIVERSE POLITICAL TRACKER

Six weeks after President Donald Trump’s second term began, the Intelligence Center from My Code™ surveyed multicultural Americans to understand their views on the new administration’s top policy priorities and their social media consumption and engagement habits since the 2024 election.

Multicultural Americans are more disapproving of Trump and leaders in his administration than non-multicultural Americans, but the larger divide lies along political party lines. Leaders in the Trump administration including President Donald Trump himself, Vice President JD Vance, and Head of DOGE Elon Musk are all highly polarizing with strong approval ratings from Republicans and weak approval ratings from Democrats.

There is widespread confusion about the definitions and effects of key policy points the Trump Administration has championed in its first weeks, including, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), tariffs, U.S. government budget cuts, DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), and the war in Ukraine. Across all segments and political parties, there are high rates of misinformation or misunderstanding on these topics, presenting a great opportunity for educational advertising campaigns targeting specific audiences.

The Trump administration’s “flood the zone” strategy to roll out a never-ending list of initiatives has created a massive divide between Democrats and Republicans regarding support for these new policies. Democrats across all segments strongly disagree with Trump’s policy changes while Republicans are less likely to disagree with the new administration’s changes on issues like changes to the federal workforce, trade and economic policies, and the use of presidential pardons.

Immigration continues to be a top issue for multicultural Americans. A significant percentage know someone who has been impacted by Trump’s immigration policies, even though these policies have just started. Most multicultural Americans support a pathway to citizenship and disapprove of the Trump Administration’s deportation policies, but there is significant polarization along political party lines on immigration and border policies from the Trump Administration.

The majority of multicultural Americans are interested in politics and discuss politics daily, but social media consumption and engagement habits differ significantly between political parties. Across most segments, Republicans rely more on Facebook than Democrats. YouTube is the most consistently used platform across all groups, while TikTok is more popular with multicultural Democrats than with multicultural Republicans.

Looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, campaigns and candidates must spend the next two years tackling misinformation about key policy points by building communication strategies tailored to specific constituencies among multicultural Americans and their media preferences.

Intelligence Center from My Code™ has developed this research series to highlight how political actors can deepen relationships with diverse voters by understanding how cultural nuances inform their political attitudes and behaviors.

Key Findings:

• Trump Administration Approval:

  • Multicultural Americans have significantly lower approval ratings of Trump and his administration than non-multicultural Americans, with a stronger divide along party lines.

    • Trump's approval among multicultural Americans is at 36%, with higher disapproval among multicultural women and older voters.

    • Vice President JD Vance has a 31% approval rating and remains largely unknown to many.

    • Elon Musk is seen as polarizing, with 69% of multicultural voters perceiving him as a national security threat.
      

• Policy Confusion and Misinformation:

  • Significant confusion exists regarding key policy terms like DEI, tariffs, U.S. budget cuts, DOGE, and the Ukraine war, across both multicultural and non-multicultural groups.

  • Misinformation is prevalent, creating opportunities for targeted educational campaigns.

  • A strong partisan divide exists on Trump Administration policies, with Democrats largely disapproving.
    

• Immigration Impact:

  • Immigration is a top concern for multicultural Americans, with 36% knowing someone affected by Trump's policies.

  • Hispanic and LGBTQIA+ communities show even higher rates of personal impact.

  • Personal experience with immigration policies influences opinions, even among Republican voters.

  • Partisan divide is strong on immigration policy.
    

• Political Engagement:

  • Multicultural Americans are highly engaged in politics and discuss it daily.

  • Social media engagement with political content varies significantly between Democrats and Republicans, with Republicans posting their own political opinions more often.
    

• Key Issues for Multicultural Voters:

  • Mental health and economic concerns (e.g., cost of living) are top priorities for multicultural voters.

  • Campaigns must directly address these issues to effectively engage multicultural voters.