Critical Analysis

Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:

Based on the visual above, in America, who is the most popular person in the news?
Based on the visual above, in America, who is the least popular person in the news?
Newsmakers who have a higher unfavorable number than favorable are considered “underwater” Which newsmaker is the most underwater in the poll?
The newsmaker about whom most Americans have no opinion is Emmanuel Macron. I happen to love (j'aime) Emmanuel Macron. My wife finds him odious. But most people I ask have no opinion of him. Why do you think so few Americans have an opinion about Emmanual Macron?
Here are some fun facts about Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope. Pope Leo likes to play Wordle! Pope Leo watched "Conclave" right before his very own Conclave! He has a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics. Pope Leo's favorite sport is tennis! Pope Leo XIV knows how to speak: English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese. Additionally, he can read Latin and German, two important theological languages. Pope Leo is the youngest of 3 boys. Pope Leo is a Chicago White Sox fan! Pope Leo XIV has a complicated racial background with ties to a Black Creole family from New Orleans. His maternal great-grandparents were free people of color, but the family assimilated into white communities, and Pope Leo has not publicly discussed his race. His family history illustrates the complex and multicultural racial past of the United States. In one way it matters if a president is popular or not. Some would say it does not matter if a non-elected official like a pope is popular. Others might counter that popularity allows even non-elected officials to do certain things or enact certain policies. Do you think it matters whether the Pope is popular or not?
Benjamin Netanyahu is very unpopular in America. But Netanyahu is not an American politician, he is the Prime Minister of Israel. In what way does American public opinion matter to foreign leaders like the Pope, Benjamin Netanyahu, Emmanuel Macron, and Volodymyr Zelensky?
According to the data from the visual above, President Trump’s current net approval rating is negative 16. Nonetheless, Trump has executed a very robust and forceful policy agenda, signing over 140 executive orders so far. Why do you think that such an unpopular president has been able to do so much?
How would you rank the newsmakers above in terms of your approval or disapproval?
Does your opinion matter? Does public opinion even matter?
According to the visual below* what member of the Trump cabinet’s approval rating has fallen the most since they came to power?

Write and Discuss

Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.

Act on your Learning

Contact one of the newsmakers you approve of on X or other social media and let them know what you think!

Get Creative

Make a list of your ten favorite newsmakers and share it with your classmates. You can include rappers like Drake, Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Mac Miller and Future.

Learning Extension*

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Who is the most popular newsmaker in America?