Hi, and welcome to Today Explained Saturday.
I'm Esteth Herndon, and every week I'll be talking to someone in the news,
in the culture, or just exploring an idea I can't get out of my head.
This week, I've been thinking about the president's poll numbers.
It may not feel like it, but Trump's approval rating is some of the lowest in recorded history,
and has fallen to new lows in recent weeks,
as the nation reels from the recent killings of two anti-ice protesters in Minnesota.
Still, even with all the chaos,
The Trump White House shows no signs of slowing its agenda,
or moderating, to reflect public opinion.
Since coming back into office, Trump has shown some willingness to change his mind upon controversy,
but those moments are few and far between,
like after the stock market plunged because of tariffs,
or when he caved on the Epstein files because of his base.
So this week, I decided to do a little pulse check on MAGA.
I looked at focus groups, talked to pollsters,
and even checked in with some of the voters I met on the campaign trail, particularly in Minnesota.
Is MAGA really defending all this?
I brought that question and more to two people who follow Trump's base even more closely than I do.
How real is the backlash against Trump?