But maybe Mr Trump believes that only through such tough stands could he have “stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America”, as he put it in his address to Congress on March 4th.

The president didn’t get a polling bounce from his big speech, and there are signs that the economy and Musk’s antics are causing problems for him.

An ABC News project 538 poll found that Trump's approval rating nudged down slightly from 47.8% on Monday to 47.6% on Tuesday, according to its update as of 11:56 p.m. Tuesday. In the same poll, Vice President JD Vance's approval rating held steady at 40.8%

Donald Trump’s second presidency will take a novel path this week as he turns to Congress to enshrine part of his effort to transform the country — after weeks of wielding vast and questionable executive power.

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has taken a big swing following his speech to Congress last week. A Daily Mail tracking poll, conducted by J.L. Partners, showed that Trump had a 49% approval rating.