This gap is a familiar one. At the heart of Donald Trump’s unique nine-year journey, it separates the analyses of the press and the feelings of a section of the American public. For most pundits – apart from the conservative media devoted to the cult of the leader – the president’s address to Congress on March 4 was a rehash of his public speeches over the past seven weeks. It was also a campaign speech, polarizing, identity-based and full of lies. How, then, can the polls taken that evening be explained?

The one from CBS showed striking approval from Americans, with 76% in favor of the president. The speech inspired them with hope (68%) and pride (54%). It’s necessary to put these figures into perspective: Only 20% of viewers surveyed identified themselves as Democrats, compared with 51% as Republicans. Stunned and demoralized, the left had little desire to inflict this long, self-congratulatory oration on itself. The average audience was 36.6 million viewers, compared with 47.7 million in 2017, for his first such exercise. The second reservation concerns the timing of the speech, very early in the term. The Trump administration doesn’t have to defend a record. It is moving forward at full speed, assaulting the federal government, extending the scope of the executive branch and imposing strong ideological markers.