A new round of polling data is exposing a widening chasm between Republicans and Democrats on something as basic as love of country, and the numbers are as stark as they are revealing.
During a recent CNN panel, conservative commentator Scott Jennings highlighted fresh Gallup findings that show Democrats pride in the United States has collapsed while Republican patriotism remains overwhelmingly strong. According to Gateway Pundit, Jennings pointed to the survey as proof that many on the left now condition their affection for America on whether their party holds power, a standard that stands in sharp contrast to the rights more consistent attachment to the nation itself rather than its current leadership.
Gallups data are blunt. Democrats are mostly responsible for the drop in U.S. pride this year, with 36% saying they are extremely or very proud, down from 62% a year ago. This is only the second time Democrats pride has fallen below the majority level, along with a 42% reading in 2020, the last year of the first Trump administration. Those numbers suggest that when Republicans govern, Democratic enthusiasm for the country plummets, raising uncomfortable questions about whether their loyalty is to America or to their own political project.
By contrast, Republicans feelings about the United States have remained remarkably stable. Republicans level of national pride has been much steadier, typically registering above 90%, including 92% this year, up from 85% in 2024. The only years in which fewer than nine in 10 Republicans were proud were 2016 and 2020 through 2024. All but 2020 were when a Democratic president was in office. Even then, GOP pride never cratered to the levels now seen among Democrats, underscoring a deeper, more durable patriotism on the right.
Jennings used the CNN segment to make a simple but pointed argument about civic character. You have to love your country, whether or not you lost the last election. I love America. And, you know, according to some polling that came out this weekend, most Republicans love America. 90% are very proud to be Americans. Theyre proud of living in this country. His message was that genuine patriotism is not supposed to be a fair-weather sentiment that evaporates when voters do not get their way.
He then drew a sharp contrast between that view and the rhetoric coming from Hollywoods activist left. Jennings referenced recent remarks by actor Robert De Niro, who, while speaking at an event in New York City, smeared President Donald Trump as a racist, misogynist, xenophobic tyrant and admitted he does not currently love the country that made him rich and famous. I hate to say it, but loving our country is starting to sound like an abused spouse saying they love their abuser, De Niro said, likening America itself to an oppressor rather than a beacon of liberty and opportunity.
For Jennings, that kind of language is not an outlier but a symptom of a broader Democratic malaise. He told the panel, Unfortunately, I think Mr. DeNiros comments are pretty indicative of a majority of Democrats who cant seem to find that attitude, which I applaud, inside them to love your country even though you lost the last election. He added that loving America, being a patriot for America, feeling good about America shouldnt be dictated by whether you won or lost. When I hear De Niro, I hear him saying, I can only love America if we win every election from here on out. Thats a rather fascist statement.
Another panelist backed up Jennings with a longer-term look at the data. But just to add a little bit of numbers and data to Scotts numbers, Gallup polling data from 25 years ago says Republicans were 90% proud or extremely proud to be Americans. Democrats were 87%. Today, 25 years later, those numbers remain at 92%, actually up a little bit for Republicans. For Democrats, theyre down to 36%. Robert De Niros views are not out of step with the median Democrat. What once was a bipartisan consensus around national pride has, over a generation, fractured almost entirely on the Democratic side.
Jennings later expanded on the theme in his own podcast, where he did not mince words about what the numbers reveal. They hate our country. Do not take my word for it. NBC News released a poll over the weekend. The question is, how proud are you to be an American? Overall, Ill give you the full number. He then laid out the broader picture before drilling down into party and age.
Overall, 56% of Americans say they are extremely or very proud to be an American. 21% say they are not very or not proud at all. To be an American, 56 to 21. But lets break it down by party. Among Republicans, 90% of Republicans are extremely or very proud to be an American. That mirrors the Gallup trend and reinforces the idea that the right, despite constant attacks on the countrys history and institutions from the cultural left, still sees America as fundamentally good and worth defending.
Jennings contrasted that with the Democrats bleak self-assessment. Really good number. Democrats, 29%. Only 29% of Democrats are extremely or very proud to be American. The Democratic Party hates America. And according to Robert De Niro, its because they lost an election. When a major partys base can barely muster basic pride in their own nation, it raises serious concerns about what kind of policies and cultural messages they will champion.
The generational breakdown is equally sobering. By age, perhaps even more alarming. If youre over the age of 65, 75% of you are very proud to be an American. If youre 18 to 34, only 36%. Troubling numbers, but right now the American right loves its country, and the American left, well, it thinks its a hellhole. Jennings added bluntly, And they hate it. And thats their message for 2026.
For conservatives, these figures confirm what many have long suspected: a Democratic Party increasingly captured by radical activists, cultural pessimists, and celebrity scolds is drifting away from basic patriotic attachment to the United States. Republicans, meanwhile, continue to anchor their politics in love of country, respect for its founding ideals, and a belief that America, while imperfect, remains the greatest experiment in liberty the world has ever seen.
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