New poll finds ICE is viewed more favorably than socialism. But both are underwater with voters heading into the midterms

An NBC survey released on Sunday found ICE drawing a higher share of positive views than socialism as the midterms approach. The poll put ICE’s positive rating at 39 percent among Americans. Socialism drew a “very positive” or “somewhat positive” rating from 21 percent of registered voters, a figure the report tied to Karl Marx’s ideology.

Negative ratings outweighed positive ones for both subjects in the same survey. Fifty-one percent of voters said they viewed ICE negatively. Fifty-two percent said they viewed socialism negatively.

The findings came from 1,000 registered voters interviewed between Sept. 11 and Sept. 15. ICE’s favorability sat at the same level recorded in October 2025 and was slightly higher than earlier in 2026, the poll showed. Socialism’s favorability was 3 points higher than it had been last fall and in early 2026.

Democratic socialists won summer primaries as Trump criticized the ideology

Mediaite points out that several Democratic Socialists captured primaries over the summer. The poll’s findings come amid ongoing scrutiny of ICE’s conduct, such as when agents allegedly used slurs to describe Latinos during immigration raids last summer. Melat Kiros (D) in Colorado, Angie Nixon (D) in Florida, and Claire Valdez (D) are among those now seeking House seats in November.

President Donald Trump has increased his attacks on the ideology as those candidates have advanced inside the Democratic Party. In June, he offered sarcastic congratulations to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, described as a proud democratic socialist, after Mamdani got “3 solid Communists” elected in New York City.

Trump later said communists were beginning to make “their move” in the United States. In his Fourth of July address, he called socialism and communism a “cancer” that must be dealt with ASAP. He then said the point was simple: “With communism, everything turns to sh–t!”

Trump and Mamdani are scheduled to meet in New York City on Monday. The sit-down comes after Mamdani sued the federal government over its effort to remove illegal immigrants. The debate over immigration enforcement continues, as when a military veteran begged the Trump administration to release his detained wife.

Mamdani said the government has been waging a “campaign of violence and terror” since the president returned to Washington, D.C.