Ever since his entry into the 2016 presidential race, Donald Trump has occupied his own space in American politics. No other figure generates the same response from the electorate. Not even Trump’s closest allies.

The most recent Carolina Journal Poll provides more evidence that Trump stands alone.

The March 9-10 survey of 615 likely general election voters in North Carolina found a near even split among those who believe “things in the United States are headed in the right direction” (47.6%) and those who believe current conditions are “off on the wrong track” (47.4%). That’s a dip from a poll taken just after the November election, when “right direction” outpolled “wrong track,” 48.3% to 43.1%.

Yet the numbers are still much better than those recorded in September 2024, when 27% of likely voters chose the positive answer and 63% selected the negative option.

Asked the same question about North Carolina, voters once again cooled from November to March. Just after the election, 50.1% chose “right direction” and 27.9% selected “wrong track.” In the latest poll, the positive response dropped 12 points to 38.1%, while the negative response climbed to 38.5%. Once again, voters’ current assessment of North Carolina is still better than pre-election polls demonstrated. “Wrong track” outpolled “right direction,” 45% to 38%, in October.

As for Trump himself, his job approval numbers narrowed from November to March. Just after the election, 47.2% of likely North Carolina voters approved of the new president’s performance, with 44.5% disapproving and 5.5% indicating neither approval nor disapproval.

By March, Trump’s approval number moved up to 49.5% while disapproval climbed even more to 48.7%. That gap of 0.8 percentage points falls well within the poll’s 3.94-point margin of error.

Now for the evidence of Trump’s unique place in the American political scene.

The Carolina Journal Poll found that 45.5% of likely voters hold a positive view of Vice President JD Vance’s job performance, while 50.4% disapprove. His approval number is four points lower than Trump’s, while his disapproval is nearly two points higher.

Among Republicans, Vance registers 85% approval (seven points lower than Trump). He gets 43% support from independents (five points lower than Trump) and 7% support from Democrats (one point lower than his boss).

Just 87% of those who registered positive job approval for Trump offered the same assessment of Vance. Meanwhile, 4% of those who disapproved of Trump’s job performance supported Vance. In other words, Vance appears to attract more of Trump’s negatives than his positives.

It’s hard to identify any issue in recent months that separates Vance from Trump. The vice president has staked out no position to distinguish his political views from those of the chief executive.

Some aspect of Vance’s resume or character might make him inherently less appealing than Trump. That would not explain why voters offered a similar assessment of another high-profile Trump ally. Elon Musk has generated repeated headlines while leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Asked about their view of Musk, 44.6% of Carolina Journal Poll respondents said “favorable.” A majority, 52.3%, said “unfavorable.” As with Vance, Musk’s numbers fell short of Trump’s among Republicans (eight points) and independents (10 points). Musk fared slightly better with Democrats than Trump, registering 11% favorability.

Like Vance, Musk secured 86% favorability from those who approve of Trump’s job performance, while just 4% of those who disapprove of Trump’s work hold a favorable view of the tech billionaire.

Voters’ assessments of Musk are slightly worse than their take on DOGE, which registered 45.5% approval versus 49.5% disapproval. The concept of government efficiency itself fares even better, with 51.9% of voters supporting the creation of a state DOGE. That idea polls especially well among Republicans (87%) but also secures plurality support from independents (47%) and a not-inconsequential 20% support from Democrats.

It’s always dangerous to read too much into a single poll. That’s especially true when extrapolating from actual poll numbers to justify larger theories.

With that caveat in mind, it appears to this observer that North Carolinians hold at least a slightly more favorable view of Trump than of two of his top allies. For both Vance and Musk, losing support from 13% to 14% of Trump backers places their overall numbers underwater.

A strong Trump connection has been critical for Republicans seeking their party’s nomination for major offices in recent years. Yet Trump’s support doesn’t guarantee support from all of Trump’s fans. It’s a factor GOP candidates must keep in mind as they prepare for major electoral battles that lie ahead.

Mitch Kokai is senior political analyst for the John Locke Foundation.