In “Why Trump is getting more popular,”  G. Elliott Morris writes at 538/abcnews.com:

According to 538’s average of polls of Trump’s favorability rating, 47.2 percent of American adults have a favorable view of the president-elect, compared to 47.4 percent who have an unfavorable view. That means his net favorability rating — the difference between these two numbers — is now the highest it has been since our tracking began on Jan. 30, 2021. It’s also higher than his average net approval rating — a related but different metric that measured how many Americans approved of his job performance while he was president — was at any point after Feb. 2, 2017. Trump, in other words, is at or near an all-time high in popularity.

“Net favorability” notwithstanding, Trump isn’t getting favorable reviews from a majority of respondent in the poll average. He’s probably getting a little pre-honeymoon bump as he approaches Inauguration Day. I’m a bit surprised, however, that more people aren’t bothered by his sorry cabinet picks.

Morris writes more convincingly that “Trump’s rising popularity since Election Day 2024 is particularly notable. He has gained roughly 8 percentage points of net favorability in the average poll since Nov. 5. The president-elect’s net favorability was at -8.6 points then — around where he was for most of last year. An 8-point bounce is quite a feat in this day and age of stable public opinion; in all our tracking,” One has to wonder how many people are not paying any attention, which is the optimistic scenario, compared to the possibility that the public actually likes his cabinet picks.

Morris speculates that “Trump is being evaluated more generously now because of the post-election glow but that his ratings will fall once he assumes office and starts enacting policies and sucking up more oxygen. But only time can bear this theory out.” Sure, Trump could get lucky, particularly if the good will from Biden’s infrastructure upgrades start to kick in.

However, Morris brings it down to earth in writing “similar boosts in the past have not lasted long. Trump’s victory was in fact much smaller than his supporters have mythologized, and some of his promises — like that to pardon the people imprisoned on charges related to the events of Jan. 6, 2021 — are still very unpopular. If his favorability rating follows the usual track, and/or he attempts some of his more unpopular policies, Trump may find himself quickly at odds again with the American public.”

In any case, smart Democratic strategy shouldn’t change much because of Trump’s favorables: Ditch the unpopular culture war policies, ideas and photo-ops, and get more focused on fighting inflation and all  that can help win more support from working-class voters.