.webp)
President Trump made numerous promises during his 2024 presidential campaign. On his first day in office, he signed almost 200 of them, prompting his supporters to celebrate the President’s actions as a fulfillment of his campaign pledges.
Why it matters
Voters elected Trump to the White House after frustrations over inflation, affordability, and an overall ineptitude by the Biden administration. However, the most pressing challenges facing our country cannot be resolved through the stroke of a pen. For example, our debt timebomb and the affordability crisis can only be resolved through compromise across the aisle.
Key Executive Actions:
- Declared a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border and called for more barriers and personnel as part of an aggressive crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
- Directed agencies (starting 30 days after the order) not to recognize infants as citizens if their mothers were "unlawfully present" at the time of birth and their fathers were neither U.S. citizens nor lawful permanent residents.
- Declared a “national energy emergency” and reinforced promised to “drill baby, drill.”
- Halted offshore wind leasing in federal waters.
- Initiated US withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
Bigger picture
Trump is attempting to follow through on many of his campaign promises. However, many of these promises fall short of what independent voters want. Independents are not interested in partisan victories. Independents want bipartisan solutions to the big issues.
For example, Trump promised to cut money to schools that have a vaccine or mask mandate. He issued a similar threat for schools that push critical race theory or “transgender insanity.”
What Independents are watching
Remember, above all else, independents care about affordability. “Owning the libs” might be a winner with the base, but independents are the reason the GOP swept on election night.
If affordability concerns aren’t adequately addressed in the first year, we expect these swing voters will flip back to the left for the 2026 midterms.
From housing affordability to the price of groceries, these challenges are going to be trickier to address and require Congressional leadership and a handshake across the aisle to come to fruition.
Expectations are high for independents.
