Donald Trump made dozens of promises before taking office as the President of the United States. Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump’s promises continued to come, and many of them even grew in loftiness. Illegal immigration would be eliminated, and radical Muslims would never enter the country. Jobs would return to America, and the coal industry would see a revival. Also, America would return to its superpower status, and bipartisanship would return to Washington like never before.
After four months, most Americans wouldn’t rate Trump too highly on meeting his promises. His pledge to repeal and replace Obamacare fell through in the House of Representatives. Two travel bans were blocked in the courts with no obvious path to success. Then again, Trump did see his Supreme Court nominee approved in the Senate after a struggle. Various immigration-related measures have resulted in more deportations of illegal immigrants. It’s been a mixed bag up to this point with more lows than highs nonetheless.
Let’s not forget that Washington seems more partisan and divided than before, too.
Gallup released a poll in mid-April that shows people across the board may be losing faith in Donald Trump. In every demographic polled, trust in his ability to meet his promises has dropped. The polls were taken in early February and early April, so a lot has changed in a mere two months. If the poll is to be believed, Trump has seen both single- and double-digit declines in trust. A few months of mostly letdowns will lead to such results among the American people, so perhaps the results aren’t surprising.
Likewise, nobody will be surprised to see that trust among Republicans and conservatives remains high. Gallup’s poll shows 81% of Republicans and 72% of conservatives still think Trump can meet his campaign and presidential promises. Democrats and liberals come in at 16% and 20%, respectively, which is no surprise either. Either way, no polled demographic saw a boost in trust between the two polling dates. Trump’s current approval rating hovers between 35% and 50%, depending upon who performs the polling.
Donald Trump and most Republican lawmakers will blame the Democrats for Trump’s agenda falling flat so far. However, Democrats will say Trump’s policies are too extreme and unpopular with the American people. Even a handful of Republican lawmakers will agree with such sentiments, and not everyone is on board with Trump’s promises or policies. Fierce opposition from Democrats and surprising dissent from a small group of Republicans is fueling Trump’s failure to deliver on his policy initiatives and promises.
It’s important to remember that Gallup’s poll may not represent the truth. Regardless of how the poll was conducted, Gallup’s effort is a single poll and nothing more. Similar polls by other organizations may reveal different results. The data speaks for itself, sure, but more data is necessary to paint an accurate picture. Still, Americans wouldn’t be surprised to see that trust in their president has gone downhill after big and small defeats. Trust might be declining, but Republicans and conservatives still support Trump.
In the end, President Trump has started to deliver on some of his bold promises. Immigration efforts and nominating a new Supreme Court justice have proven successful. Trump is currently using executive orders to great effect in other areas of the government. Other initiatives involving travel bans and Affordable Care Act repeal have gone nowhere since the promises were made, though. Either way, President Trump will remain in office for three more years, so trust may soon improve.