What Americans Expect From the New Trump Era

Gallup conducted a survey on what Americans think the Trump administration will accomplish over the next four years. It found that nearly seven in ten respondents (68 percent) said that the incoming administration will control immigration. Respondents were least likely to say that Trump would be able to heal political divisions in the country (33 percent said his administration would be able to). 

Around six in ten respondents thought that Trump will reduce unemployment, keep the country safe from terrorism and improve the economy. Just over half (54 percent) think he will cut U.S. taxes and (51 percent) reduce the crime rate. Meanwhile, only around a third (35 percent) of respondents said that the Trump administration will be able to improve the quality of the environment. A majority of respondents also said he will not be able to improve race relations, improve education, substantially reduce the federal budget deficit, improve conditions for minorities and the poor or reduce the prices of groceries and other items. 

As this chart shows, a similar set of questions was asked to U.S. voters in 2016 about their expectations the first time Trump was in office. Between the two survey waves, the biggest change was in response to the question of whether the government would keep the nation out of war (17 p.p. increase). While the population answered far more favorably this time round, only just over half of respondents (55 percent) consider this to be the case now. The biggest drop in optimism was over whether Trump would be able to improve the healthcare system. Where 52 percent of respondents had thought he could in 2016, only 40 percent thought the same in 2024 (-12 p.p.).