Trump made sweeping and unrealistic promises on the campaign trail. For Trump voters, the road ahead may feel disappointing. But if history has shown us anything, Trump will undoubtedly find a way to avoid owning the outcome.
Trump tapped into a populist zeitgeist when he promised to lower energy costs by 50%, bring gas prices below $2.00, cut grocery prices, and slash car insurance premiums by 50%. He also vowed to reduce rent, lower home prices, and bring interest rates down below 3%.
There were promises to eliminate taxes on Social Security, tips, and overtime pay, and lower taxes for those making under $200,000. On the global stage, he pledged to end the wars in Ukraine and Israel.
Now it's clear that many of these promises may not come to fruition. Trump now says bringing down grocery prices will be “very hard” adding that his presidency wouldn’t be considered a "failure" if he didn't deliver on his promise to slash Americans' food bills.
That $2.00 gas is unlikely to appear any time soon. Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil, said “I’m not sure how ‘drill, baby, drill’ translates into policy.” Oil producers stay profitable by balancing between producing just enough oil to meet demand and paying shareholders big dividends (with an emphasis on big dividends).
The economic pressures from domestic and global markets, retaliatory tariffs, and ongoing geopolitical tensions, mean that fulfilling Trump’s pie in the sky promises are more complicated than it appeared during the campaign.
But instead of being held accountable for his unmet promises, Trump will point the finger at others. The Democrats, he’ll claim, are the real roadblock. He will blame the "deep state"—a term he’s used throughout his career to describe entrenched bureaucrats and institutions that supposedly work against him—saying that Washington insiders have sabotaged his agenda at every turn.
In reality, the challenges of meeting such grandiose promises are immense, and the blame game is a familiar tactic for Trump. By deflecting responsibility and shifting it onto others, he can avoid confronting the complexity of the issues and keep his supporters focused on an enemy, rather than on solutions.
Trump’s broken promises are inevitable. But will it matter to his voter’s when it hits their own pocketbooks? Time will tell, but don’t count on it.
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