A new Gallup poll released on Thursday showed that Americans are mixed in their expectations for what President-elect Donald Trump might achieve in his second term in office, which begins on January 20.
The poll looked at a number of policy priorities, and predicted he'd succeed with seven while failing at the other eight.
The highest expectation for success in the poll was on immigration, which 68% said they thought he would do.
Other policies the respondents expected he would succeed at were reducing unemployment, keeping the country safe from terrorism, improving the economy, keeping the country out of war, cutting people’s taxes and reducing the crime rate.
Respondents thought Trump would not be successful at healing political divisions in the country, improving the quality of the environment, improving the healthcare system, improving race relations, improving education, substantially reducing the federal budget deficit, improving conditions for minorities and the poor, and reducing the prices of groceries and other items.
On two other items, the respondents were about even: improving the way the federal government works and increasing respect for the U.S. abroad.
In the poll, conducted between December 2 and 18, 51% said they approved of how he's handling the transition.
Of course, Republicans were markedly more bullish on Trump's policy success, while Democrats were much less so.
The main differences between the expectations of Trump now and eight years ago were that reducing prices wasn't on the list (inflation was low at the time) and most Americans in 2016 didn't believe Trump would keep the country out of war.
Trump proved in his first term that he could achieve peace through strength, and he is largely perceived now as a leader who avoids war.
If Trump 2.0 is at all similar to first-term Trump, the economy will go roaring over the next few years.
Immigration will decrease, taxes will go down, and his opponents will look to impeach him a few more times.
Before COVID hit, Trump was widely regarded as a successful president, even if the lefties and the media would never admit it.
Now he has a second chance to show America what he can do and to create a positive legacy to leave us with.
