Voters Set to Judge Trump's 2024 Campaign Promises

President Donald Trump campaigned in 2024 on turning around the U.S. economy and closing the country's borders. Nearly two years after he took office, voters will soon judge how he has handled those pledges. Polling closes in days.

At an October 14 rally in Arizona, Trump said the administration had changed the border. "Two years ago, we inherited the worst border in American history, and we turned it into the safest border, the best border by far in the history of our country," he said. Voters give him high marks on closing the southern border, while his immigration policies have drawn criticism.

On the economy, approval has moved the other way. Trump's management of the economy has drawn low approval ratings, in part because of the "Liberation Day" tariffs. He did deliver on pledges to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security. He also campaigned on costs: "We will target everything from car affordability to housing affordability to insurance costs to supply chain issues … to the price of prescription drugs," he said in Asheville, N.C., on August 14, 2024. Gas prices have risen 40% since he took office, driven mainly by oil supply disruptions tied to the conflict in Iran.

The 2024 campaign also carried a pledge of "no new wars." Trump said he would keep the U.S. out of foreign conflicts and end the Ukraine-Russia war on his first day in office. The war in Iran continues, as does the war between Ukraine and Russia. Trump is now promising to deal with Cuba on the way home from Iran.