With year one of his second term under his belt, Trump faces daunting challenges in 2026
ost people consider President Donald Trump unpredictable. Among the eight presidents I’ve covered in my career, I find him among the most predictable.
He speaks his mind, even if he veers off on tangents. He tells you what he’s going to do and how he’s going to do it, and then he does it. He rarely flip-flops in the face of criticism — if anything, he doubles down.
Politifact, which tracks Trump’s campaign promises and compares them to his performance, reports that of 55 promises, Trump has kept 12, 31 are still in the works, and he has broken only one, which was too rash to make in the first place — namely, to end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours.
Despite Trump’s consistency, public discontent in the first year of his second term is widespread and profound. Most polls show Trump’s approval rating hovering around 40%, and 60% of the country believes America is headed in the wrong direction.
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