Staff Reports“Promises made, promises kept” was the catchy slogan that accompanied Donald Trump into the political ring for his 2024 campaign, but as the days tick down towards a much-anticipated Inauguration Day, it seems Trump is shifting gears, like a driver in a school zone. With less than 40 days to go before he assumes the presidency once again, he’s now managing expectations like a financial planner with a bad stock portfolio. From soaring consumer prices to foreign conflicts, the reality of governance is knocking at his door, and it’s not the doorbell that signals your latest online shopping delivery.
George Mason University’s political science professor Jeremy Mayer points out that post-election expectation management is par for the course in politics. After all, tempering the exuberance of campaign promises is like dial-up internet; it’s a slow process everyone simply expects. Nobody really expected Trump to waltz in and single-handedly patch up international chaos, but his campaign did have some wild, enjoyable rhetoric that left many believing he was packing a superhero cape.
🚨36 days until President #Trump inauguration 45-47 it can not get here fast enough. pic.twitter.com/CL7y00pcT5
— MagaTex Report 🇺🇲🇨🇱 (@Fred2118439121) December 14, 2024
The eternal optimists may recall Trump’s earlier proclamations, such as reigning in the disaster that is Obamacare and having Mexico foot the bill for the great wall. Yet here we are, many years later, and those promises have vanished faster than a magician’s rabbit. Trump’s past promises can sometimes feel like attending a family reunion where the food never runs out, only to discover it’s all gone before you even reach the buffet—talk about underdelivery. Nevertheless, Mayer suggests that voters seem to have developed a remarkable tolerance for these unfulfilled promises—like accepting a broken coffee machine at work because it’s not worth the hassle to fix it.
Fast-forward four years, Trump is now adjusting his expectations regarding inflation, admitting that once prices are up, it’s not so easy to bring them back down—revelatory for anyone relating to their monthly budget. It appears he also has a newfound understanding of what deflation means. Observations from Claremont McKenna professor John Pitney remind readers that promises can be quite aspirational in nature. While Trump believes the Middle East might be a breeze to sort out, he’s overlooking that such issues have eluded every president since the invention of television.
In his interview with Time magazine during this transitional period, Trump oscillated between confidence and reality, expressing the notion that maybe energy resources and improved supply chains could save the day. News flash: supply chains have been a hot mess lately, like trying to assemble IKEA furniture without instructions. Meanwhile, his earlier proclamations about a fervent focus on matters like deportation and clemency for January 6 defendants indicate Trump is keeping the magic of his campaign alive.
Progress appears swift as Trump picks his cabinet, launching into the transition process like a dog chasing after a mailman—fast, but perhaps not too focused. Some nominees are so eager to jump on board that two have already jumped ship, with a prominent former congressman being replaced quicker than a customer returning a defective product. Interestingly, unlike Grover Cleveland, who had dual nonconsecutive terms, Trump seems to favor new faces in his second term, showcasing a willingness to shake things up, or at least create a new spin on the same old game.
Despite hurdles such as a persistently rising inflation rate and diverging views among Republicans on government funding, there is a wave of optimism in the air as Trump’s latest victories are celebrated by certain polls and even accolades like the Person of the Year from Time magazine. As the countdown continues to Trump’s return to the White House, it remains to be seen whether these promising receptions will transform into tangible results or if they’ll merely serve as the setup for another round of sitcom-level political drama where surprises are guaranteed, and the ending is always uncertain.
