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Now he’s afraid he might get impeached.
Donald Trump’s election against Kamala Harris shocked many, with the former narrowly securing 49.8% of the popular vote compared to the latter’s 48.3%. He secured a clean sweep of all seven swing states, which ultimately secured him a second term.
What makes his return to the Oval Office striking is that he delivered exactly what he preached during his campaign. Prominently among these were his immigration policies, vowing to carry out the ‘largest deportation program’ in the nation’s history.
This included a massive expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) manpower and an extension on his Muslim travel ban, which would include Gazan refugees. Such promises fuelled xenophobic rhetoric within an already divided America.
Beyond immigration, Trump pledged to dismantle his predecessors’ policies, particularly those tied to healthcare, environmental protections and diversity initiatives. Additionally, taxes rose for lower- and middle-income Americans while regulations benefiting corporations were rolled back. Regardless, many still chose to vote for a man who had been impeached twice and narrowly avoided being convicted of multiple crimes.
Usually, new presidents enjoy a ‘honeymoon period’ of approval ratings that sit above 55%. While he never experienced this in his first term, his second term did come close, ranging roughly 52%. While still below average, it did show that Americans had more trust in him compared to his last term. However, that goodwill did not last.
Almost immediately after inauguration came the tariffs he had long promised escalated into a full-blown trade war. By March 2025, import taxes ranged from 25% to 60% and were imposed on many countries, justified as a solution to trade deficits, but framed around issues such as fentanyl trafficking, illegal migration, and the monopolization of key sectors like energy and electronics.
NYT: “You promised $2,000 checks to Americans based off of your tariff revenues. When can —”
Trump: “I did do that? When did I do that?”
Trump can’t keep track of all his lies. pic.twitter.com/tw4z1SSI6Y
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) January 12, 2026
For Americans, the impact was swift with prices of everyday goods such as groceries and fuel skyrocketing as tariffs continued to pile up. Instead of suppressing inflation as he had promised, Trump has instead caused a surge. Simultaneously, healthcare programs were burdened with stricter work requirements, increased copays and tighter eligibility checks which cost millions of Americans access to healthcare.
By April, just four months into his presidency, approval ratings began their steady decline as Americans started to feel the strain of Trump’s promises, but nothing hurt his ratings more than his tactics on immigration enforcement.
