'Impossible promises': Trump voters 'disillusioned' as his 'prosperity' vow fails to materialize

During the 2024 presidential race, Donald Trump and his MAGA allies attacked then-President Joe Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris relentlessly on inflation and the economy. And his messaging worked: It was a close election, but Trump won the national popular vote by around 1.5 percent and carried key swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia.

President Trump has been back in the White House for three and one-half months, and many economists fear that his steep new tariffs will lead to soaring prices, a recession, and a weaker U.S. dollar.

In an article published on March 8, The Atlantic's Yair Rosenberg lays out some ways in which Trump's current economic policies totally contradict the populism he campaigned on in 2024.

READ MORE: Trump economy: Two things are going up and everything else is going down

"Throughout his 2024 run," Rosenberg explains, "the president promised Americans a return to the prosperity of his pre-COVID first term. 'Starting on Day 1, we will end inflation and make America affordable again, to bring down the prices of all goods,' he told a Montana rally in August. 'They'll come down, and they’ll come down fast,' he declared days later in North Carolina. But at the same time, Trump also promised to impose steep tariffs on consumer goods — dubbing tariff one of 'he most beautiful words I’ve ever heard' — even though the levies would effectively serve as a tax on everyday Americans."

Rosenberg adds, "These two pledges could not be reconciled, and once elected, Trump was forced to choose between them. The results have disillusioned many of those who voted for him."

Rosenberg cites Trump's plummeting poll numbers as evidence of that disillusionment.

"Because Trump lacks many core convictions," Rosenberg argues, "voters from entirely opposite backgrounds convinced themselves that he would act in their interest as president — and he was happy to indulge their fantasies in exchange for their support by teasing tantalizing prizes to people across divides. But Trump's transactionalism has limits, because even presidents who have few beliefs still need to act, and those actions have consequences for the world and for the politician's coalition."

READ MORE: 'Farm bankruptcies' could 'surge' during Trump’s second term: study

The Atlantic staffer adds, "Today, some 100 days into his second term, Trump's approval rating stands at a historic low, imperiling his party's chances in the midterms, as more and more of the president’s backers realize that his impossible promises were never meant to be kept."

READ MORE: 'You see falls in politics — but not like this': DeSantis' star imploding amid fraud scandal

Yair Rosenberg's full article for The Atlantic is available at this link (subscription required).