Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
In today’s edition, we have fresh numbers from the NBC News Stay Tuned Poll, powered by SurveyMonkey. Plus, Jonathan Allen examines two big “day one” campaign pledges President Donald Trump has yet to fulfill.
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— Adam Wollner
How Gen Z is viewing the economy under Trump
Younger Americans are sharply critical of President Donald Trump’s handling of inflation, but are more optimistic about their personal finances than older generations.
That’s one of the key takeaways from a new NBC News Stay Tuned Poll, powered by SurveyMonkey, that offers a window into how Gen Z and Americans broadly are viewing the opening months of the new administration.
Stephanie Perry and Marc Trussler write that a plurality of adults across all generations said inflation and the rising cost of living is the economic issue that is the most important to them and their family right now. And majorities across all generations disapprove of the way Trump is handling those two concerns.
That’s particularly the case with Gen Z: Seven in 10 members disapproved of how Trump has dealt with inflation and the cost of living, 14 percentage points higher than the rate of disapproval among the oldest adults surveyed.
Still, members of Gen Z were more likely than older generations to have rosier views about their personal finances. Three in 10 Americans under 30 said their personal financial situation had gotten worse compared to a year ago, while 27% said it had gotten better. By comparison, 18% of those over 65 said their finances had improved over the last year.
Notably, pluralities of Gen Z registered voters surveyed last year in two waves of NBC News Stay Tuned polling said their personal financial situation was worse than the year before, perhaps signaling their discontent toward the Biden administration and struggles with inflation at the time.
Gen Z, which makes up a growing portion of the U.S. electorate, split more closely in the 2024 election than young voters had in years. The NBC News exit poll showed a double-digit shift toward Trump among voters under 30 compared to 2020, with male voters under 30 splitting practically evenly between him and Kamala Harris.
Read more findings from the poll →
Two big campaign promises Trump has yet to fulfill as the 100-day mark approaches
By Jonathan Allen
The opening phase of Donald Trump’s second presidency has been nothing short of breathtaking in terms of the speed and scope with which he has tried to remake America. He can point to dozens of promises kept as he seeks to expand the powers of his office — and promises denied or delayed only because federal judges say they do not comport with the law.
But on two of his biggest vows, Trump is long overdue.
In his September debate with Kamala Harris, he said he would end Russia’s war against Ukraine. “That is a war that’s dying to be settled,” Trump claimed. “I will get it settled before I even become president.”
But more than three months into his term, the war continues. Trump, who has erroneously asserted that Ukraine started the war (Russia invaded its neighbor), has not found the right formula as he uses trusted confidants to try to moderate a peace agreement.
Indeed, on Thursday, Russia launched one of its deadliest attacks on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, since the war began. A clearly frustrated Trump posted a simple message to his Truth Social media platform: “Vladimir, STOP!” For Trump, who has sought to apply more public pressure on Ukraine, it was an unusual slap at Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump says he has his own timeline for reaching a deal — whatever that is, it is already much longer than he promised.
Similarly, Trump boasted that he would end inflation on “day one” of his presidency. Year-over-year inflation rates have ticked down, from 3 percent to 2.4 percent, but he has neither stopped prices from going up nor made broader progress on improving America’s economic outlook.
Critics say his tariff policies have roiled U.S. markets — the Dow Jones Industrial Average has dropped nearly 10 percent since Trump took office — and will lead to higher prices for consumers in the coming months. Investors are increasingly choosing alternatives to the dollar, fearing that his policies will weaken the world’s long-standing reserve currency. Of course, an inflation rate of zero or less would indicate slower economic growth and bolster predictions of a recession.
Trump will no doubt spend much of the next week touting his progress on reducing border crossings, unilaterally slashing government programs and the federal workforce, and a host of other issues. But on two of his key promises on the foreign and domestic fronts, he has not lived up to the standard he set for himself.
What to know from the Trump presidency today
- Trump will sign an executive order or memorandum aimed at ActBlue, the leading Democratic fundraising platform.
- The Trump administration urged the Supreme Court to allow it to enforce a ban on transgender service members in the military.
- A dozen states filed a lawsuit against Trump’s broad tariff agenda, arguing it unlawfully undermines Congress’ constitutional authority to regulate foreign commerce.
- A Trump-appointed federal judge ordered the administration to facilitate the return of a Venezuelan man who was deported to El Salvador last month.
- A federal judge in California issued an injunction blocking Trump’s efforts to halt federal funds from going to several cities and counties considered sanctuary jurisdictions.
- A federal judge in Washington blocked portions of Trump’s sprawling executive order on election policy.
- And a federal judge in New Hampshire directed the Department of Education to pause its enforcement of the anti-DEI initiatives.
- Acting on recommendations from the Department of Government Efficiency, the Justice Department is cutting grants to hundreds of programs across the country that provide services to crime victims.
- The Trump Organization has begun selling red hats and T-shirts online with the slogan “Trump 2028” in white.
Follow live updates →
🗞️ Today’s other top stories
- 🔵 Democratic divisions: Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin rebuked the committee’s vice chair, 25-year-old activist David Hogg, over his plans to fund primary challengers against older Democratic incumbents through a separate group. Read more →
- 🚿 Cold water: Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson came out against increasing taxes on millionaires, appearing to close the door on an idea that some Republicans have considered to pay for their massive party-line bill. Read more →
- 🏛️ Remaking government: The Trump administration has quietly transformed the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, forcing out a majority of career managers and implementing new priorities that current and former officials say abandon a decadeslong mission of enforcing laws that prohibit discrimination in hiring, housing and voting rights. Read more →
- 👟 Come on feel the Illinoise: Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton became the first Democratic to jump into the race to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. Read more →
- 🗓️ Say yes to Michigan: Trump will hold his first major rally since the inauguration in Michigan next Tuesday to mark his 100th day in office. Read more →
- 🚫 Carolina in my mind: Judges blocked a Republican-backed law to strip North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, of his authority to appoint members to the state’s election board. Read more →
That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.
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