Commentary

‘On fire’: Trump voters evaluate first 3 months of Trump’s second term

April 18, 2025

Dr. Frank Luntz (Commentary Contributor)

Trump voters share their reflections and opinions on the president’s performance during his first three months back in the Oval Office for his second term. — Image credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

All opinions expressed in this article are solely the opinions of the contributors.

President Donald Trump sparked nationwide controversy with a barrage of executive orders as soon as he returned to the White House to commence his second term on Jan. 20, 2025. Since then, Republicans in Congress have been largely supportive of Trump’s initiatives. However, a series of escalating crises has begun to fracture Republican support of the president both within Congress and among the wider U.S. public.

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Watch the above 27-minute episode of America Speaks as pollster and political analyst Dr. Frank Luntz asks Trump voters to share their opinions of the president’s performance in his first 90 days back in the Oval Office for his second term.

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All opinions expressed in this article are solely the opinions of the contributors.

We at straight arrow news have brought American public opinion to America for the last year and a half, and this one’s going to be pretty interesting, because I’ve gathered Trump voters for the last three elections to describe both Trump’s America and what they think of the president after his first three months. You can only hear this on America speaks right here in straight our news, so let’s get right to it.

Give me a sentence to describe Donald Trump’s first three months, Mary, I’m going to start with you.

The President is working non stop for the American people. Greg,

I would say that

it’s it’s been a whirlwind. Some things have gone great, some things have gone bad, but it’s a whirlwind. David, from Ohio,

it’s exactly what the country needs right now, after a terrible Biden presidency, Pat, deliberately patriotic, especially for blue collar conservatives, Joe from Missouri, he’s on fire. He’s saying, I’m showing you I’m president and you’re not first time in decades, we finally have a leader in this country that has taken over and is cleaning it up. John from Colorado,

I think the four year hiatus that he had has made him so much more prepared than he was for his first term, and it really shows in the way he’s executing his presidency now, Patrick from Nevada, promises made, promises kept, total transparency. Division of Florida.

When he was elected, I was so optimistic, and literally every day, I’m just more optimistic. You know, he comes out with something new every day. So it’s just ongoing optimism. Okay, it’s pretty positive. Who would say, I’m gonna give you a specific word and I’m gonna ask you why,

obviously, you voted for him, but there’s a difference between supporting him and loving him. Who would say that Donald Trump has been an exceptional president. In this second term, I use the word deliberately. Raise your hands if you say exceptional.

Okay, that’s almost all of you. So I want to understand Susan from Florida. I’m gonna start with you, then Patrick, then Vlada. Why exceptional?

Because he seems to focus on the need, like what people really want,

even if they didn’t really realize that they wanted it, and just executes on it with a passion. Patrick exceptional is a strong word. Would you say it applies? Tell me why? Which Patrick Nevada, I think he’s been it’s been amazing. Everything he promised during the campaign trail, he’s delivering on immediately. I mean, when did we ever have a president who was this transparent and delivers on his promises? It’s been unbelievable. I mean, from from A to Z. I mean, when he talked about the tariffs, he did it the right way. He showed everybody, Hey, these are our partners and the COVID counter taking advantage United States, everything he promised to do, he’s doing that’s exceptional. Mike from Pennsylvania, I was watching you nod your head. Why such a strong endorsement?

Well, I the

strong endorsement. I The little back story. I was there July 13, when he was shot, I was right on the fence line,

and I was a delegate at the national convention the next day in Milwaukee. So it really hit hits home, and I live like 10 miles from where Trump was shot, so I was there. I was a witness, and to see the exceptionalism and his tenacity and just kicking ass and taking no prisoners, that’s what that’s what he that’s what we elected him to do. And he’s getting started. I gotta ask him, because I never had anyone in one of these focus groups who was actually there. How did you feel at the moment when you realized that he had been shot?

Well,

little sidebar, I was standing with our new senator, Dave McCormick, Congressman Dan user, Congressman Mike Kelly, and there were some other couple ex military people, and they said, hit the freaking deck. And we did, because anybody who knows guns or gunfire owns firearms. You know what they sound like. And there’s people up there standing around with the freaking camera taking pictures. We don’t know, you know, was an active shooter. You know,

we hit the deck. We stayed down till, you know, was they gave us an elevator of the Secret Service, swooped them away and so forth.

It was life changing. I was 1981 I was 11 years old when, when Reagan.

Shot, but I was there, July 13.

Mike, why is it life changing?

Because there was divine intervention that day.

And whatever your faith is, the good Lord willing kept him alive. And things happen for reasons, and it was divine intervention that day.

So I need to understand from you all, and if you can show me by hands, is it more Donald Trump’s policies, or is it his communication and persona? Which are you more attracted to and you have to choose, because the press is going to ask me what matters most.

So is it the policies, or is it the communication and his persona?

Raise your hands if it’s the policies.

I see four hands going up, raise your hands if it’s the persona and the communication.

Because persona is his leadership. That’s, I don’t think you could separate them. I mean, you’re asking almost an impossible question. Because yes, you know, it’s Serena. That’s my job is to ask impossible questions. My job is to figure out what is the core reason, and not let you say everything. So you’re saying his communication, his persona is more important. What about it is so important for him? It’s it’s that it’s not just his person. It is his persona. But he’s been saying the same policies since the 80s.

I mean, if you’ve been following him, this man has been consistent. There is nothing that he’s doing that he hasn’t said, you know, he would do for America since the 80s. And I think it’s his personality that allows him to push through and to get as much done that he’s accomplished in the last 100 days. It’s not even 100 days, yet it’s unbelievable Cathy would not even manage to do Cathy, tell me why you agree with this? Well, I think Serena really hit the nail on the head is he’s been saying the same thing without wavering. We see so many politicians now who are just rolling with the wind. Wherever the wind blows them, that’s where they stand with Trump. He says it and he means it, and he sticks with it. And it’s even though I agree that it was it’s his persona and his communication. It’s his we have watched almost all of his rallies for years. My husband and I, we we like eat them up. Each rally is the same, but we get little little more and more hope each time we watch them. Now that he is in the presidency, now that he is in that office, he’s doing exactly what he said on that campaign, before he was even campaigning, when he wasn’t even camp. I mean, he was campaigning, but before he was even officially running, he is now doing exactly what those last few years he’s been saying he wants to do. He’s doing it. Patrick from Nevada, what anybody ever sees in our lifetime? Ever a president this transparent? Where he ever he has an open meeting, he leaves nothing to be questioned, none of a lot of the presidents before, everything was behind closed doors. Look at what happened with Biden. We didn’t hear anything. We didn’t even know if the guy was alive or dead. Trump, every day he did last week with the with his with his cabinet, was unbelievable, and it was, it was never, we’ve never seen that before. What was unbelievable, unprecedented. What was unbelievable. Patrick, the fact that he had a round table discussion with the press there, and he had no problem taking the questions and let everybody around the On the Table explain what they did the last couple weeks and how they’re accomplishing the goals. To me, that was amazing. Generally speaking, we hear things going to be done and nothing gets done right now. We’re getting promises, we’re hearing about it, and we’re seeing the results, something we’ve never seen in my lifetime. And since I’m born in 61 never before have I ever seen a president or studied a president this open, letting people see what it’s going to be, fact after fact after fact. Okay, I gotta ask you, then, by show of hands, how many of you think Donald Trump’s the best president in American history?

I see a lot of hands going up, I’m going to ask Mary to answer that question, and Joe from Missouri and Serena from New York. So

Mary, if you’ll start the answer, why do you believe he’s the best president ever,

as you know, we’ve alluded to in other.

Um, conversations here he he is the best president because of his policy and his communication. However, I would like to add what makes him even greater is that he is he has the ability to switch gears. If something is not working out. He’s not afraid to to try new things, or to try something new, that if it doesn’t work, he’s able to pivot and lead his team or the country in a different direction. And that’s what I like. He’s just not set in concrete. Him putting America first, and it is just a breath of fresh air. And as I look back at, you know, Bush, Obama, Reagan, Carter,

there’s not even any comparison of what this man has done and the love for the country he has is

is

wonderful, and that’s what makes him outstanding. I demurred on your question only because I think the jury is still out on terms of him being the best president in the history of the country. I mean, you know, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, preserved the union, Ronald Reagan defeated communism existential threat. There have been a lot of great presidents, and I think he’ll be in the pantheon a great presidents. We’ll see if he’s the best ever. He could very well be. I think we have to wait and see yet

more of you.

He’s the best kid since sliced bread.

For now, I think if he gets it all done, he’ll make Mount Rushmore. If he gets everything done, no argument. It is when it is not if it is when,

when he gets it finished,

there’s a couple of stragglers in the party. So that’s a big thing if I’m gonna do all of you now tell me what Donald Trump’s greatest accomplishment has been over the last three months. Michael from Texas, I’m starting with you name me. Donald Trump’s greatest accomplishment over the last three months.

Excuse me, I would say keeping his word, not letting anything stop him,

showing that he truly is America first. Susan from Florida, Trump’s greatest accomplishment, securing the border.

Serena from New York, greatest accomplishment from Trump,

putting America first

the domestic and national and international stage. David from Ohio,

uh, deporting criminal alien illegal aliens. Joe from Missouri, exposing the widespread corruption in the swamp with the doge team

Yes. Patrick from Nevada, border security and the defender of women’s sports.

Mike from Pennsylvania, putting America first and putting the world on notice that America is a back and we’re not to be messed with. Amen receive from Maryland, I’m going to repeat, it’s the border and saving women’s sports.

John from Colorado,

yeah, you’re asking me to pick my favorite grain of sand on the beach. I think that I would say the tariff program, assuming that it works all the way to completion. He’s brought, now today, he’s brought the Chinese to the table with 245%

said, You know what, I’m not backing down. So we’ll see if that I think that getting them to the table is a huge accomplishment all by itself, because nobody else has been able to do it. Vlad from Florida, Trump’s greatest accomplishment so far,

illegal board border, securing it and

supporting parent choice in education.

Greg from Virginia, securing the border and getting men out of other sports.

Lewis from North Carolina,

the border and energy production.

Kathy from Louisiana,

closing the waste in government and securing the border, of course,

and Mary from West Virginia, finally, a president that can define what a woman is.

I had a feeling you were going to go

there. Let me ask you this, no one’s perfect.

I’ve never met anyone who’s perfect.

What is the one thing either that President Trump has not done or did not do well or concerns you?

I’m asking you to give me.

In any area you choose, where the President has not come up to the level that you wanted him to do.

And David, from Ohio, I’m going to start with you.

There’s been a lot of criminal activity on the left that hasn’t been prosecuted. I’d like to see that move faster.

Joe, how do you answer that question? Yeah, I’d like to. I haven’t heard nothing out of those for a while. What about all these 170 190,000 a year Congress and senators that are now millionaires,

and all these 153

point 2 million 150 year olds getting Social Security checks. Who cashed it? Where did

what account was it deposited in? There’s a paper trail right there. Account and routing number you can’t cash a check even at the corner store without a paper trail. Patrick

from Nevada,

I’d like to see the one thing I’d like to see more of the doge follow through. We hear about, we’re hearing about, I’d like to see some results. That would be my biggest, my biggest gripe at the moment, because I think, hell yeah,

okay, Patrick, we better have that happen, because I think Joe’s going to get his gun if we don’t.

Penn, what’s your greatest disappointment at this point?

I think we need to get more stuff getting done in Congress.

We’ve got a slim majority in the House. We have the Senate, and always the he’s got to work across the aisle. I mean, if you want to get stuff done, you got to work across the aisle. And politics is a give and take. You know, you can’t sell yourself to the devil, but if you want to work with Democrats, you got to get stuff done. I mean, you’ve got to and but, but unfortunately, the Democrats are just, I mean, there are no blue dog Democrats left anymore. Unfortunately, you could actually have a reasonable conversation with but I just wanted, I wanted, I want him to see to get more stuff pushed in Congress, because I think we might take a hit next year, because the president’s party always takes a hit hit midterms. That’s a fact. And John from Colorado, I have to say, I think the j6 pardons gave me the most heartburn. I think there were a lot of Pardons that were well deserved, people who hadn’t been charged or were just massively over sentenced, but I had, I had a problem with Biden doing mass pardons, especially doing them by autopen. But, you know, I don’t think, I don’t think pardons should be handed out that loosely. I think I think it’s early, but here’s what I what I will say, negative. Don’t talk too much about stuff until there’s a deal in place. He goes on, oh, all these countries are kissing my ass, man. Shut up. Make the deals, because when you do that, you’re going to put those countries off, and it might be harder to get a deal done, because he’s kind of being arrogant about agreed. You know, I I see what you’re saying. Yeah, I don’t really agree. Because, quite frankly, if you look at the tariffs, okay, he did it. And everyone, you know, there’s a there’s a bunch of people who are saying, Oh yeah, now he’s backing off. No, the whole point was to get people to the table. I know the whole point, part of the deal, saying that’s his style. He says, I’m not going to call this son of a bitch, a son of a bitch. I’m not going to do it.

But I think to go along with what Bill said is, is, I think,

don’t put it all out there. But what he’s learned the four years that he’s that he stepped away, he lost

his his temperament, his demeanor, is a lot more not flying off the handle like he did in 2016 I still want I mean, he’s bought direct and he pisses people off, and I’m that way too, and I don’t care but, but he tells it the way it is, and if you don’t like it, at least you Know what you’re going to get with them, correct, whether you may not disagree with it, you know what you’re going to get with them. And that’s why, from Pennsylvania to Missouri to, you know, the Bible Belt, to parts of this country, that’s why he won, because you had this or you knew what you were getting with period. You

as a way to bring this conversation to a close.

If Donald Trump were listening to you right now, and you could say anything to him, in a sense or two, what would you tell him? Louis, I’m going to start with you.

Ball speed.

Ahead, make it happen, and

do everything you said you’re going to do,

and the country is going to be just fine at the end of the four years, set up Vance to take over the next eight years. Train the man, because he’s a good one.

Kathy, If Trump were listening to you right now, what would you tell him?

Tell him how proud I am of him

that he was able to separate himself from his first term and not fall into the same traps he fell into for those four years, because he has overcome those trials and tribulations that he had, and he’s forging on and not giving them a chance to trap him into Those so to forge on with what he’s doing. Mary, why would you tell Donald Trump? If you could?

I would thank him. I would thank him for loving our country and showing people that it’s okay to be patriotic and love the country, and most of all, I would thank him for Elon Musk,

that’s interesting, Craig, what would you tell Donald Trump? I would say, keep up the good work. There’s still a lot left to be done, but you’re on the right path. Trust your instincts, trust the people around you, and keep making great decisions.

Glad Trump’s listening. What are you saying? I would definitely thank him for putting America first and fighting for us, our economy, border security, and maybe ask him if he wants to play golf.

Nice,

John, how do you answer that question?

I think I would tell him that he’s over the target. Keep doing what he’s doing, and he’s going to accomplish one of the rarest feats in American history, which is a midterm increase in Congress to finish the job.

Christy, okay, well beyond what everybody else thinks. Trump is a teddy bear. He was injured. We care about him. We cared that he was getting attacked at all these times. We want people to go to jail for this. And we’re angry for him, and I wish he would not be so.

I think he, in the end, he’s trying to make bygones be bygones. We don’t want it to be we want people arrested. Does everybody else believe that here? I don’t know, yeah.

David, you’re up.

Keep up the good work and stay fearless,

Joe. Get us out of these chains. Eliminate all income taxes altogether by going after what you’re finding, waste, fraud and abuse,

and keep up the good work. Brother, I love you. Do you think that if we eliminate the waste, fraud and abuse in government, we won’t have to charge an income tax? Of course, because if you think back in history, well, I only go on what people tell me. You know, I don’t have my nose in the book, but

income tax wasn’t automatic. It just came around. And just like Social Security, it’s a voluntary program now it’s mandatory,

and

69 million. Maybe it’s wrong figure for Sesame Street in Iraq, condoms for lizards on treadmills, you name it. That’s bullshit. That money could go towards the deficit, we wouldn’t the government is funded on our money, taking our money.

They existed

for a few, maybe 100 years before taking our money. Now they need our money. Now they’re abusing our money.

How did all these Congress and senators get become millionaires when they’re supposed to be working for the people. I’m doing this. I’m a public servant bullshit. You’re inside trader. You’re getting kickbacks all these

125 year old people getting Social Security checks, the

the people under 10 years old getting millions of dollars of SBA loans, etc, etc, etc. That’s bullshit. You know it’s bullshit. I know it’s bullshit. Let them find the bullshit. Get the waste cut out, and then they won’t need so much damn money. Mike from Pennsylvania,

I would, first of all, I would thank him, uh.

With a great job he’s doing

full speed ahead and Damn the torpedoes, surround yourself with great people. Start focusing on the midterms next year. I mean, I mean, folks, they’re going to be here. I mean, I mean we got to focus. We got to build a bench.

Build it deep and wide, Senate and the House. And like, I think, Louis, I believe, said from North Carolina, is that 2028 is right around the corner. I mean, you know politics. I mean, it’s a 24 cycle, and JD has got to be set up, but he’s got to surround himself with great people. Stay focused, stay diligent, and don’t stop, keep on fighting. Serena. Why would you tell Donald Trump first? I would thank Him for everything he’s done and for the sacrifices that he’s made,

and I would encourage him to just stay the course

and keep putting America first.

And yeah, there are a lot of policies and lot of things that the Biden administration did that he’s got to undo. Susan from Florida,

I would thank him for having our back and remind him that that we have his his his support across the country is just incredible. And I would just remind him that we we’ve got his back too. Brian, can I just say one thing, one thing I would like would end is the wokeness and the cancel culture. I want it to end. It’s he’s addressing the economy. He’s addressing all the world issues. But we really have to get to the root of stopping this cancel culture and the wokeness. It’s, it’s, it’s killing us. Cancel the cancel culture

part of what we do in next week’s episode. So on behalf of everyone here at America speaks on straight arrow news. I thank you for your point of view. I thank you for your participation, and I ask you to tune in next week, when the discussion will be Donald Trump’s America, as determined by you, the American people. You.

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