Approaching every election year, each presidential candidate must appeal to the public. Their main objective is to win over the majority of voters to get elected. To do this, candidates use many methods, from knocking doors and handing out fliers to putting ads on TV and making grand speeches.
The one thing that stays consistent throughout, though, are promises. Cheaper housing, groceries, insurance, and gasoline; more job opportunities; better border control and fewer wars; generally, anything to make the United States a better place.
For presidential candidate Donald Trump’s second term, this was exactly his slogan: Make America Great Again.
But how many of his promises did he actually keep, and how many of them truly benefited the country?
Gas and Oil Prices:
In a speech addressed to the New York Economic Club on Sept. 5, 2024, Trump promised that “Energy is going to bring [the economy] back. That means we’re going down and getting gasoline below $2 a gallon. If I were President, oil production today would be four times higher than it is right now.”
However, according to AAA Gas Prices, the average for a gallon of gasoline for the nation is $4.048, and the current average for California is $5.839. When Trump was elected, gas prices were at an average of $3.30 across the nation and $4.76 in California, both increasing by 19%.
Trump did increase the amount of drilling in the United States, though not by four times as promised. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that drilling has increased from 12,517 thousand barrels per day in January 2024 to 13,246 in January 2026. Despite this 6% increase, gasoline prices have still surged.
The main cause is the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which, according to Forbes, accounts for around 20% of the world’s oil flows. Oil isn’t priced locally, meaning gas companies will sell their oil based on what it would cost them to refill their supply.
Even though the US is the leading producer of oil, the cost will continue to rise for consumers if there isn’t a way to get the gasoline to local stations. Despite what Trump said, drilling won’t fix the problem.
Illegal Immigrant Deportations:
During a political rally in Pickens, South Carolina, on July 1st, 2023 then-candidate Donald Trump brought up the issue of immigration. He said that once he was re-elected, “following the Eisenhower model, we will use every necessary state, local, federal, and military resource to carry out the largest domestic deportation in American history, starting with the criminals, starting with some very, very bad criminals, many, many criminals, murderers, many, many, many criminals.”
Trump followed through with this plan. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed that during the first year of Trump’s second term, 675,000 illegal immigrants were deported by ICE, and 2.2 million self-deported.
However, the American Immigration Council found that every time ICE conducted an arrest within the community, only 1 out of 12 of immigrants had a criminal conviction of a serious threat. In January of 2026, two law-abiding citizens were shot by ICE agents.
While the number of deportations is set to reach an annual record, these arrests by the DHS are harming the U.S. by splitting communities apart. According to the New York Times, immigrants across the nation feel less safe during Trump’s second presidency than ever before.
Ukraine War:
At a rally in Iowa in July, 2023, Trump declared that “Before I even arrive at the Oval Office shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled.”
The war between Russia and Ukraine started in 2021, and despite Trump’s declaration, it remains ongoing. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a deadly airstrike on Ukraine, killing 18 people. The war has not only continued but intensified.
Despite attempted peace talks between Ukrainian President Zelensky and Trump in 2025, no cease fire was ever reached. The Ukraine-Russia War did not end shortly after Trump was elected.
Closing the Department of Education:
In a video posted online on March 26, 2024, Trump detailed his intentions to change the American education system. The first thing he said he would be doing “very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington D.C. and sending all education and education work and needs back to the states.”
Trump officially signed the executive order titled Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities, March 20, 2025. This order cut the staffing of the department by 1,300 people. According to USA Today, Trump has also told Linda McMahon, the current Secretary of the Department of Education, that she must do everything in her power to dismantle the department.
The Department of Education has been a key part of the United States’ government since 1980. It provides funding, implements education policies, and protects student rights. As of 2020, the department offers financial aid to 72% of undergraduate students and serves as the largest source of student loans.
The Department of Education is still open, but it has been greatly restricted since the start of Trump’s second term.
Health Care:
In March 2024, Trump posted on his platform, Truth Social, that he was “running to make the ACA, or Obamacare, as it is known, much better, stronger, and far less expensive.”
Yet, under Trump’s presidency, insurance costs are spiking. Enhanced premium tax credits (ePTC’s), which significantly lower the monthly insurance cost for low-income people to near-zero amounts, expired on Dec. 31, and were originally not going to be renewed. After much advocacy by those who relied on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Senate–despite Trump’s efforts– finally extended ePTC’s.
An analysis by the Health System Tracker shows that in 2026, the median cost for ePTC’s has increased by 18%. The Health System Tracker also reports that this spike in prices will likely cause healthier individuals to drop coverage, potentially destabilizing insurance markets further.
