What Do Swing Voters Want? From The Politics Desk

Welcome to nan online type of From nan Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you nan NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and study from nan White House, Capitol Hill and nan run trail.

Happy Friday! Today, authorities reporters Bridget Bowman and Dylan Ebs talk pinch 8 plaything voters to get their thoughts connected nan authorities of Trump’s 2nd word and nan large issues facing nan country. Then, Kristen Welker raises a mobility Trump had tiptoed astir successful nan past: Is this his system now?

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— Scott Bland

Trump’s tariffs look different inflection point, and a tribunal test

By Bridget Bowman and Dylan Ebs

Ray, a New York elector successful his mid-30s, backed Donald Trump past twelvemonth aft having voted for Joe Biden successful 2020, pointing to Trump’s pledges to boost nan economy. Now, he is not happy pinch nan results connected each of those pledges.

“President Trump has made a batch of promises that he’s not really cashing out,” Ray said.

But Scott, a 29-year-old Missourian who besides flipped from Biden successful 2020 to Trump successful 2024, said he’s “happy” pinch Trump’s presidency truthful far.

“In general, he’s keeping his promises,” Scott said.

The 2 men’s opposing views of Trump’s presidency underscore nan wide scope of opinions among plaything voters who helped return Trump to nan White House — and who whitethorn clasp nan cardinal to nan results of early elections, too.

Both men were among 8 voters who said to NBC News again successful caller days aft having elaborate their hopes for nan Trump administration backmost successful January. NBC News is not utilizing nan past names of immoderate of nan 8 voters to let them to speak much freely astir nationalist politics.

These voters, who participated successful the last NBC News canvass of nan 2024 election and backed Trump aft supporting Biden aliases not voting successful 2020, were mostly optimistic that a 2nd Trump presidency would bring astir change, particularly connected nan system and migration issues.

Now, they’re divided connected Trump’s presidency.

Four of nan recontacted respondents were happy pinch Trump’s capacity truthful far, while 2 offered much mixed reviews and 2 disapproved of his first six months backmost successful office. (The 10 different voters who participated successful January were not reachable aliases declined interviews.)

Overall, nationalist sentiment polls person shown Trump’s support standing declining since he took agency (more connected that below), though not arsenic acold arsenic at this constituent successful his first term. And critically, from a governmental perspective, voters whitethorn person antagonistic opinions of Trump’s handling of nan economy, for example, but beryllium divided connected nan mobility of which statement would grip nan rumor better.

Read much from nan 8 voters present →

Is this Trump’s system now?

Analysis by Kristen Welker

President Donald Trump has acknowledged that economical concerns, particularly astir precocious prices, propelled him to different word successful nan White House. And nan latest jobs report, released Friday, on pinch much moves connected tariffs raise nan mobility of whether nan president owns this system now that he’s six months into his 2nd word — nan good, nan bad and everything successful between.

When I asked Trump backmost successful May, during an quality connected “Meet nan Press,” if this was now nan Trump economy, he told me: “It partially is correct now. And I really mean this. I deliberation nan bully parts are nan Trump system and nan bad parts are nan Biden system because he’s done a unspeakable job.”

On Friday, nan Bureau of Labor Statistics released a jobs study showing nan U.S. added 73,000 caller jobs successful July while revising gains successful caller months, signaling slower-than-expected occupation growth.

(Trump responded by firing nan BLS commissioner.)

And Trump imposed a caller information of tariffs, immoderate group to return effect adjacent week, that formalized immoderate caller waste and acquisition agreements and levied higher tariff rates against trading partners that grounded to onslaught deals pinch nan U.S.

Trump has maintained that his tariffs will fortify nan economy, telling NBC News’ Garrett Haake successful a telephone interview past night, “We will beryllium taking successful hundreds of billions of dollars, and very quickly.”

The president dismissed concerns that his tariffs could origin prices to emergence connected immoderate goods, telling Garrett, “The only value that’s spiked is nan hundreds of billions of dollars coming in.”

But caller polling suggests that voters person soured connected nan president’s handling of nan economy.

A Wall Street Journal poll released this week recovered a mostly of voters (53%) disapproving of Trump’s handling of nan economy, while 44% approved. A somewhat higher stock (57%) disapproved of his handling of tariffs, while 40% approved. The study was conducted July 16-20 and had a separator of correction of positive aliases minus 2.5 percent points.

We’ll delve into nan system and much connected this Sunday’s “Meet nan Press,” wherever we will beryllium joined by Kevin Hassett, Director of nan National Economic Council, and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.

That’s each From nan Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Scott Bland and Dylan Ebs.

If you person feedback — likes aliases dislikes — email america astatine politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

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