Undecided voters who helped President-elect Donald Trump return to the White House are optimistic about the next four years, but they will be watching to see if their desire for change becomes a reality.
“I hope this brings about some change, at least a little bit. I hope some of the prices come down,” said Reagan Spiegel, 19, a farmhand from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who voted for the first time in November.
“I’m tired of hearing all these things that people want to do and then don’t commit to doing them,” added Spiegel, optimistic that Trump will be able to accomplish his agenda.
Spiegel is among the voters who helped propel Trump to victory in November, as he won over first-time voters and a decisive portion of others who had voted for Joe Biden in 2020. NBC News spoke this week with 18 of those voters who had participated in NBC News’ final poll of the 2024 election.
As a group, they are largely willing to give Trump some leeway when it comes to delivering on his key campaign promises, such as lowering prices on everyday products like groceries. Many of them have not closely followed his Cabinet nominations or other actions during the transition, although some comments, such as his discussion of annexing other countries’ territory, have emerged.
“I won on the border and I won on groceries,” Trump said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” last month, later adding: “We’re going to lower those prices a lot.”
But Trump has also acknowledged that it will be difficult to achieve, telling Time magazine after the election that it will be “very difficult” to lower prices. But undecided voters who supported him also recognize this, and several said they would continue to support him even if prices did not fall.
“I don’t expect it to lower prices,” said Rebecca, 48, an independent voter from Rhode Island. “I just hope it’s fair.”
Rebecca voted for Trump after endorsing Biden four years ago, noting that the economy, immigration and security were her top issues. As a waitress, she was drawn to Trump’s promise to eliminate tip taxes, and said she’s hopeful Trump can help raise wages even if he can’t lower prices.
Karley, 40, an Ohio voter who signaled she would continue supporting Trump even if prices don’t fall, said, “He can’t do much.” She endorsed Trump in November but did not vote in 2020, missing the deadline to cast a mail-in ballot while juggling a newborn.
Melanie Phillips, 56, a software engineer from Utah who voted for the first time in November, said, “I understand that it’s not something that can happen overnight.”
Phillips believed the Biden administration was trying to hinder Trump’s anti-inflation efforts, pointing to the recent announcement that the White House would cancel federal student loan debt for more than 150,000 borrowers.
But others expect Trump to make good on his promise to tackle inflation. Jorge, 21, an independent voter from Florida who supported Trump in his first presidential election, said failing to lower prices would be “a disappointment, to say the least.”
“It would be the same as Democrats who overpromised and underdelivered,” Jorge said.
“We needed something to happen”
These voters said they ultimately backed Trump after concluding that Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party were out of touch and not focused on the issues they cared about, such as high prices and their personal financial struggles, border security and public safety.
“We were treading water here. …You can only walk so long before you feel like you’re sinking. And Biden did not prove to do anything, nothing, nothing. It was just a stagnant time,” said Rebecca, the Rhode Island waitress, who declined to share her last name.
“We needed something to happen,” he said later.
Mariana, 21, a Hispanic woman from Texas, said she was initially “scared” by Trump’s tough stance on immigration when he first ran for office in 2016, but said she “partially” supports his plans. mass deportations.
“I feel that those immigrants who pay their taxes and contribute well to our country should not be deported,” Mariana said. “I just feel like it should be all people who [are] taking advantage, committing crimes.”
Scott, a computer programmer from Missouri, said “real people” are “angry” about the state of the country.
“None of the politicians seem to be angry that way, but Trump is,” said Scott, a Hispanic gay man and former Democrat. He said he no longer felt heard by his former party, suggesting Democrats focused too much on social issues like diversity.
In other words, voters like Scott expect Trump to shake up Washington.
“At every level, the government has been so stuck on the idea of ’we can’t do this, we can’t do that.’ Trump says, ‘Hey, I don’t care.’ I really don’t care what the rules or institutions are going to say,’” Scott said, later adding, “It seems like that’s the only option right now, because respect for the guidelines has prevented them from doing anything.”
Some voters are confident Trump can deliver on his promises, pointing to his business experience and first term as proof he can fix the economy.
“As far as I know, he hasn’t held many political offices, but he’s a good businessman,” said Janice Dunn, 83, a Trump voter from New Bern, North Carolina. “You need a good business head when it comes to all this.”
Dunn, a registered Democrat who considers herself a Republican, said she did not vote in 2016 or 2020 because of mobility issues, but would have voted for Trump if she had the chance. While he doesn’t consider Trump or Harris “good people,” he said, he is hopeful that Trump will make progress on key issues like the economy and immigration.
Others are simply looking for Trump to try something. to address their concerns about the economy, border security and public safety, even if it is unsuccessful.
“I can’t say I’m expecting him to do anything in particular,” said Ray, an Asian man in his 30s from New York who voted for Biden in 2020. “But what I think he does, whether it’s kind or true or not, at least he’s making an effort to reach out to those people, people like me, and he’s saying yes, I’ll listen to you.”
Honeymoon period
Many of these voters are willing to give Trump some leeway, not only with his campaign promises, but also when he ends up in headlines on other issues, such as his recent comments about the seizure of Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada.
Some undecided voters were perplexed by his comments on annexation, and some said he shouldn’t focus on that. But most were not worried about them and some even supported them.
“If we take care of them financially, why shouldn’t they be a part of us?” said Gonzell Turner, 40, a Maryland electrician who endorsed Trump after supporting Biden in 2020.
Others dismissed the comments as Trump being Trump.
“I think Trump, as a person, will say one thing today and tomorrow he will say the opposite,” Ray said, speaking from New York. “It really only matters what he ends up acting in.”
Jordan, 28, a California voter, said: “I don’t think their top priority is: taking Canada or Greenland.” She said she is “not a big Trump supporter” but endorsed him because of her concerns about border security and because she viewed the Democratic Party as inauthentic.
These voters were also largely unaware of or indifferent to Trump’s Cabinet choices, with some saying Trump should be able to choose his own team.
“Let him make his decisions with that,” said Rebecca, the Rhode Island voter, who described the Cabinet picks as “internal stuff.”
The deference to Trump over his Cabinet and the room for maneuver in delivering on his campaign promises underscores how Trump, like other incoming presidents, is entering his next administration with a honeymoon period of sorts with these undecided voters. .
But they could still be in play four years from now, although Democrats have work to do to win them over.
Javan Potts, 23, an Amazon driver from Ohio, said he is still open to supporting Democratic candidates. Potts voted for Trump and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his re-election bid.
“Be realistic, be honest,” Potts advised Democrats. “Really, don’t just choose what’s trendy and what you think people want to emotionally attach to, but what people actually need.”
