Swing voters who helped return President-elect Donald Trump to the White House are optimistic about the next four years, but they will wait to see whether their desire for change becomes a reality.
"I hope this changes something, at least a little bit. I hope some of the prices go down," said Reagan Spiegel, a 19-year-old farmworker from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He voted for the first time in November.
"I'm tired of hearing about all these things that people want to do, but they have no commitment to actually do them," added Spiegel, who was optimistic that Trump would be able to achieve his agenda.
Spiegel was one of the voters who helped propel Trump to victory in November, winning a decisive share of first-time voters and other voters who voted for Joe Biden in 2020. NBC News interviewed 18 of those voters this week. Join NBC News' final poll for the 2024 election.
As a group, they are largely willing to give Trump some leeway to fulfill his key campaign promises, such as lowering the prices of everyday items like groceries. Many of them have not followed his cabinet nominations or other actions during the transition closely, although some comments, such as his discussion of annexing territory from other countries, have made breakthroughs.
"I'm winning on the border, I'm winning on groceries," Trump told NBC News' "Meet the Press" last month, later adding, "We're going to lower those prices dramatically. ”
But Trump also acknowledged that doing so would be difficult, telling Time magazine after the election that lowering prices would be "very difficult." But swing voters who support him acknowledge this, with some saying they would still support him even if prices didn't fall.
“I don’t expect him to lower prices,” said Rebecca, a 48-year-old independent voter in Rhode Island. "I just hope he can be fair."
Rebecca voted for Trump after supporting Biden four years ago, citing the economy, immigration and security as her top issues. As a bartender, she was intrigued by Trump's promise to eliminate the tip tax, saying she hopes Trump can help raise wages even if he can't lower prices.
Calley, a 40-year-old Ohio voter who supported Trump in November but did not vote in 2020, noted that she would still support Trump even if prices didn't fall, saying, "He can only do so much." , who missed the deadline for a mail-in ballot because she was caring for a newborn.
“I do understand that it’s not something that’s going to happen overnight,” said Melanie Phillips, 56, a software engineer from Utah who voted for the first time in November. ”
Phillips believes the Biden administration is trying to thwart Trump's anti-inflation efforts, pointing to the White House's recent announcement that it will cancel the federal student loan debt of more than 150,000 borrowers.
But others want Trump to deliver on his promise to tackle inflation. Jorge, a 21-year-old Florida independent who supported Trump in his first presidential election, said the failure to lower prices would be "disappointing to say the least."
“It’s like the Democrats overpromised and underdelivered,” Jorge said.
These voters said they ultimately supported Vice President Kamala Harris after they concluded she was out of touch with the Democratic Party and not focusing on issues important to them, such as high prices and personal financial hardship, border security and public safety. Trump.
"We're treading water here. ... You can only go so long before you feel like you're sinking. It turns out that Biden did nothing, nothing, nothing. "It was just a period of stagnation. ,” said Rebecca, a Rhode Island bartender who declined to give her last name.
"We needed something to happen," she said later.
Marianna, a 21-year-old Hispanic woman from Texas, said she was initially "scared" by Trump's hardline stance on immigration when he first ran for office in 2016. But she said she "partially" supports his mass deportation plans.
"I feel like immigrants who pay taxes and do good things for our country, they shouldn't be deported," Mariana said. "I just think everyone is taking advantage and committing crimes."
Scott, a computer programmer from Missouri, said "real people" are "angry" about the state of the country.
"No politician seems to be that angry, but Trump is angry," said Scott, a gay Hispanic and former Democrat. He said he felt he was no longer being listened to by his former party, suggesting Democrats were too focused on social issues like diversity.
In other words, voters like Scott are looking to Trump to shake up Washington.
"At every level, the government is stuck in a 'we can't do this, we can't do that' dilemma. 'Hey, I don't care,'" Trump said. "I really don't care what the norms or the agencies say," Trump said. Cote later added, “This seems to be the only option at the moment because respect for the guidelines prevents them from doing anything. "
Some voters believe Trump can deliver on his promises, pointing to his business experience and first term as evidence he can fix the economy.
“He hasn’t held a lot of political office that I know of, but he’s a good businessman,” said Janice Dunn, an 83-year-old Trump voter from New Bern, North Carolina. “When you’re dealing with all this, you need a good business executive.”
Dunn, a registered Democrat who identifies as a Republican, said she did not vote in 2016 or 2020 due to mobility issues, but would vote for Trump if given the chance. She said that while she doesn't think either Trump or Harris are "good people," she hopes Trump can make progress on key issues such as the economy and immigration.
Others are just looking for Trump to try something Address their concerns about the economy, border security and public safety, even if he doesn't succeed.
“I can’t say I’m particularly expecting him to do something,” said Ray, an Asian man in his 30s from New York who voted for Biden in 2020. "But I think he did do something, whether it was well-intentioned or not. "Whether it was true or not, he at least made an effort to reach out to those people, people like me, and he was saying, yeah, I'm going to listen to you. . "
Many of these voters are prepared to give Trump some leeway, not only because of his campaign promises but also because he has dominated headlines on other issues, such as his recent remarks about taking over Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada.
Some swing voters were confused by his annexation rhetoric, and some said it shouldn't be his concern. But most people don't care about them, and some are even supportive.
“If we’re taking care of them financially, why shouldn’t they be part of ours?” said Gonzell Turner, 40, a Maryland electrician who supported Trump after supporting Biden in 2020 general.
Others dismissed the comments as Trump being Trump.
"I think Trump as a person, he'll say one thing today and tomorrow he'll say the exact opposite," said Wray, who is from New York. "What really matters is what action he ultimately takes."
“I don’t think his top priority is going to be: We’re going to take Canada or Greenland,” said Jordan, a 28-year-old California voter. She said she’s “not a big Trump supporter,” but she supports him because She worries about border security and because she thinks Democrats are inauthentic.
These voters are 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 based on that," said Rebecca, a Rhode Island voter who described the Cabinet picks as "insiders."
The deference to Trump's cabinet and the leeway in delivering on campaign promises underscores the fact that Trump, like other incoming presidents, is enjoying a honeymoon period with these swing voters as he begins his next administration. .
But they could still be up for grabs four years later, though Democrats still have some work to do to win them over.
Javan Potts, a 23-year-old Amazon driver from Ohio, said he is still willing to support the Democratic candidate. Potts voted for Trump and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his re-election bid.
"Be real, be honest," Potts advised Democrats. “Really, don’t just choose what’s popular and what you think people want to connect with emotionally, but what people realistically need.”