Donald Trump returned to the White House promising Americans cheaper groceries, lower mortgage rates, more manufacturing jobs, stronger health care protections and an end to costly foreign wars.
But a new BuzzFeed review published November 12 examines 11 major pledges from his campaigns and compares them with the results of his second presidency.
The findings reveal significant gaps between several of Trump’s most ambitious promises and the economic and political realities Americans have experienced.
1. He promised to stop wars — but the United States entered a new conflict.
During his November 2024 victory speech, Trump declared:
“I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars.”
On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, beginning a new military conflict.
When NBC’s Meet the Press later confronted Trump about his pledge, he disputed the idea that he had guaranteed peace.
“First of all, I didn’t guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?” he responded.
Trump argued that the strikes were intended to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
2. His immigration crackdown extended far beyond violent criminals.
Trump and his administration repeatedly characterized their immigration enforcement campaign as targeting the “worst of the worst.”
But an internal Department of Homeland Security document obtained by CBS News showed a more complicated picture.
Of approximately 393,000 people arrested by ICE between January 21, 2025, and January 31, 2026, fewer than 14% had charges or convictions involving six categories of violent offenses.
Nearly 40% had no criminal record and were accused only of civil immigration violations.
DHS argued that the broader nonviolent category also included serious offenses, such as drug trafficking, child exploitation and human smuggling.
The figures nevertheless showed that immigration enforcement reached well beyond the violent offenders emphasized in the administration’s public messaging.
3. He promised to end the Ukraine war in 24 hours.
Trump repeatedly suggested that he could quickly negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“If I’m president, I will have that war settled in one day. 24 hours,” he declared.
But when questioned in March 2025 about the unfulfilled timeline, Trump offered a different explanation.
“Well, I was being a little bit sarcastic when I said that,” he said.
The fighting continued into November 2026, with diplomatic discussions failing to produce the immediate settlement he had promised.
4. He promised broad IVF coverage.
At an August 2024 campaign event, Trump announced that the federal government would pay for in vitro fertilization treatments or require insurance companies to cover all associated costs.
The administration later backed away from mandating comprehensive insurance coverage, according to reporting cited by BuzzFeed.
Instead, it announced discounts on certain fertility medications.
Those discounts represented a narrower measure than Trump’s original proposal and did not make IVF treatment free for every American seeking it.
5. He promised cheaper groceries.
“A vote for Trump means your groceries will be cheaper,” Trump told voters in November 2024.
But according to CBS News figures cited in the BuzzFeed analysis, grocery prices were approximately 4% higher in October 2026 than they had been in November 2024.
A subsequent report showed another 0.4% increase in October alone.
Individual food prices varied, with some products becoming less expensive. But the overall food-at-home price index did not deliver the broad reduction Trump had promised.
6. He promised to protect Medicare and Medicaid.
Trump repeatedly said he would protect the federal health care programs while eliminating waste, fraud and abuse.
However, the tax-and-spending legislation he signed in July 2025 reduced projected federal Medicaid spending over the following decade.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the law’s health coverage provisions would leave more than 10 million additional people uninsured by 2034.
That projection included changes across multiple health coverage programs, not solely Medicaid.
Republicans defended the legislation as an effort to control spending and reduce misuse, while critics pointed to the projected loss of insurance coverage.
7. He promised a manufacturing boom.
Trump argued that his economic policies would encourage companies to relocate factories and jobs to the United States.
Manufacturing employment initially declined during his second presidency.
An analysis published November 6 found that factories had lost approximately 93,000 jobs during his first year back in office, before gaining around 101,000 since December 2025.
That left manufacturing employment approximately 8,000 jobs above its level when he took office.
The figures showed a recovery after an initial decline, but not the dramatic expansion Trump had suggested during his campaign.
8. He promised to reduce the national debt.
At a September 2024 campaign event, Trump told supporters:
“We’re going to pay down debt. And you know, we’re going to have growth like this country has never seen before.”
He also promised lower interest rates that would help Americans afford homes.
But in August 2026, total outstanding federal debt crossed $40 trillion.
Treasury figures cited by The Washington Post placed the amount at approximately $40.047 trillion on August 18.
That debt accumulated under multiple administrations, but its continued increase during Trump’s presidency stood in contrast to his promise to pay it down.
9. He promised dramatically cheaper mortgages.
Trump told voters that his administration would drive borrowing costs down so Americans could once again obtain mortgage rates around 2%.
“We will drive down the rate so you will be able to pay 2% again,” he said during a September 2024 rally.
But CBS News reported that the average 30-year mortgage rate stood at approximately 7.28% in October 2026, compared with 7.04% when he took office.
The median home listing price was also approximately $408,333 in August 2026, around 4% above its January 2025 level.
Mortgage rates depend on financial markets and broader economic conditions, not presidential decisions alone. Nevertheless, the promised 2% borrowing environment had not materialized.
10. He promised gasoline below $2 per gallon.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump pledged:
“We’re going down and getting gasoline below $2 a gallon.”
He also promised to reduce electricity bills, groceries, airfare and housing costs.
Instead, gasoline prices surged following the outbreak of the war involving Iran.
According to CBS News data cited by BuzzFeed, the national average price reached $4.37 per gallon on October 9, 2026, compared with $2.98 on February 27, the day before the conflict began.
The figures were national averages on specific dates, not prices at every station, and the war was a major factor in the increase.
11. He promised to cut electricity prices in half.
Trump made another sweeping pledge during an August 2024 campaign speech.
“Under my leadership, the United States will commit to the ambitious goal of slashing energy and electricity prices by half, at least half,” he said.
“We intend to slash prices by half within 12 months, at a maximum of 18 months.”
The BuzzFeed review reported that average monthly electricity bills had instead increased by approximately 12.5% over the period it examined.
Electricity prices are influenced by regional energy markets, fuel costs, infrastructure spending and utility regulation. But the nationwide reduction Trump described had not occurred.
The larger question: How much of the campaign agenda became reality?
Not every promise produced the same outcome.
Manufacturing employment recovered after an early decline. The administration introduced some fertility drug discounts rather than the universal IVF coverage originally discussed. And several economic indicators were influenced by developments beyond the president’s direct control.
Still, the comparison reveals how frequently Trump’s most sweeping campaign assurances exceeded the results documented during his second term.
For Americans weighing what they were promised against what they now pay for groceries, gasoline, housing and health care, those differences are substantial.
And with the next Congress preparing to examine the administration’s record, the gap between campaign rhetoric and measurable outcomes is likely to remain a subject of intense political scrutiny.
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Donald J. Trump finds another way to screw Americans’ taxpayers
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQjgqSSbWgCKRfxBsGcSqDpGSvW
And we all know that Donald J. Trump is a LIAR.