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10 Days in… President Trump’s Scorecard

What does success look like? Our latest poll of independent and Republican voters offers some intriguing insights into what success means for Republicans.

Lura Forcum, January 30.

Here we are already in the second week of the new Trump administration. It’s been exciting, chaotic, and more than a little confusing.  

Our job is to represent independent voters. Donald Trump made many promises to voters, particularly independent voters who played a crucial role in his victory. That’s why this week we’re focused on our scorecard and polling; something we’ll continue to update.  

Many of Trump’s promises focused on affordability, but that’s not the only issue independent voters care about. Polling by the Independent Center and other organizations indicates that voters also cared about issues like immigration, tax policy, government efficiency, and debt and deficit—issues that affect everyday Americans.  

However, what has dominated the media are Trump’s threats to Canada, Greenland, Colombia, and Panama. Many consider this a joke or a tactic from his “art of the deal” approach, but average Americans who are struggling to pay for gas, groceries, housing, and healthcare want action on affordability.   

Our Scorecard 

We’ve created a scorecard to assess the administration’s progress in multiple areas. A brief summary is provided below – click here to read a complete breakdown of our scores.   

Key Issue:

Score:

Affordability & Inflation 

Negative 

Taxes 

Neutral

Immigration 

Leaning positive

Debt & Deficit 

Leaning negative

Government Effectiveness 

Leaning negative 

Our latest polling, just prior to the inauguration, will be used as a benchmark to help us assess the action, or lack thereof, on each of these issues.

We will continue to monitor, poll, and report our findings as we move from the shock and awe of the first 10 days into actual execution of the administration’s policies.

What Success Looks Like for Republicans 

Last week, we published the findings for independent voters, which you can read here. This week, we released our findings for Republicans, available here. Next week, keep an eye out for our findings on Democrats.   

The key takeaway from this week’s polling is that both Republicans and independents overwhelmingly want to see success through bipartisan cooperation.  

The biggest surprise in the findings is that Republicans show even stronger support for bipartisan action.  When asked about Trump working across the aisle, 83 percent of Republicans and 58 percent of independents hope to see him succeed at enacting bipartisan policies.

That’s a wake-up call to the Trump administration and something they need to understand.   

The short version is that voters want the Trump administration to focus on affordability issues, but our scorecard so far shows them in the negative. Voters also want to see both Trump and Congress engaged in bipartisan efforts, but instead, we’ve had a week of chaotic and one-sided rulemaking. It’s not a great start.  

Too Soon to Talk About 2026? 

We’ll continue our polling so we can provide ongoing updates and insights as we wind our way to the end of Trump’s first year. 

We might not want to think about it yet... but 2026 mid-term elections are not far away, and the Republican majority is razor thin. The Trump Administration can’t afford to lose the independents who supported him.  

Regardless of who occupies the presidency, the Independent Center believes that elected officials should be held accountable for keeping their promises. This accountability is especially crucial for those who win elections by making promises to independent voters. What we know about independent voters is that we prioritize effective governance over loyalty to any specific party or candidate.   

So, help us hold our elected officials accountable. We always want to hear from you about what you think is going well or poorly in American politics. If you also want to contribute financially to our efforts, we’ll soon be introducing a way for people to pitch in!  Media Interviews

A final thought—we occasionally hear from reporters who would like to interview independents.

If you’d like to be included on our contact list, let us know. We’ll use this list to notify you about media opportunities, but we won’t share your information without your permission.   Best wishes,  

Lura  

Contact us if you’d like to be interviewed

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The Independent Center is the go-to organization for information, research, and engagement with independent voters, who now make up the majority of the electorate.

We represent those who are fed up with partisan politics and feel politically homeless. We believe the future is not red or blue; it’s fiscally responsible, socially inclusive, and free to choose the best options for ourselves, our families, and our communities.

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