If you had to describe how
Donald Trump’s second
term is going in just one word,
what would it be? If you had to describe
how Donald Trump’s second
term is going in just one
word, what would it be?
“Hopeful”
Linda, 50, Mich., white
“Amazing”
Isaiah, 30, Texas, Afro-Latino
“OK”
Jessica, 33, Conn., white
We’re nearly one year into President Trump’s second term. 2026 has begun with a stunning action in Venezuela to remove Nicolás Maduro and Mr. Trump threatening to take over Greenland. The midterm elections are just months away, and polls show that Americans are dissatisfied with the economy and sharply divided on the administration’s immigration policy.
The vast majority of Republicans say they approve of Mr. Trump’s performance. Their approval and disapproval of different aspects of his administration, however, can play a role in shaping the rest of his term in office, as well as this year’s midterm results. For its latest focus group, Times Opinion spoke with 11 Republican voters, who reported somewhat or strongly approving of the president’s performance. We asked about what they like about the second Trump administration, and what they don’t.
From tariffs to deportations and the administration’s recent actions in Venezuela, this group said they liked what they’re seeing. They expressed optimism about the economy and especially appreciated his following through on what he had promised to do.
Still, participants want to see more disclosure in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Two expressed dissatisfaction with the aggressiveness of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (This group was conducted before the shooting in Minneapolis.) Nearly everyone wanted to see more, not less, oversight or even regulation from Republicans when it comes to artificial intelligence.
And while these voters admired the Venezuela action, some had questions about the idea of taking over Greenland, especially through military force. As activists argue about the direction of Republican foreign policy, the discussion about Venezuela and Greenland offers some compelling insights about how Republican voters might be thinking about one of the defining features of Mr. Trump’s second term: his aggressive view of American power in Western hemisphere.
Katherine Miller, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Adrian J. Rivera
Ms. Miller is an editor in Opinion. Ms. Anderson is a pollster. Mr. Rivera is an editorial assistant in Opinion.
Participants 
Bill 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
Daniel 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Elbin 29, N.Y., Republican, Black, construction engineer
Heather 55, La., Republican, white, manufacturing
Holly 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
Isaiah 30, Texas, Republican, Afro-Latino, real estate agent
Jessi 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
Jessica 33, Conn., Republican, white, laboratory technician
Linda 50, Mich., Republican, white, stay-at-home parent
Shanna 28, Utah, Republican, white, technical writer
Sherry 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
Transcript
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
If you had to describe how Donald Trump’s second term is going in just one word, what would that one word be?
Linda, 50, Mich., Republican, white, stay-at-home parent
Hopeful.
Elbin, 29, N.Y., Republican, Black, construction engineer
Great.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
Appreciative.
Jessica, 33, Conn., Republican, white, laboratory technician
I think it’s going OK.
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Great.
Isaiah, 30, Texas, Republican, Afro-Latino, real estate agent
I would say amazing.
Shanna, 28, Utah, Republican, white, technical writer
Decent.
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
Excellent.
Heather, 55, La., Republican, white, manufacturing
Going well.
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
Productive.
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
Awesome.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Sherry, tell me what you mean by awesome.
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
He came into a mess, so he had to clean up a lot. He’s done a great job with the tariffs, with the illegals. Prices are now starting to come down for gas and food and stuff.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Bill, what do you mean by productive?
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
I don’t think he’s sitting on his hands. He’s going out and doing things that he said he’s going to do. He means what he says. He just does it. He’s making a lot of progress.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Shanna, tell me a little bit about why you say decent.
Shanna, 28, Utah, Republican, white, technical writer
There are things that I like: the tariffs, for example. But then there are things I kind of don’t agree with so much. ICE is pretty big in our area, and I think can be more forceful than maybe is necessary, and just not treating people maybe the way I would want to see.
What letter grade would you give Donald Trump on the last year of his presidency? What letter grade would you give Donald Trump on the last year of his presidency? A Bill,
62, Minn., white Daniel,
54, Pa., white Elbin,
29, N.Y., Black Holly,
42, Ga., white Isaiah,
30, Texas, Afro-Latino Jessi,
47, Ala., white Linda,
50, Mich., white Sherry,
65, Nev., biracial B Heather,
55, La., white Shanna,
28, Utah, white C Jessica,
33, Conn., white
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Holly, you were one of my A’s. Tell me why.
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
He’s following up on everything he said he was going to do: trying to help out with getting illegals out, the tariffs.
Isaiah, 30, Texas, Republican, Afro-Latino, real estate agent
Everything that he’s said, he’s doing: deporting illegal immigrants, dealing with inflation as well. Compared to four years ago, two years ago, it’s slowly starting to come down — groceries, gas. He’s delivering on his promises.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Heather, you gave a B. Why?
Heather, 55, La., Republican, white, manufacturing
He definitely has done the things he said. Like Shanna said, ICE is a little heavy-handed down here in New Orleans. I completely agree with deporting illegals. I’m from Los Angeles, where it’s been really an issue my entire life. But the way that they’re going about it in some instances down here is just a little over the top. On prices, gas is really coming down, eggs are down, but some of the other things are not coming down as fast. I’m on a limited budget, so it’s hurting a little bit, but it’s getting there.
Linda, 50, Mich., Republican, white, stay-at-home parent
I gave him an A, because, basically, unemployment is down. I do all the grocery shopping for my house, and I see prices have gone down. Gas is down. So I’m really excited about that.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Jessica, you gave Trump’s performance in the last year a C, about average. Why?
Jessica, 33, Conn., Republican, white, laboratory technician
I like some of the stuff he’s been doing. He’s definitely been doing a lot of the things he said he was going to do. But then there’s just a lot of chaos, and he doesn’t seem to have a lot of the people working under him under control. There’s a lot of mess.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Are there any people you can think of in particular about whom you may think: I wish he hadn’t hired them?
Jessica, 33, Conn., Republican, white, laboratory technician
Well, there was the whole chaos with Marjorie Taylor Greene. I don’t know. It just seems like a few of them just kind of leeched onto him, and then they’re just causing chaos.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Has Trump’s first year of his second term fallen short of your expectations, met your expectations, or superseded them?
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
Past presidents, they have all that talk. Then, once they get in there, they do nothing. This man’s done everything and been full force since he walked in the door.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
What are the things that you think that Trump has been most focused on doing in this first year back?
Elbin, 29, N.Y., Republican, Black, construction engineer
Deporting the illegal people in the country. And he has paused inflation. I think those are two things that he has focused on lately.
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
Right: keeping his promises, cleaning house with all the illegals. He’s been doing that since Day 1. That was one of the main things. And I would probably say the tariffs, because all the other countries are charging us tariffs. They were charging us, but yet we weren’t charging them anything. Now we’re charging them. They see what it’s like to get charged back like we’ve been getting charged and paying.
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
I think he’s been focused on dealing with fraud. If anyone’s been following the news, you’ve probably heard that there’s a lot of that going on here in Minnesota. He’s taking an iron fist to that. He sent ICE in. He’s dealing with our governor, dealing with some of our senators. I think also, as far as the illegal immigrants, just dealing with them and getting them out of here. He has to work through the Supreme Court, and they go back and forth on what he can and can’t do. But he’s getting the job done.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Does anybody have an issue area or a problem that you wish he would focus on more?
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
All these corrupt people that are being caught in all this fraud, actually prosecuting them instead of just saying, oh, they’re caught. I mean, if it was us, we’d be in jail.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Is there anything that you wish he’d maybe spend a little less time on?
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Trying to take control of Greenland. He seems like he’s spreading himself thin in so many different directions. I’d rather just see him focused, basically, on more of the immigration, more of the frauds, the scamming, inflation. But like I said before, going after Greenland right now, currently, I’m afraid he’s just spreading himself too thin, and he should be more focused on us. I don’t think Greenland has anything really to do with us as much, but maybe he feels different.
Jessica, 33, Conn., Republican, white, laboratory technician
I wish he would get off Twitter. He just needs to think a little more before he writes down whatever he’s just posting.
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
He needs to think before he opens his mouth.
Shanna, 28, Utah, Republican, white, technical writer
I didn’t love budget cuts to national parks. As someone who lives near a few and loves to spend time with them, I think they’re understaffed. And he needs to not talk about pregnant women taking Tylenol. I don’t think he knows what he’s talking about, and he just shouldn’t talk about it.
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
Back to Daniel’s comment, as far as Greenland goes, I agree with him on that. There may be some interest that we have in Greenland. But the latest news talks about Trump possibly using the military to go after it. And I just think that’s wrong.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Let’s say that tomorrow you got invited to go to the White House and speak with Trump in the Oval Office. You have a couple of minutes to give him advice. What would you say to him?
Elbin, 29, N.Y., Republican, Black, construction engineer
I’d have to think about it because it’s not something you just go up there and give him advice. But I think something that he’s not doing so well is his media confrontation. He’s not really a media person. He should do that less.
Isaiah, 30, Texas, Republican, Afro-Latino, real estate agent
I’d just tell him to keep doing what he’s doing. If I were to tell him to focus on another area, I’d say focus on the drugs coming into the country.
Jessica, 33, Conn., Republican, white, laboratory technician
I think we should have more focus on mental health services and things like that. You can’t really tackle the whole drug crisis without adequate mental health services. For many mentally ill homeless people, there’s just nowhere for people to go. We don’t have mental institutions anymore. We need something for people who can never live in society, and there just isn’t. There’s homelessness, and there’s living on the subways.
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
I don’t know that he would listen to me, but I think he needs to think more before he opens his mouth. I think he’s done a good job, but he just opens his mouth before he thinks about the consequences.
Do you think Americans are safer today, less safe, or about as safe as they were last year? Do you think Americans are safer today, less safe, or about as safe as they were last year? Safer today Bill,
62, Minn., white Daniel,
54, Pa., white Elbin,
29, N.Y., Black Heather,
55, La., white Holly,
42, Ga., white Isaiah,
30, Texas, Afro-Latino Jessi,
47, Ala., white Linda,
50, Mich., white Sherry,
65, Nev., biracial Less safe No one raised a hand. About as safe Jessica,
33, Conn., white Shanna,
28, Utah, white
Heather, 55, La., Republican, white, manufacturing
I think our military is stronger. I think our borders are more secure. Things that he has promised us are being delivered.
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Yeah, not just around the borders, but he’s not afraid to pull the card on the National Guard and put them in problem cities to tackle crime in those cities, because crime in some of these bigger cities is a huge issue.
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
I think what he did with Venezuela was the right thing to do because they’ve been sending the ships over with drugs on them. Young people are dying from the drugs.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
On Venezuela: The United States took Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s leader, into custody and brought him to the United States for trial. The operation involved sending U.S. troops to extract him from Caracas. What do you think about this decision?
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Good, for sure.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
Those people were suffering. There was no diplomatic way to do it besides that; he took everything over.
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
When you see the Venezuelans cheering, they’re thrilled because they’re saying: I’ve been starving. This guy’s a dictator. This guy’s had a bounty on his head for, I think, years. This was a bad guy. So I think it was fantastic.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
In the days since Maduro’s capture, Trump has said we plan to run Venezuela in some capacity and take advantage of that country’s oil resources. What do you think about that? What do you think when you hear, we may run Venezuela?
Isaiah, 30, Texas, Republican, Afro-Latino, real estate agent
It’s good in a way. I mean, it can’t get much worse than it was with him being a dictator.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
I think it gives them a strong foothold to start from instead of just taking him out and leaving them alone. They’ve been under pure hell the past little bit. They wouldn’t really know where to start.
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Yeah, they could rebuild their economy, their infrastructure, and the government from the ground up now. So it’d be like us rebuilding after World War II.
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
I think it was good. But everyone is still waiting to see what it really means when he says we’re going to run it. Are we going to put people there? Are we going to influence people that are there? Still waiting to see how that falls out.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Do you have a preference?
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
I don’t think it makes sense for us to actually put people there and physically run it. If we can coerce or work with the current government to get things done, I think that’s the best way.
Linda, 50, Mich., Republican, white, stay-at-home parent
Yeah, I agree. I was going to say, it’d be nice if we could help and assist the current government in helping the people of Venezuela.
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
Maduro didn’t even win. That woman won it. Seventy percent voted for her. But he just put himself in there. And these people are starving to death, and they’re hungry, so something had to be done because he took over the whole country. I think Trump did a phenomenal job.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Greenland’s come up a bit in our conversation. President Trump’s talked a fair amount about expanding American involvement or control over different parts of the world. I want to ask a bigger question here. Does taking control of Greenland sound “America first” because it’s about gaining resources, like minerals or oil in the case of Venezuela? Or is it not “America first” because it’s about getting involved in other places or potential military conflict?
Heather, 55, La., Republican, white, manufacturing
In Venezuela, we need to go in and not just take him out. We need to get rid of his entire cabinet, everybody that was underneath him that is following in his footsteps and start afresh. But also, Venezuela is hopefully more for the people’s sake, to end the suffering for them. Greenland just seems more of a – why are we there? What do we need from Greenland? I mean, there’s no conflict there. Can we just bring the focus back to somewhere else in America?
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
Greenland has resources that Trump wants to be able to take advantage of. But what gives him the right to go in militarily and take it?
Heather, 55, La., Republican, white, manufacturing
Exactly, it’s another country.
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
That’s just the same as Putin doing to Ukraine. What gives him the right to do that as well? So it just doesn’t feel right. It’s a negative impact, I believe, on the United States.
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
And if he does go into Greenland with force, if you read today’s news, they talk about how all of the NATO countries over there are not happy with that. That could spell the end of NATO.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
How do you feel President Trump has handled the war in Ukraine?
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
I think he’s trying to play peacekeeper with all the conflicts that are going on. But my question is, why do we need to do that?
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
We don’t.
Elbin, 29, N.Y., Republican, Black, construction engineer
I agree with Bill. I haven’t really paid much attention to Ukraine and Russia. He’s trying to play the arbitrary peacekeeper between the two countries. I feel like that is not just something that we’re supposed to be focused on.
Linda, 50, Mich., Republican, white, stay-at-home parent
I also agree that Trump is trying to be a peacekeeper and helping them. But why do we have to send so much money over to Ukraine when the people of the United States could use that money, and he could do the other things here like with homeless and mental health issues and everything else like that?
Moderator, Katherine Miller
How do you think Trump has handled the war in Gaza?
Heather, 55, La., Republican, white, manufacturing
I think that we should not be taking over Gaza. We should not be making a whole new Palestine. That’s their separate issue. Whether there’s ever going to be peace with those two countries, possibly not. Read prophecy in the Bible.
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
I think they’ve had the same problem for years now. It’s no different than Russia and Ukraine, just being the mediator between both parties. No one’s ever going to win.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
If you had to describe how you feel the economy is doing in one word, what would it be?
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
Better.
Shanna, 28, Utah, Republican, white, technical writer
Hopeful.
Linda, 50, Mich., Republican, white, stay-at-home parent
Improving.
Elbin, 29, N.Y., Republican, Black, construction engineer
Progressive.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
Hopeful.
Jessica, 33, Conn., Republican, white, laboratory technician
It’s OK.
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
Bumpy.
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
Definitely improving.
Heather, 55, La., Republican, white, manufacturing
Improving.
Isaiah, 30, Texas, Republican, Afro-Latino, real estate agent
Improving.
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Promising.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Daniel, does promising mean it’s not good right now, but you think it’s going to be?
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Promising is, we’re seeing some items come down in the economy price-wise. We’re seeing more jobs being available and more people being employed. But we’re still seeing some setbacks that are still holding us back. So it’s promising in that we are seeing growth this time around versus what it was two years ago, three or four years ago.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Jessi, you said you were hopeful, as did you, Shanna.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
Because he’s actually doing something instead of just trying to profit like the past office. He’s actually trying to make things better for all of us with tax cuts and jobs brought here and the tariffs and everything. He’s trying to make it better.
Shanna, 28, Utah, Republican, white, technical writer
Yeah, I see people on social media a lot talking about the bumps, like the price increases because of tariffs and things like that, like maybe temporary setbacks. But then we see things like gas going down, home rates looking a lot better than they have in the last couple of years. So I think some of the big things are showing a lot of promise.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
In a recent presidential address, Donald Trump described the economy as A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus.
Do you agree we’re in an A+++++ economy? Do you agree we’re in an A+++++ economy? 3 people raised their hands.
Bill, 62, Minn., white
Daniel, 54, Pa., white
Elbin, 29, N.Y., Black
Heather, 55, La., white
Holly, 42, Ga., white
Isaiah, 30, Texas, Afro-Latino
Jessi, 47, Ala., white
Jessica, 33, Conn., white
Linda, 50, Mich., white
Shanna, 28, Utah, white
Sherry, 65, Nev., biracial
Linda, 50, Mich., Republican, white, stay-at-home parent
Unemployment is down. He’s trying to bring jobs back to America and build stuff in America instead of outside the United States. Just prices, inflation is down. People are able to save more money. And the stock market is up as well.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Do you personally feel the economy is working in a different way than it did maybe a year or two ago?
Isaiah, 30, Texas, Republican, Afro-Latino, real estate agent
I would say it’s definitely better. Inflation has come down. So gas is cheaper. Groceries are cheaper. Also, I’m a real estate broker, so I deal with a lot of clients that do buy houses. So the interest rates are coming down compared to two, three, four years ago. It’s not, I guess you could say, A-plus-plus-plus, like you said. But it’s definitely an A. It could go a little bit more inflation, more everything coming down a little bit more. For me, that’ll be A-plus-plus. But so far, so good.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Jessica, you initially described the economy as OK.
Jessica, 33, Conn., Republican, white, laboratory technician
Prices on everything are insane. Taxes are insane. It’s kind of the same as it’s been for me. I don’t think grocery prices have come down that much for me. I know eggs have, because I think I paid almost $10 for a dozen last year. So they’ve come back down to closer to normal prices. But I mean, everything’s still insane. House prices are astronomical.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Bill, you described the economy as bumpy.
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
It’s definitely better than it was, but I feel like it’s bumpy. It goes up. It goes down. When he was dealing with the tariffs, you would see things not so good. Then we get through that, and then we’re better off. So he’s definitely making progress, but it’s an up-and-down battle.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
Well, with our overtime, they don’t tax it. So you’re not working and giving away half of it now. That definitely helps households out.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Think about young people in America today who are maybe in their 20s or 30s, younger adults. Do you think young people today have the same shot at the American dream that their parents’ generation had?
Shanna, 28, Utah, Republican, white, technical writer
Short answer, no. I think it’s harder. For example, my parents are a single-income family. My mom was always a stay-at-home mom. I think families in that situation have a much harder time. It’s much harder even with a dual income to do things like afford a home because average pay has not increased at the same velocity that home prices have increased in the last few decades. So I feel fortunate. Like, in my situation, I don’t think it’s completely unattainable because I’m currently in the process of attaining it. But it’s hard, and I don’t think it’s the same way it was.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
You can’t be a stay-at-home mom and have Dad be the breadwinner in this economy. And I mean, it’s possible years down the road once we get it straight. But as of right now, no. It’s just everything’s so astronomical compared to the pay back then. It’s not possible at the moment.
Jessica, 33, Conn., Republican, white, laboratory technician
Yeah, I don’t really think it’s that possible. You can’t work enough to buy a house these days with prices what they are. I don’t even look at my 401(k) anymore because I don’t really have any hope that I’ll retire, honestly. Like, retirement age is just going to have to keep going up and up and up. And I think it’s going to all come crashing down, unfortunately.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Let’s talk a bit about cultural issues. First: the Jeffrey Epstein case. How do you think President Trump and his team have handled that issue?
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
I would say OK, personally. It seems to go back and forth. He tries to cover it up and then all of a sudden now goes ahead and releases pictures. But he goes kind of back and forth on some of it. So I think he’s doing OK, but it doesn’t sound promising.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
It’s like he’s treating it with baby gloves or something. Like he doesn’t want to really touch it, but he doesn’t want to look like he’s not trying to do anything.
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Yeah, delicate subject.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
You’d like to see maybe more releases, more transparency around the issue?
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Yeah, just put it out front. Get it out of the way. I mean, it’s going to keep going and going. Get it all out now and be transparent about it.
Isaiah, 30, Texas, Republican, Afro-Latino, real estate agent
I agree.
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
It was one of the things he ran on. He was like, I’m going to release all the Epstein files. We were just waiting with bated breath. And it’s like you said: One minute it’s like, OK, here’s a few. Here’s a little bit of information. Then, just kidding, we’re not going to do anything. It’s not a very good look for the administration in my personal opinion.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Is this issue something that’s really important to you? Or is it like, oh, he’s not doing a great job, but it’s not on the top of my list.
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
It’s not the top of my list anymore. There’s so much they have dug into, especially with DOGE and everything. I’m like, I really don’t care too much about the Epstein files anymore. I’m like, let’s get all this other stuff under control first, please.
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
I think they’ve already washed some of it off, and they got rid of some of the evidence anyway because they had it so long. Whoever was in it then, they’re not going to show it any more or whatever. So I’m tired of hearing about it already.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Why do people think they haven’t been as forthcoming with stuff as maybe you’d like to see?
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
Because of who’s involved, because of all the people up top that are the billionaires and the trillionaires that they’re like: OK, let’s see what can we work out that you don’t release my name and information.
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
And they’ll probably never do anything to them anyway. Nothing will happen anyway.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Recently there have been headlines about Trump’s efforts to physically remake Washington. He tore down the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. He changed the name of the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center. When you see those kinds of stories, what do you think?
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
It’s his house at the moment. I mean, he’s not destroying it. He’s improving it.
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
Yeah, I’m indifferent about it. I mean, he’s not the first president to make modifications to the White House. So why are we all up in arms about it?
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
I think it’s a lot of unnecessary garbage that they have to keep just putting out news about all the time.
Isaiah, 30, Texas, Republican, Afro-Latino, real estate agent
That’s how I see it.
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
It’s not costing the taxpayers anything. He’s paying for it himself, so why do they care? If he wants to spend his money and do it, let him.
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
Yeah.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Do you think the culture has gotten more conservative the last year, like pop culture or society or the people around you?
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
I think it’s certainly gotten more conservative, but more people feel that they can be open about it instead of having to hide it for fear of being fired, for fear of being attacked and that kind of stuff. I know some people who were always hard-line Democratic, always voted Democrat no matter what. They’ve since changed their tune after the last administration, so yes.
Shanna, 28, Utah, Republican, white, technical writer
I feel the other side a little bit. Politics aren’t something I bring up because I know I’m kind of in the minority. And I don’t know if it’s just my algorithm on TikTok, but I feel like every time I see someone that people decide is a conservative influencer, there’s a lot of cancel culture and a lot of going after more conservative people.
Heather, 55, La., Republican, white, manufacturing
Especially after Charlie Kirk. I think people are backing off a little bit simply because, who wants to have an opinion if you’re going to be shot at?
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Yeah, there’s a fear of retribution, no matter what you want to say.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Some Republicans have argued for regulating the tech industry quite a bit. Others want to leave it as is and even let it go further on things like crypto and especially A.I. Trump has been pretty close with a lot of the tech executives this year. Is that a good thing or should he be tougher on them? How would you like to see Republicans approach tech companies?
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Be close, but be hands off at the same time. Keep an eye on them but keep your hands off.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
Yeah, keep an eye on them.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
What would keeping an eye on them look like?
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
Just making sure they’re not doing like the last administration, covering stuff up on purpose and hiding stuff they don’t need to and not trying to take advantage of the American people and just trying to be an asset to them instead of a hindrance.
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
More governance over A.I., artificial intelligence — so it’s used for good, not for bad — because I use A.I. every day.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Over the summer, there was this big debate about limiting regulation on A.I. Would you like to see A.I. just be able to go for the win and be the best it can be, that kind of thing, no regulations, no rules?
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
No.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
I’m seeing a lot of head shakes.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
Like I said, keep an eye on it to not let people use it for fraudulent or back-room deals and stuff like that. But I mean, just keep an eye on it. Make sure it’s not being used for the wrong reasons.
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
I think what’s going to happen eventually is A.I. is going to take over. People are going to lose their jobs in retail, or they’ll replace humans with A.I., and they’re going to lose their jobs.
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
I’ve worked in the film industry for 20 years, and I’m already seeing a number of jobs being replaced by A.I., with stunts being A.I. instead of people actually performing stunts or being stand-ins and things like that. So I’m always usually against more regulations. But when it comes to this, it’s really good.
Elbin, 29, N.Y., Republican, Black, construction engineer
Even in a social space, on X, the Grok A.I. has been used for some stupid stuff. So I think it needs some regulation, absolutely, to prevent damage.
Shanna, 28, Utah, Republican, white, technical writer
I’ve started hearing about a big A.I. plant in Tennessee, and there’s already been a health impact on the community. The more we use it, the more we’re going to need those plants. We don’t really know the long-term health impact of putting them all across the country and communities.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Let’s talk about the future. Who excites you when you think about the future of the Republican Party or the conservative movement?
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
JD Vance.
Heather, 55, La., Republican, white, manufacturing
Marco Rubio.
Linda, 50, Mich., Republican, white, stay-at-home parent
Marco Rubio.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
Kennedy’s always a hoot. I’ve always loved him just because he’s funny, and he’s just honest.
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
I would go with JD Vance myself, too.
Isaiah, 30, Texas, Republican, Afro-Latino, real estate agent
I’ll go with JD Vance for me.
Heather, 55, La., Republican, white, manufacturing
Nikki Haley.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Heather, let me ask a provocative question. When you think of somebody like Nikki Haley, has the moment for someone like her passed?
Heather, 55, La., Republican, white, manufacturing
I don’t think they’ve tried with her, but I think she hasn’t put forth the effort to jump on the bandwagon that was presented to her.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
OK. Let me ask another question. So a lot of people have suggested JD Vance will run for president, and if he ran, that he’d be the front-runner.
Would you be happy with JD Vance as the next nominee for the Republican Party after Trump? Would you be happy with JD Vance as the next nominee for the Republican Party after Trump? 9 people raised their hands.
Bill, 62, Minn., white
Daniel, 54, Pa., white
Elbin, 29, N.Y., Black
Heather, 55, La., white
Holly, 42, Ga., white
Isaiah, 30, Texas, Afro-Latino
Jessi, 47, Ala., white
Jessica, 33, Conn., white
Linda, 50, Mich., white
Shanna, 28, Utah, white
Sherry, 65, Nev., biracial
Bill, 62, Minn., Republican, white, retired
I think he’s more of a politician than what we’ve got in there right now, in a good way. I just think he looks like the person that you’d want to have in there.
Linda, 50, Mich., Republican, white, stay-at-home parent
He’s a family man. I think he’s very likable. I think young people like him. Old people like him. He supports Trump now. He’s on the Trump ticket.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Tell me what you like about R.F.K. Jr.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
He’s honest. He doesn’t tiptoe around things. It is what it is. That’s what I’ve always liked about him. He doesn’t try to hide things. He doesn’t try to sugarcoat it and just make it sound better. Like, he calls them the loon wing. That’s what they are.
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
I like that he’s so open and so honest about stuff. He’s gotten a lot of heat the past year and a half, two years, or however long this has all been going on, just about his politics because he was kind of a Democrat for a long, long time. I really love his stance on vaccines or lack thereof. I like that he’s more natural, less pharma, Big Pharma, that kind of stuff.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Whoever is president after Donald Trump, do you hope that the next person tries to be as much like Donald Trump as possible, or are there some things you would like to see them handle a little differently?
Linda, 50, Mich., Republican, white, stay-at-home parent
I hope that they — I don’t want to say be just like Trump — I’m saying close to Trump, but that they’re their own person. I just hope that they really continue to put America first, put the American people first, and take care of us first.
Sherry, 65, Nev., Republican, biracial, retired
I think they should think about what they’re saying before they say it because Donald Trump will say something and not think about what he said. I believe in what he’s saying, but sometimes he needs to think about what he’s saying because everything he’s saying doesn’t look right with the way he’s saying it.
Jessi, 47, Ala., Republican, white, food service
I just hope they keep basically the same values of taking care of us first instead of jumping in and sending all this money everywhere just for no reason.
Shanna, 28, Utah, Republican, white, technical writer
A lot of what we’ve talked about tonight is a lot of action. He’s really doing what he said he was going to do. I hope that continues with our next president. But I think in a lot of ways, he’s also very controversial because he was such a public figure beforehand and kind of has a celebrity to him. So I think that will be a nice maybe change.
Holly, 42, Ga., Republican, white, looking for work
I just hope stopping the bleeding of money and fraud continues. We all knew it was going on, but until they really got in there and you’re seeing Elon tweet stuff and everything, you’re going: My God, we just had no idea the absolute billions and trillions of dollars that were literally just going away and being given away. And again, America first. We need to be selfish again.
Jessica, 33, Conn., Republican, white, laboratory technician
I would like to see someone who can bring both sides a little more together and take the middle ground a little more on some things and try to stop both sides from just going insane, because there are absolute lunatics on both sides, and they tend to be the loudest, unfortunately.
Daniel, 54, Pa., Republican, white, telecomms
Yeah, kind of what Jessica said: bring both parties together or be somewhat friendlier, more personable to each other, but continue with the immigration, so it’s not so taxing on the taxpayers. That’d probably be one of the things I would say.
Elbin, 29, N.Y., Republican, Black, construction engineer
Trump is someone who says and does what he says, and I pretty much love that. And the next person should be off social media.