♪ host: good morning. it is sunday, december 22 2024. much of the work of washington is wrapping up for the year, winding down the last of the biden administration and preparing for president elect donald trump's second term. how are you feeling about the next trump presidency? if you are feeling optimistic, (202) 748-8000. if you are feeling pessimistic, call us at (202) 748-8001. if you are not sure, that number is (202) 748-8002. you can also text us. that number is (202) 748-8003. please be sure to include your

name and where you are writing in from. you can find us on social media and on x at @cspanwj. there has been quite a bit of polling looking how americans are feeling about the incoming trump administration, including reporting about a poll finding a majority of americans are optimistic about trump's agenda despite tariff concerns. a majority of americans say they are optimistic about the policies president elect trump will pursue in his incoming administration, according to a new poll from monmouth university. that poll found 53% of americans are either very or somewhat optimistic about trump's second term, a slight rise from the weeks prior to his first term when just 50% of americans said they were optimistic. the only segment of americans less optimistic about trump's

second term then first term are democrats with just 10% saying they look forward to the next four years. there have been other polling as reported in reuters showing how people are feeling about trump more generally. in a polarized america, 41 percent of americans have a favorable view of trump according to a poll. about two in five americans view present elect donald trump favorably, fewer than when he was on the cost of his first presidential term, a new poll showed, so 41% of respondents in the poll, which closed sunday, said they viewed trump favorably well 55% viewed him unfavorably as his january 20 inauguration approached. that was down from his favorability rating in december 2016 after his stunning victory in that election, even though

for months he had garnered ratings around 40%. the postelection boost carried into the initial month of his 2017 to 2021 term. that is looking at how people are feeling about his policies as well as trump in general. he spoke with reporters at mar-a-lago and says he is now better able to enact his agenda this time around. >> we are inheriting big challenges at home and all over the world. we had no wars. we had no problems. we had no inflation. we had less than 1%, perfect number, and then we had inflation the likes of which i would say i do not believe the country has seen. they say 38 years. i think it is probably ever. we will take care of all of it.

we will get prices down. we have more energy than anybody else. we don't have to buy energy from venezuela when we have 50 times more than they do. we will not rest until america is richer, safer, and stronger than ever before and we have a big head start. last time, we did not and we did not know a lot of things. by the time we got it up and going, it was incredible. we built the greatest economy in history for that time and we will do it again. i believe more so because we understand the people of washington. i know them. i did not know any of them. i relied on other people for recommendations. some were good recommendations. we had a lot of great people and we had some people i would not have used in retrospect and now i know them better than anybody other -- better than they know

themselves. host: there's reporting in the hill that democrats recalibrate their resentment to trump. democrats are not planning an all hands resistance to president elect donald trump, at least not in the 2016 style when lawmakers, activists, volunteers, and angry voters mounted a party what effort to curb his newfound influence in washington. where so much was once unprecedented come trump is now familiar. ahead of january 2025, the lack of a unified democratic a bottle to a second term is the latest sign the parties beginning to try to figure out what went wrong before banding together. last week, democrat senator chris murphy of connecticut spoke out against trump's agenda and warned about an oligarchy of wealthy elites trying to take power.

>> i am on the floor today to talk to my colleagues about something happening in front of our eyes, a set of events that are not random. they are connected to one another. they threatened to destroy this country that we love. everybody can see it, but for some reason, it the exhaustion of the aftermath of a brutal election, maybe the distraction of the christmas season or just instinctively instead of fight, there are too many people denying to themselves what they are seeing. what is happening now is that donald trump and his billionaire advisors are unfolding for the country in real time a plan to transition this country from a democracy to a restrictive oligarchy where political

opposition is silenced, the media is not free, and were government exists to enrich a small cabal of elites that surround the man in charge. i know a lot my colleagues see how these thoughts exist and connect and i know a lot of you see the specter of the disaster that is coming. if you do not, i want to spend a few minutes laying it out. to make things simple, i will focus on three events that happened in the last seven days. recommendation by house republicans that trump critic liz cheney be subject to criminal prosecution, the lawsuit filed by trump against an iowa pollster, and a decision by abc to pay trump $50 million to get rid of a bogus lawsuit. host: now we are ready to hear

your perspectives on how you're feeling about the incoming trump administration. some comments we have already received, sandy in indiana says i am pesmiic regarding trump's presidency, beginning with his picks for cabinet members. on x, deb johnso says, i'm optimistic our future is in the best hands. however, the current administration is doing everything it can to take our country down before he leaves. another comment from x, i am optimistic that trump will bankrupt our nation. now to your calls. james is in florida and is pessimistic about the incoming administration. good morning. caller: i am quite pessimistic. i am one of these poor people out here trying to make a living and trying to live my life and

be as objective and fair as i can be about things, but i will tell you? this day, that two years from now he will be impeached. he will be lucky to make it two years. host: what has you pessimistic about the incoming trump presidency? are there policies? caller: there is not anything i find positive. he is chaotic. this last deal with the passage of the cr and so forth, he just threw a wrench in the works. it is like he enjoys stirring things up as much as he can. i'm not saying that was particularly right, but i doubt he knew anymore about it than i did. if he is talking, he is lying. >> let's hear from dan in kentucky, who is optimistic about the second trump turn -- term.

>> trumped arrangement syndrome is still strong and steady, but the -- he will get impeached by a bunch of rhinos but i believe he will do good like he did the first term and what -- and got quite a bit done but being that he had to fight the democrats, republicans, and mainstream media. he got a lot of things done. i think there will be more done this time because everybody is tired of the same old, same old and it is like the last four years. every time i got a cost-of-living increase, they took more away than they gave me on something else, like this year. you get a $24 raise, they take $26 from you, so every year i get less and less. host: you are referring to social security? caller: yes.

i got a $24 increase and they took $26. it has been like that for the last four years. i would rather them not give me a raise and i will be at least breaking even. instead of losing every year. i always had extra. host: are there particular things about policies the president-elect trump suggested that you are looking forward to? caller: deportation, closing the border. hopefully -- i'm hoping he can bring groceries down because i am a diabetic and i'm trying to be good. i like salad, but all the stuff you get for salads is awful high . once prices are upcoming you know how hard they are to come down. you have a better chance bringing gasoline down then groceries.

people say they are used to it now and keep it that way. if it is going to be like that, the real poor people are having a hard time. just ask the elderly having benefits cut. i don't know how they figure it. they say -- they take it during the fall but during the summer you are not using that much heat . during the winter, my bill doubles. that way they would not be gouging me and taking more for me than i am getting. host: i'm going to go to another caller in maryland, who is not sure. good morning, vincent. caller: i am not sure about what is going to happen except that, based on his past history i am

sure it will be better than now. the last caller -- social security will not be cut. medicare and benefits -- everything will be in place. foxconn etc., my concern is the maltreatment. he is an old man elderly. he is a senior citizen. your own wall street journal said he cannot seem to function quite yet you people come and c-span is supposed to be in top of these things come it seems to me you are covering this up here and trump will do fine. my concern is national security. biden cannot even sign a bill. who is going to sign it?

who is running our country now? one caller said he was appalled that unelected officials are running it. we have unelected officials right now running our country. it is not biden. c-span, you deny these facts. anyway, everybody have a merry christmas. things will be fine with trump, certainly a lot better. host: charlie is in new york and is pessimistic about the incoming trump administration. why is that? caller: i feel he knows the game better now than he did when he was first elected and i think the gop is more willing to roll over and do his will than before. i do not see any republican with a backbone that can stand up to him and his agenda is taking us

back to a place where we should not be as a country. we should be going forward. host: let's hear from paul in the u.k., who is not sure. caller: fingers crossed what we will have another peaceful road if mr. donald trump does give real peace over the next few years. if not, we will have peace beyond all that time. the world is at peace and also. guest: -- host: let's hear from paul in new york, whose optimistic about the trump administration. caller: it is going to be better than what we got -- what was supposed to be in the white house now because no one knows

where joe biden is or kamala harris. as far as i'm concerned, trump's president. he has already taken control and i want to thank him for noticing that 40% pay raise that congress wanted to give themselves. no way to a 40% increase. host: i do not believe it was a 40% pay raise. i believe it was 6%. let me pull up the exact details so we can get the number right. continue your point while i look for that. caller: i am looking forward to seeing the border finally getting secured and getting fentanyl out of this country. the democrats are screaming about drug addiction but they do nothing about it. as far as everybody else saying the gop is going along with trump's agenda, what you think the democrats would do if harris was elected? they would go along with her agenda that is the way this is played. host: before i want -- let you

go, i want to let you know about the 40% number. reuters says the bipartisan stopgap spending bill did not include a 40% pay raise for congress. the temporary spending bill would have made u.s. congress members eligible for a 3.8% salary increase, not 40% as suggested in posts online that misinterpret a report on congressional salaries. those posts refer to the bipartisan deal unveiled on december 17 that was the original continuing resolution and the revised stopgap bill does not have the pay raise but the version included a raise to the national debt ceiling, so i'm trying to find the exact details here. the bill would have ended a long time pay freeze allowing lawmakers to be eligible for a

3.8% salary increase in january, which would have been equal to $6,600. that is the detail on that there. do you have other points before i let you go? caller: thank you for fact checking me on that. i appreciate that. still, the working class in america is not even getting that. have a merry christmas, everybody. host: carl is in chicago, illinois and is pessimistic about the incoming trump administration. good morning. why is that? caller: there are two principal things that concern me. one is trump's unwillingness to even acknowledge climate change, which is our only real existential threat in the world because humans are big animals and we need a lot of clean air

and not overly warm world. there is a book written, how democracies fail. one of the printable parts of the book indicated if the two political parties in congress cooperate they can get the work of democracy done. if they think of each other as totally the awful people they will not manage to negotiate and that concludes the logical thing so those are the biggest concerns that worry me about the trump administration and the congress we have seen. thank you. host: arthur is in florida and is optimistic about trump's next term. caller: yes.

if we can put the waste in our government -- that will be a big improvement. if we can take care of america first and not be -- get involved and everybody else's conflicts, that will be an improvement. thank you. host: president-elect donald trump has suggested and is planning to set up a new department of government efficiency to deal with government waste. what do you think of that? caller: i think that is a step in the right direction. host: jasper is pessimistic about the incoming trump administration.

caller: i listen to these poor republicans that live in rural areas, all these people that voted for trump. look at the last four years and the years that trump was in office. this country was in ruin. we were out of jobs. people were in food lines. supply lines broke down. he was trying to hide documents. during the pandemic times. and now he is coming in with the same policies. they pursed -- the first policy wants to do is bill of the farmers. he messed it up. you know what i'm saying? every time they talk about money -- there is nothing about community. i heard these poor jokers calling from out of the country, saying i had more money under trump. you did not. trump gave you a tax break but

now your retirement -- when you get social security taxes, you will have less. trump is not going to do nothing. the next six months, you will see the difference. we'll be going back into the depression because nobody wants to work with trump. we is headed for a hard time, america. it is coming. thank you. >> jeffrey is in north carolina and is optimistic about trump's second term. caller: thank you for taking my call and happy holidays. c-span does an excellent job. it is amazing that the one -- everybody has their opinion. it is just over the top. nobody is talking about this.

he has 34 felonies convicted. you have people out here that have maybe one infraction that cannot even have opportunity. host: what are you optimistic about? caller: what he is going to do is make sure. we are talking about -- are we talking about stopping drugs? he is going to make sure pending charges or litigations -- as far as the drugs, this is another. they really wanted to think about how -- think about the black communities that was previously destroyed to the present because of the drugs infestation back then. there is no way they are going

to realistically fix that, what should have been the top agenda in america back then. this is just now overlapping. as far as the people, it is just beyond that. all these people are looking at that is no big deal. where can anybody else be a felon or convicted and get a job like that? host: it seems you are not actually optimistic and called in on the optimistic line, but jeffrey did mention policies around drugs and there is quite a bit of reporting regarding various policies that the incoming trump administration might do. this is from the washington university -- the university of maryland and washington post has done a poll looking at support for various trump policies, including one of the things that trump has associated with the

drug problem in united states, which is mass deportations. in terms of using the u.s. military to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, 42% of people in the pool supported the idea versus 54% opposing that specific idea. let's hear more from president-elect donald trump when he was speaking at his news conference about another of his policy proposals, tariffs. >> we took in $600 billion and more in taxes and tariffs from china. no other president got $.10. we will be treating people fairly, but the word reciprocal is important because somebody charges us -- if india charges us 100% and we charge them

nothing and we send them a bicycle, they charge us a lot. brazil charges a lot. if they want to try just, that is fine, but we are going to charge them. the senators -- some of them are not necessarily business people. they say that is how it is going to be. make our country rich. tariffs will make our country rich. i did not have any inflation. we put taro's on steel. if i did not massive tariffs on a lot of things. we put tariffs on steel. if i didn't put tariffs on steel, 50% and more, they would dumping steel in china and others. i put tariffs on and it stopped and we took a fortune. we made a fortune on it. tariffs properly used, which we will do. and being reciprocal with other

nations. but it'll make our country which our country right now loses to everybody. almost nobody. do we have a surplus? there are a couple of countries and they're embarrassed by now back to your comments about whether you're feeling optimistic or pessimistic about the next trump presidency. we've heard from several of you via text message and on social media, larry, and milford, michigan says, i'm excited about trump'second term. the us first policies will lead to more prosperity and secure city. also, larry from new jersey saying, i am very pessimistic. trump is very transactional and easily distracted by flattery. alan i huntington, west virginia as someone that loves our form o government checks and balances, free and fair elections and peaceful transfer of power, i'm pesic. all the signs are right in front of us, and the president elect doesn't respect these.

and a substantial percentage of his followers don't. and then christine in portlan maine says, pessimistic with hope for optimism, trump destroyed the economy with mismanagement of the pandemic. you judge a leader by their actions during crisi if we have another unforeseen disaster, disaster, i believe he will fail again. 's hope heust coast off biden's accomplishments. the infrastructure law. the american rescue plan, chips and science act, and more. and on x b.s. winner says, i was pessimistithfirst time and i was right. it'll be worse this time. guaranteed. it's a government o by and for the oligarchs. oligarchs now. good luck getting it back. and now let's get back to your calls. dan is in atlanta and is pessimistic. why is that, dan? good morning. and good morning. good morning. how you doing? i just want, you know, the reason why we have to bail the farmers out is because of the

tariffs that trump imposed on china. of course, the american people actually paying the bill and also just to these callers, this is the fact that you can look it up and fact check this trump and it's all over about seven and a half trillion dollars. the last time he was in office and these people are worried about spending what was going to add about another 10 billion in another $10 trillion to the and to the economy. and the reason why he won the debt limit raise is so he could be more and all and all of those congressmen who are sick. you know, during the last session, you know, people trying to keep the government open, all those republicans, you know, talking about spending. those are the same guys who cost who voted for that stuff. and my half trillion dollars the last. but but when a democrat come in,

all of a sudden they want to be fiscally responsible. they just set the country up. well, another massive tax cut. and during the last administration on our side of the tax cut was like, what else did the congress do? it was it was infrastructure that was anything the only thing trump did. and at worst term was just the tax cut. this the only thing. so legislation that he's going to be concentrating on now is just give me the billionaires. another tax cut. and this and this is crazy. i just hate to say this up and also and this is in the face of america, have you. the joe biden swung this economy in the history of the world. this is and this is just crazy. all right. joel is in mountain home, arkansas, and is not sure. good morning, joe. yes, good morning and merry

christmas to our country and everyone. well, i sit here and listen to all these crybabies calling in and it's just this hearty like they think the government owes them a living. i've never i've never taken a dime from the government. i served in the military. i retired from the military at a fault in two wars, korea and vietnam. i served in germany in the cold war, but i don't understand why these people are crying so much here at christmastime. they should go to church today and thank the good lord. they have food on their table. so, joe, what do you think trump's next administrator? and are you optimistic? why are you sort of on the fence about how you're feeling about trump's next term? well, i don't understand why

trump wants this headache. he's an old man now. i'm 82 and he's pushing me and he doesn't need these headaches. but the people, they don't understand. trump is trying to correct the last four years now. joe biden opened up the southern border and let 15 million people in here. that's where all your tax dollars are, wants to pay for these people to have a place to live, a place to eat, and all that. so we got 15 million people. and i don't think trump can get them out because the the issue you you and all these lawyers, they're going to make money by keeping trying to keep these people here. so i don't see that happening. and he's been shot at twice. he probably will not make this for years. the