Americans are NOT better off Now than they were under America First Policies

THE ISSUE

Most policy debates and discussions involve staunch differences in the political Left and Right or across party lines, while the true battle should be over the middle. The middle consists of people whose support can sway based on various factors, such as personality, perceived popularity, and policy.

Fortunately, middle America has common sense and wants common-sense policies. Due to the current administration’s abject failures, most Americans and most Independents support solutions that put America and Americans First.

THE AMERICA FIRST SOLUTION

• Make the Greatest Economy in the World Work for All Americans
• Secure the Border, End Human Trafficking, and Defeat the Drug Cartels
• Provide Safe and Secure Communities so All Americans Can Live Their Lives in Peace

TOP LINES

Most Americans Prefer America First Solutions

• America First is not about Left or Right. It’s about lowering the cost of gas, groceries, and utility bills. It’s about securing the border. It’s about protecting American jobs.
  • The American people know things were more affordable under America First policies.
    • More than three-quarters of Americans disapprove of Harris-Biden handling of inflation and cost of living.
  • The American people know the border was more secure under America First policies.
    • More than three-quarters of Americans disapprove of Biden-Harris’s handling of the US-Mexico border.
  • The American people know the world and their communities were safer under America First policies.
    • Most Americans disapprove of Biden-Harris’s handling of crime and foreign policy.
• It’s not about politics, a political party, or a specific politician. People in the middle know things were better under America First.
  • People in the middle know that America First policies will be better for the middle class compared to the radical Left policies of Harris and Biden.
  • Independents by a large margin (34%) trust America First policies to better handle the crisis at the southern border compared to the open border policies of Harris-Biden, which caused the current illegal immigration crisis.
  • Americans who don’t identify with either major party know America First policies stand with police and will make their communities safer compared to Harris, who supports cashless bail, decriminalization, and the “Defund the Police” movement, and who raised money to bail out the rioters, looters, and arsonists from the 2020 BLM riots.
  • When it comes to standing up to China and fighting to protect Americans’ jobs, an overwhelming majority (+29%) believe America First will be tougher on China than Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Walz got married on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and took his honeymoon in Beijing.
• The problems facing Americans aren’t Democrat or Republican, Left or Right. They’re hurting people on all sides and in every part of the country.
  • People from all walks of life have a tough time stretching their paychecks to the end of the month.
    • The cost of groceries has gone up 22% since Harris-Biden took office.
  • Nearly half of Americans say they are “broke,” and two-thirds say they are living paycheck to paycheck. That’s not politics; it’s reality for too many people.
  • More illegal immigrants have entered our country this year (fiscal year) than 2017–2021 combined. That’s not a political talking point or soundbite for cable news; it’s a documented fact.
• Nearly half of Americans prefer America First policy solutions to those problems. Less than one in three believe the current administration’s policies are the answer.
  • Most Independents (58%) support permanently extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (also known as the Trump Tax Cuts). This Act
    • Nearly doubled the standard deduction;
    • Nearly doubled the Child Tax Credit; and
    • Increased the total amount of tax money collected by the top 1%.
  • The American people are right to be worried when they hear about illegal immigrants trying to commandeer school busses full of children in California, armed immigrant gangs taking over apartment buildings in Colorado, police being attacked by illegals in New York City, or the brutal rapes and murders happening across the country.
    • 70% of Independents support the America First plan to secure the border and homeland by imposing fees for unlawful entry, ending federal services for illegal immigrants, taxing money sent from the U.S. to people living in other countries, enhancing penalties for drug traffickers, defeating the cartels, and stopping Chinese ownership of U.S. agricultural land.

PRO-TIP

• Independents traditionally tune out when people immediately inject partisanship into their arguments. So, don’t immediately jump to Democrat vs. Republican or Left vs. Right. State your facts simply as facts, and get people nodding in agreement before you mention politics.

If pressed

• The current administration inherited a mess from the previous administration/COVID-19.
  On the day Joe Biden and Kamala took office, inflation was 1.4%, gas cost $2.39 a gallon, and millions of jobs were coming back.

• I cannot support America First after what happened on January 6.
  Democrats tried to overturn the 2000, 2004, and 2016 election results. In fact, Democrats have objected to every election they have lost since 1988. Democrats are also already saying they will overturn the outcome of the 2024 election in Congress on January 6, 2025, should their candidate not be elected.

• The only issue that matters is abortion.
  While there are single-issue voters on both sides of every election, most voters are struggling to buy groceries to keep food on the table. They worry about their safety and the safety of their loved ones when violent, illegal immigrants have raped and murdered so many young women in places across the country.

• The tone/style/tweets of some who speak about America First policies won’t win Independents.
  People decided to put style over policy last time, and what/where did that get them? Historically high gas prices, baby food shortages, soaring grocery bills, people not being able to afford rent or a new home, a historic wave of illegal immigration, and a world at war. The answer to the problems is not to hire the people who broke everything to suddenly try to fix the mess they created in the first place.

• Some Conservatives refuse to say they will accept the outcome of the 2024 election.
  Have you seen the people flying terrorist flags and burning American flags on college campuses in Washington, D.C., and most recently in Chicago? They aren’t supporting America First policies.

MYTHBUSTERS

MYTH: Americans are hopelessly divided.
FACT: In a survey, over three-quarters of Americans were remarkably clear on the state of the economy and the border and blamed the Biden-Harris Administration. More than half disapprove of how that same administration is handling crime and foreign policy.

MYTH: Partisan solutions only get the base excited and don’t have the support of a majority of Americans.
FACT: Double-digit majorities of Americans support America First solutions to the border crisis and dealing with China—and a majority of independent voters want to make the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts permanent. 

Quick Stats

• Americans are facing an unaffordability crisis due to “Bidenomics.”
  • The National Debt has reached $34.7 trillion.
  • Since Biden took over, almost everything has been more expensive.
    • Airfare = +38%
    • Car Insurance = +52%
    • K-12 Food = +65%
    • Gasoline = +56%
    • Rent = +21%
    • Electricity = +29%
    • Groceries = +21%
    • Used Cars = +20%
    • Natural Gas = +33%
    • Eggs = +31%
  • Even America’s favorite fast foods are more expensive under Biden-Harris.
• The Biden-Harris Administration’s war on American energy is driving up costs for American families with big government spending and regulation.
  • Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has added more than $1.6 trillion in costs to the economy through new government rules and excessive regulation.
  • The Biden-Harris Administration is set to spend more than $1.3 trillion on climate and renewable energy programs.
  • Household energy costs are up 22%.
• The Biden-Harris Administration’s border crisis has let in almost as many foreigners illegally as Ellis Island did lawfully in 60 years. In some areas, they’re already allowed to vote.
  • Since Biden took office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has encountered more than
    11 million illegal immigrants, not including “gotaways.”
  • In comparison, between 1892 and 1954—a nearly 60-year period at the height of “Melting Pot” Americanization—a little more than 12 million legal U.S. immigrants came through Ellis Island.
  • Municipalities in California, Maryland, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., allowed non-citizens to vote in local elections.

POLLING

KEY CONCERNS ON VOTERS’ MINDS

Which of the following issues should be the top priorities for the federal government to address within the next year or so?

• 53% | Inflation/Economy
• 35% | Immigration/Border Security
• 19% | Abortion
• 16% | Healthcare

From the following list of issues, please indicate if you approve or disapprove of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s handling of each.

The U.S. economy overall

• 39% | Approve
• 58% | Disapprove
• 3% | Unsure/Depends

Inflation and the rising cost of living

• 32% | Approve
• 65% | Disapprove
• 3% | Unsure/Depends

• The situation at the U.S.-Mexico border
• 32% | Approve
• 60% | Disapprove
• 8% | Unsure/Depends

Crime and public safety in or near your community

• 42% | Approve
• 50% | Disapprove
• 8% | Unsure/Depends

Foreign policy and ability to maintain peace globally

• 44% | Approve
• 50% | Disapprove
• 6% | Unsure/Depends

The United States’ reputation in the world

• 42% | Approve
• 50% | Disapprove
• 8% | Unsure/Depends

Unifying the nation

• 41% | Approve
• 53% | Disapprove
• 6% | Unsure/Depends

Antisemitism, or hostility and discrimination against Jews, in the United States

• 39% | Approve
• 48% | Disapprove
• 13% | Unsure/Depends

BIDEN-HARRIS TRACK RECORD

Please tell me if you agree or disagree that this describes Vice President Kamala Harris.

Understands what Americans are dealing with and can fix it.

• 48% | Agree
• 47% | Disagree
• 5% | Unsure/Depends

Projects strength

• 49% | Agree
• 46% | Disagree
• 4% | Unsure/Depends

Is a decisive leader

• 48% | Agree
• 45% | Disagree
• 6% | Unsure/Depends

Is more liberal on policy than Joe Biden

• 57% | Agree
• 24% | Disagree
• 18% | Unsure/Depends

Shown she can manage the government effectively

• 47% | Agree
• 46% | Disagree
• 6% | Unsure/Depends

The following statements have been researched and are true. After learning each fact, please indicate if that statement makes you more or less likely to support the policies of the Biden-Harris Administration.

Since Biden-Harris took office, mortgage rates have tripled, monthly mortgage payments have doubled, home prices have increased by 47%, and rent is up 20%.

• 25% | More Likely
• 58% | Less Likely
• 17% | Unsure/Depends

Since 2020, car insurance is up 46%, and home insurance is up 38%.

• 26% | More Likely
• 56% | Less Likely
• 17% | Unsure/Depends

Americans have now lost over $4,170 due to paying higher energy costs since Biden-Harris took office.

• 25% | More Likely
• 59% | Less Likely
• 16% | Unsure/Depends

Since Biden-Harris took office, prices overall have risen by 19.9%. Groceries are up 20%, gas prices have increased by 55%, and Americans are spending over $12,800 more annually to buy the basics than they were in 2020.

• 28% | More Likely
• 57% | Less Likely
• 15% | Unsure/Depends

In most cities, homicide rates remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.

• 27% | More Likely
• 53% | Less Likely
• 20% | Unsure/Depends

Iranian terror proxies have mounted over 165 attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since October.

• 26% | More Likely
• 54% | Less Likely
• 20% | Unsure/Depends

Antisemitism incidents have surged over 360% since the attack on Israel.

• 28% | More Likely
• 52% | Less Likely
• 20% | Unsure/Depends

Over 10 million people, that U.S. Border Patrol is aware of, have crossed the U.S. border since Biden took office and Kamala Harris became the border czar—higher than the population of 40 U.S. states. This includes hundreds of individuals whose names appear on the terror watchlist and tens of thousands of Chinese Nationals.

• 26% | More Likely
• 60% | Less Likely
• 15% | Unsure/Depends

The Border Crisis now costs the U.S. approximately $150.7 billion annually.\

• 27% | More Likely
• 56% | Less Likely
• 17% | Unsure/Depends

Violent conflicts in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Israel have escalated global chaos and instability since 2021.

• 28% | More Likely
• 53% | Less Likely
• 19% | Unsure/Depends

After learning those facts, which comes closer to your opinion?

• 50% | Biden and Harris’s policies are mostly responsible for these issues
• 38% | These issues are not Biden and Harris’s fault and are mostly out of their control.
• 12% | Unsure/Depends

For each, regardless of your support for such policies, do you think it is fair or unfair?

The student debt burdens of highly paid professionals like doctors and lawyers are being subsidized by blue-collar workers such as plumbers and carpenters who never went to college.

• 16% | Fair
• 64% | Unfair
• 20% | Unsure/Depends

Major cities like New York provide illegal immigrants with pre-loaded debit cards of $1,000 a month. They are also guaranteed housing, where one in five hotels in NYC are now a shelter for illegal immigrants.

• 17% | Fair
• 68% | Unfair
• 15% | Unsure/Depends

The Biden-Harris Administration and Democrat governors are trying to phase out gas-powered cars when electric cars only make up 2% of cars on the road. The Biden-Harris Administration secured $47.5 billion in 2021 to build electric vehicle charges yet has only built seven total chargers nationwide.

• 23% | Fair
• 59% | Unfair
• 19% | Unsure/Depends

The U.S. has provided $107 billion in aid to defend Ukraine’s border, but elected officials have taken no action to secure our border.

• 23% | Fair
• 59% | Unfair
• 18% | Unsure/Depends

Biden-Harris’s Inflation Reduction Act cut $300 billion from Medicare to fund Democrat priorities like tax credits for electric vehicles and healthcare for illegals.

• 15% | Fair
• 68% | Unfair
• 17% | Unsure/ Depends

AMERICA FIRST SOLUTIONS

Secure the border and homeland by imposing fees for unlawful entry, end federal services for illegal immigrants, tax foreign remittance, which taxes money sent from the U.S. abroad, enhance penalties for drug traffickers, defeat the cartels, and stop Chinese ownership of U.S. agricultural land.

• 70% | Support
• 19% | Oppose
• 11% | Unsure/Depends

Unleashing energy dominance and lowering prices by ramping up U.S. energy production, cutting regulations on coal, oil, and gas projects, including those in Alaska.

• 59% | Support
• 30% | Oppose
• 12% | Unsure/Depends

Implementing the fair Reciprocal Trade Act and rescind China’s Most Favored Nation status which would allow tariffs to be applied if needed to defend American workers and industry and ensure equitable trading with other nations.

• 62% | Support
• 21% | Oppose
• 17% | Unsure/Depends

Permanently extending the 2017 middle-class tax cuts and simplifying the tax code.

• 67% | Support
• 19% | Oppose
• 14% | Unsure/ Depends

Expand Health Savings Accounts, require greater healthcare price transparency, reduce prescription drug prices, and redirect healthcare subsidies from insurance companies to patients.

• 76% | Support
• 12% | Oppose
• 12% | Unsure/ Depends

End the weaponization of government by ending political prosecutions and repeal the additional 87,000 IRS agents hired under the Biden-Harris Administration.

• 51% | Support
• 34% | Oppose
• 15% | Unsure/Depends

Slash inflationary federal spending, returning the non-defense spending to 2019 inflation-adjusted level, reimpose work requirements for obtaining social benefits, and rescind all outstanding COVID-19 money.

• 58% | Support
• 26% | Oppose
• 16% | Unsure/Depends

Reducing government regulations on businesses to boost economic growth, including repealing the electric vehicle mandate.

• 59% | Support
• 29% | Oppose
• 12% | Unsure/ Depends

POLICY: PRESIDENT TRUMP’S AMERICA FIRST POLICIES VS. VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS’s POLICIES

And after learning those facts, regardless of how you feel about the individual, over the next four years, would you mostly prefer (ROTATED) America First policies or Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s policies?

• 48% | America First policies
• 31% | Biden-Harris policies
• 13% | Neither
• 7%| Unsure/Depends

Next January, it is likely either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will be sworn into office and begin to enact their second-term policy agenda that will set the course for the next four years. Based on the following issues, whose policies would you mostly prefer for the next four years, Kamala Harris’s policies or Donald Trump’s America First policies?

Securing the U.S.-Mexico border.

• 58% | Donald Trump’s America First policies
• 34% | Kamala Harris policies
• 8%| Unsure/Depends

Reducing crime and protecting communities.

• 50% | Donald Trump’s America First policies
• 40% | Kamala Harris policies
• 9%| Unsure/Depends

Protecting personal freedom and keeping government interference to a minimum.

• 50% | Donald Trump’s America First policies
• 41% | Kamala Harris policies
• 9%| Unsure/Depends

Dealing with inflation and rising costs of everyday life.

• 54% | Donald Trump’s America First policies
• 38% | Kamala Harris policies
• 8%| Unsure/Depends

Improving the economy for middle and lower-income families.

• 50% | Donald Trump’s America First policies
• 42% | Kamala Harris policies
• 8%| Unsure/Depends

Resolving foreign conflicts like Ukraine and Israel and maintaining peace globally.

• 49% | Donald Trump’s America First policies
• 40% | Kamala Harris policies
• 12%| Unsure/Depends

Keeping America safe from terrorism and foreign adversaries.

• 54% | Donald Trump’s America First policies
• 38% | Kamala Harris policies
• 9%| Unsure/Depends

Sticking up to China.

• 54% | Donald Trump’s America First policies
• 32% | Kamala Harris policies
• 14%| Unsure/ Depends

Defending Israel and standing up to antisemitism nationwide.

• 49% | Donald Trump’s America First policies
• 36% | Kamala Harris policies
• 15%| Unsure/ Depends

Source: KAConsulting, LLC on behalf of America First Policy Institute National Survey among 1,000 Registered Voters Conducted August 2024.

POLICY

To find more information about the America First solutions to get this country back on track, visit
americafirstpolicy.com

America deserves a better and brighter future.

American citizens need policies that put them first instead of policies that stand in their way. Learn more about our plan for establishing policies that keep America First, Always.

AGENDA.AMERICAFIRSTPOLICY.COM