Trump’s broken promises: economy, war and ICE

What the report says

Al Jazeera published a video interview and panel discussion on 23 October 2026 examining how President Donald Trump’s second term is being judged ahead of the US midterm elections. The segment centers on questions about his campaign promises and whether his administration’s record on the economy, immigration and foreign policy is helping or hurting Republicans as they try to keep control of Congress.

The discussion features Mehdi Hasan debating Steve Cortes, a former Trump campaign adviser, who defends Trump’s approach on the economy, immigration enforcement and rhetoric toward Muslims. The program also includes comments from Olivia Troye, a former homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to Vice President Mike Pence; Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist and former senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris; and Rob Arlett, a former Trump campaign chair and political commentator.

According to Al Jazeera’s framing, Trump is facing voter dissatisfaction tied to several pressures, including inflation, gasoline prices, tariff-related economic uncertainty, backlash to tougher immigration enforcement and concerns about a war involving Iran. The segment uses that backdrop to ask how closely Trump’s performance matches the promises he made on the campaign trail and what that means for the political balance in Congress.

The discussion matters because control of Congress could shape the rest of Trump’s second term, while the issues under debate are central to broader public debates over the economy, immigration and presidential leadership.