Two Aussie cousins, both glued to American politics for reasons they can't quite explain to their partners. Steve (Trump Lover) reckons the man is doing the job he was hired for. Mike (Trump Hater) thinks he's a deranged lunatic who's a danger to democracy and global security. So we did the only thing two grown men with strong opinions can do. We picked 11 measurable promises and locked the framework in November 2024, after the election was called but well before he could touch a thing. Baselines, targets, sources, all agreed before he put his hand on the bible. He can't claim the goalposts moved. Year one is up. Here's how he's tracking.
All the headline promises we've grouped from Steve's preferred MAGA reading list and Mike's preferred 'guy is unhinged' reading list. Counted, sourced, no spin.
He genuinely smashed the border crossings number and the China trade deficit. We'll concede those. The methods (mass deportations, tariffs that bumped your weekly shop 4%) were brutal, but the numbers moved. Everything else is some combination of 'the trend was already going that way,' 'quietly abandoned,' or 'flagrantly broken.' Ukraine in 24 hours? Gas under two bucks? A trillion in DOGE savings? 500 miles of new wall? Drug prices down 20%? Fuck off, mate. The receipts are below.
Each card is one specific promise with a number attached. The baseline is what we locked in November 2024, after he won but before he took office. No moving the goalposts. Click a card for the full breakdown, the sources, and the editorial that Steve will hate.
He made hundreds of promises. We've picked the loudest. Broken on the left because there's more of them. Kept on the right because, look, the bloke did do some things he said he would. The list is shorter and one or two are genuinely bad for the world, but credit where it's earned.
The moments that defined Trump 2.0 so far. Red dots are the ones Mike grits his teeth at. Green dots are the ones Steve emails Mike about with 'told ya' in the subject line. Yellow's everything in between.
"I will end the war in Ukraine on Day 1. I will have it solved in 24 hours." Donald Trump, said dozens of times in 2023 and 2024. Currently 489 days late and the truce they tried in May 2026 lasted less than half a day.
"Promises made, promises kept." Donald Trump, signature line. Fair enough on the Jan 6 pardons, the Paris exit, and the 'no tax on tips' bill. Less fair on the other ninety percent.
The yearly scorecard on the other tab is locked in. This panel isn't. This is the rolling 'where the fuck are we now' update. Fresh items go to the top.
Print these out, fold them up, slip them into your wallet next to your Medicare card. When the uncle with the red hat starts going at the snags about how Trump fixed inflation, pull them out. Every number links to its source. Win the argument with paperwork.
The framework was locked in November 2024, after the election was called but before inauguration. The baselines, the targets, the scoring legend, all agreed before he was sworn in. Mike writes the copy. Steve fact-checks the copy. They argue. Full methodology lives on the about page →