With Donald Trump once again inaugurated as U.S. president, two Missouri congressmen joined Up To Date to discuss the administration's policy goals and how they view his plans so far.
Rep. Mark Alford, a Republican who represents Missouri's 4th District, said that he believes Trump will be successful at implementing his agenda over these next four years, namely on issues like immigration.
"President Trump knows a lot more than he did in 2017 when he had his first term. He knows the score in Washington. He knows how things operate," Alford said.
"I think things are going to run a lot more smoothly this time, because he has the mindset, the game plan and the support of the Republican conference — and I think even some Democrats — to try to turn this around."
During the interview, Alford also made multiple unverifiable claims about the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. Trump pardoned some 1,500 rioters charged in the attack on the U.S. Capitol, including dozens from Missouri and Kansas.
Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, of Missouri's 5th District, is concerned about Trump's broader agenda. He also doesn't believe the president can fix the economy.
"This is not a season for panic, because panic is generally viewed as the first step toward failure," Cleaver said. "What we have to do, I think, is make sure that we bring or take to the American public a picture of what's going on in Washington. Because what is going on is not what the voters thought they were going to going to get — at least based on even what the Republican pollsters are saying — which is that, you know, they wanted the price of eggs dropped."
