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What could a Trump presidency mean for the economy?

The economy was one of the top issues driving voters to the polls in 2024.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Few campaign promises have gotten as much attention as President-Elect Donald Trump's assurance that he would lower prices and put more money in your pocket.

WFMY News 2's Nixon Norman spoke with two political experts to see how he plans to do so and if it would work.

How does a Trump presidency impact my life personally? It's a question a lot of people are asking tonight. 

Trump's running mate JD Vance called their victory, "the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America." 

"In 2016, he [Trump] was an interloper into the Republican Party. Now, it is Donald Trump's Republican Party," NC State Political Science Professor, Steven Greene said. 

Republicans also took control of the senate on Election Day. Power in the house of representatives is still to be determined. Greene said the amount of power Trump has depends on that outcome.

"If that is 218 Republicans [with seats in the House of Representatives] that will mean Donald Trump is getting almost all of what he wants for the House. If that's 218 Democrats, he's getting pretty much none of what he wants from the House, which would be a very serious constraint on what he wants to accomplish," Greene said.

RELATED: How did North Carolina vote in the US presidential race, county-by-county?

Trump said he's going to lower the prices of everyday items, cut taxes on tips, social security benefits, and overtime, and bring back jobs to America. 

Elon University's Poll Director, Jason Husser said Trump will have some of that control, but not all.

"Monetary policy is extremely complex. Presidents do have some influence, particularly on how much money the us government spends on certain things like how much bail outs happen after a disaster or an epidemic or a financial crisis but a great deal of what happens in terms of inflation or interest rates are really outside of a presidents hands and more in the realm of the markets as a whole as well as the U.S. Federal Reserve Board," Husser said. 

Greene said there will also be impacts that seem unrelated to the economy, that could ultimately impact it. 

"You know, Donald Trump has shown a certain amount of ideological flexibility but one area that he's a true believer in has been on limiting immigration and has been on deporting immigrant who are not here legally. So, I expect that will be another truly top priority that we will see pretty substantial action on that as soon as January 20th," Greene said. 

Greene said if the President-Elect's plans of deportation become reality, that will leave several industries in need of workers, which in turn could actually raise prices.

RELATED: Could Trump run again in 2028? What to know about presidential term limits

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