NPR calls on swing voters to share how they feel about politics as Trump’s second term reaches one-year mark
As 2025 winds down and President Donald Trump approaches the end of the first year of his second term, NPR is putting out a call to one of the most closely watched segments of the electorate: swing voters. The network wants to hear directly from Americans whose choices have shaped recent presidential outcomes and who could again define the country’s political direction.
NPR is asking voters to reflect on how they feel about the state of the nation, from the economy and foreign policy to Congress’s performance and broader political culture. Are things moving in the right or wrong direction? Do voters feel confident in the decisions they made at the ballot box last year — or do they regret them? And for those who stayed home in 2024, what kept them from participating?
The appeal comes at a moment when political divisions remain sharp, and public sentiment is difficult to measure through polls alone. Swing voters, who often break late in election cycles or shift between parties from one contest to the next, provide a unique barometer of shifting national moods. Their views could help shape the narratives that dominate the early stages of the 2026 midterm cycle.
NPR says it hopes to gather personal experiences, frustrations, hopes and concerns from people across the political spectrum. Some respondents may even be contacted for future interviews or featured in upcoming reporting but only if they explicitly agree. The organisation stresses that no submission will be used without clear permission from the sender.
The call-out also reflects a broader trend in political journalism: seeking deeper insights into how ordinary Americans interpret policy decisions, leadership choices and major national events. Whether discussing inflation, immigration, international conflicts or domestic legislation, swing voters often frame issues differently from committed partisans.
NPR’s outreach aims to capture that nuance. By hearing directly from voters who may not always feel represented in traditional political debate, the organisation hopes to illuminate how public sentiment is evolving midway through Trump’s second term and what that might mean for the country’s political future.
