Rhode Island State Senator Gives President Trump an ‘A’ for First Weeks in Office

State Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz of North Smithfield says Donald Trump is following through on his campaign promises in many areas, including domestic spending, foreign tariffs, and immigration policy

State Senator Jessica de la Cruz of North Smithfield.
State Senator Jessica de la Cruz of North Smithfield.
Capitol TV
Share
State Senator Jessica de la Cruz of North Smithfield.
State Senator Jessica de la Cruz of North Smithfield.
Capitol TV
Rhode Island State Senator Gives President Trump an ‘A’ for First Weeks in Office
Copy

Interview highlights:

On President Trump’s performance in his first weeks in office

Jessica de la Cruz: I would say [he gets] an A. He campaigned on these promises and now he’s following through. I just feel that sometimes if I put my phone down for a couple of hours, I’ve missed what could be two days worth of news, but he is moving at lightning speed.

On President Trump’s proposed takeover of Gaza

de la Cruz: I don’t know much about the plan. I’ve only just heard that he made the statement about developing Gaza. I don’t think that means that we’re gonna have a 51st state. He’s a developer. If he’s talking about developing Gaza, that would be my assumption along that line. Once more information comes out, then I could speak more authoritatively on it.

On response to President Trump’s proposed federal funding freeze

de la Cruz: I heard from a lot of people. Some of them were really happy with it. Some of them were very concerned. Some of them were administrators in the state who said we’re concerned about this agency and that agency. I get that concern because if there’s a pause on funding, people automatically question, ‘Well, are we going to have the funding necessary to pay our employees and pay this vendor?’ Those are valid concerns, but a pause in funding to review whether or not funding is being allocated properly and being used prudently, I’m not against that. I think everybody, including a family budget, needs to be reviewed to ensure that we’re spending money properly and it’s not being spent frivolously.

This interview was conducted by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

Providence has tightened limits on police cooperation with ICE, drawing pushback from the Trump administration and placing Rhode Island at the center of a broader legal fight over immigration enforcement
How ancient Rome, leap years and human psychology turned Jan. 1 into the world’s most popular fresh start
From lunar missions and eclipses to supermoons, auroras and a fading interstellar comet, 2026 promises a busy year in the skies
Bryant, URI and Johnson & Wales reached new heights, the Patriots stunned the NFL, and high school dynasties rolled on in a year full of highs — and hard lessons
Dr. Rasha Alawieh was deported to her native Lebanon in March
As we head into a new year, the Possibly team decided to think about all of our episodes, and how they might inspire our resolutions for 2026. Here’s what some of us had to say