As he basked in the cheers he received at the Alabama Republican Party’s Summer Dinner in August 2023, Donald Trump promised the crowd he would approve widening I-65 across the state on his “first day” in office.

“One of the first things that I will do to help the great people of Alabama is to approve a six-lane I-65 from Huntsville to Mobile,” Trump said during his keynote speech at the dinner at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery.

“Can everyone agree that’s a big deal? OK, we’ll do that first day.”

While the then-presidential candidate signaled to the crowd that the project was a priority, widening I-65 was not among the flurry of executive orders or proclamations or policy announcements made by Trump when he took office on Jan. 20.

At the Montgomery dinner, Trump said the project was championed by Alabama’s Republican congressional delegation, who implored him to sign off on funding if he won the 2024 election.

“I said, ‘What can I do for this great state?” Trump recalled asking the six GOP congressional members. “You can make a six-laner,” Trump said the delegation told him.

Catherine Gayle Fuller, deputy chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth — one of the project’s biggest boosters and one of the leading contenders for governor in 2026 — downplayed Trump not living up to his “first day” promise.

“President Trump has been in office for one week, and he is focusing now on his promises to secure our borders and end inflation, both of which Lieutenant Governor Ainsworth strongly supports,” Fuller said.

“Most importantly, President Trump’s nominee for U.S. transportation secretary, who oversees the Federal Highway Administration and will play a key role in any expansion, was just confirmed by the Senate today. We remain confident that promises made by President Trump will be promises kept by President Trump, and his first week in office certainly points to that being fact.”

Efforts to reach the U.S. Department of Transportation were unsuccessful.

Gov. Kay Ivey and U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., also could not be immediately reached about whether they received word on when the state would receive money to widen the north-south interstate.