It has been roughly three weeks since President Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. The start of his tenure has been one of the most fast paced and out of the ordinary starts to any presidential term.
Trump made his first priority signing a slew of executive orders, actions he does not need Congress to approve. Many of them roll back executive orders issued by President Joe Biden, including Biden’s orders to lower the cost of prescription drugs and implement gun safety measures.
Another one of Trump’s executive orders mandated the federal government to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. However, the Gulf of Mexico is still the official name recognized by the United Nations. Another executive order touted by the White House was one to, “bring back plastic straws,” that Trump signed this week.
Another major action taken by the Trump administration has been the closing of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Elon Musk’s unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been making the rounds at federal agencies to supposedly find areas to cut government spending. The administration has recalled thousands of overseas USAID officials and placed those who worked in the agency’s headquarters on leave. One USAID official in Africa told ABC News, “it breaks their faith in America. We are going to lose thousands of our best friends and allies.” The closing of USAID is a move praised by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, Hungary’s authoritarian leader Viktor Orban and now has China pouncing on the opportunity, sending their “CHINA AID” to areas in Africa where the USAID has left.
Trump and his team are now taking aim at the Department of Education (DOE) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Last week, Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives were stopped from entering the Department of Education’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. as Elon Musk and his DOGE team worked to cut spending from the department. In addition to the DOE, Trump fired the head of the CFPB and his administration directed the agency to halt its work. The bureau is an independent government agency that guards consumers from predatory banks, lenders and other financial markets while enforcing federal law in the financial world. The bureau’s website was shut down.
Another move in his first month has been blocked by a federal judge. In their effort to reign in spending and end funding for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) related programs, the Trump administration halted all federal agencies from funding grants, loans and federal assistance programs. The funds in question had already been appropriated by Congress, and thus illegal for the president to halt. According to Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert, the pause does not apply to federal student loans directed at individuals, but if enacted could disrupt federal work study recipients and those who have Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants.
Another unprecedented action taken by Trump during his first month has been the pardoning of roughly 1,500 people who were involved in the insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021. The sweeping pardons granted freedom to more than 600 who resisted or assaulted law enforcement, and some serving sentences as long as 22 years. More than 170 pardoned were charged with using a deadly weapon on an officer. Vice President JD Vance was asked about the pardons before Trump’s action and said, “if you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned.”
In late January, American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter as it was coming in to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport. It was the first major aviation disaster involving an aircraft in the United States since 2009. The next day, Trump gave a press conference where he cursed, blamed the Obama and Biden administrations and said DEI initiatives were the cause of the crash. When pressed for evidence DEI caused the crash, Trump replied, “we don’t know,” and, “it just could have been.” Nearly 70 people in the airplane and helicopter died as a result.
During the first two weeks of his term, the U.S. government removed and deported 5,700 illegal immigrants after Trump vowed to carry out the largest deportation operation in American history. However, if the Trump administration continues at this rate, it will deport less than half of those deported during the last fiscal year of the Biden administration. Trump’s administration has deported roughly 2,847 people per week in the first month. In November 2024, the Biden administration deported roughly 12,200 per week, highlighting a sharp slowdown in the number of deportations.
In the international affairs realm, Trump inherited a fragile ceasefire deal between Hamas and the Israeli government. During his first month, he unveiled a plan for the United States to takeover the Gaza Strip, oust the roughly two million Palestinian’s living there, and redevelop Gaza into “a big real estate site” that the United States would own. When asked during a FOX News interview whether Palestinians would be able to return to their homes, he said, “No, they wouldn’t…I’m talking about building a permanent place for them.” According to war and human rights experts, the forced deportation or removal of a civilian population is a violation of international law and a war crime.
Following a tense standoff over tariffs, Trump agreed to delay additional tariffs against Canada and Mexico in exchange for the two nations working with him on border security and drug trafficking. Trump threatened the trade war, with America’s two largest trade partners, over what he felt was a lack of cooperation to slow the flow of illegal immigrants and fentanyl into the U.S. Trump has vowed, however to continue to use economic pressure to push Canada to become America’s 51st state, an idea just 13% of Canadians support according to a Canadian government survey.
Also on Trump’s horizon is Denmark’s island of Greenland. In fact, Trump and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had a “fiery” phone call in January where Trump pushed for the Danes to cede the island to the U.S.
Trump has also made it a priority to remove the visual presence and security of his former officials who have criticized him. In January 2020, the U.S. military killed Iranian General Qasam Soleimani. Iran then put a priority on assassinating Trump, and his officials that carried out the hit. Trump’s national security advisor during his first term, John Bolton, who said it was, “a danger to the United States” if Trump were re-elected, got his Secret Service protection revoked by Trump. General Mark Milley, the man Trump appointed to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff during his first term, who called Trump, “a fascist to the core” got his portrait removed from the walls at the Department of Defense and his security was also removed by Trump. Trump also removed the security for Dr. Anthony Fauci, who helped lead America’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a CBS News/YouGov poll published on Feb. 9, Trump has an approval rating of 53% for his first month in office. However, roughly 66% of Americans say his administration has not focused enough on lowering prices, including half of Republicans surveyed. The poll included 2,175 adults.
Trump is set to work with the Republican majorities in Congress to pass a multi-trillion dollar tax break package in the coming months. On March 4th, Trump is set to deliver the first State of the Union address of his second term. The State of the Union is given to the U.S. House, U.S. Senate, Cabinet, Supreme Court, Joint Chiefs of Staff and other government officials and special guests to allow the president to lay out their agenda for the year.
