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Second presidency of Donald Trump
U.S. presidential administration since 2025 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. On his first day, Trump pardoned about 1,500 people convicted of offenses in the January 6 Capitol attack of 2021. Within his first 100 days, he signed approximately 140 executive orders (far more than any of his recent predecessors), some of which are being challenged in court.[1] On immigration, he signed into law the Laken Riley Act, signed executive orders blocking asylum-seekers from entering the U.S., reinstated the national emergency at the Mexico–U.S. border, designated drug cartels as terrorist organizations, attempted to end birthright citizenship, and initiated procedures for mass deportation of immigrants. Trump established the task force "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), led by the businessman Elon Musk, which is tasked with cutting spending by the federal government, limiting bureaucracy, and which has overseen mass layoffs of civil servants. The Trump administration has also taken action against law firms.
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In international affairs, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accords.
The Trump administration went through a series of tariff rises,[2] retaliatory tariffs placed on the United States by other countries,[3] and pauses on tariffs.[4] On April 2, a date President Trump termed "Liberation Day", Trump announced large, across-the-board increases in tariffs.[5][6][7] A little more than a month later, on May 12, China and the U.S. announced a deal in which tariffs were lowered to 10% for U.S. goods moving into China and 30% for Chinese goods coming into the United States.[8] This agreement would hold for a period of 90 days.[9] All this is part of an ongoing trade war with China. These tariff moves and counter-moves caused the 2025 stock market crash, as well as a partial recovery.
He has repeatedly expressed interest in annexing Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal. In response to the Gaza war, he proposed an American takeover of the Gaza Strip, forcibly relocating the Palestinian population to other Arab states, and establishing Gaza as a special economic zone. Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the administration temporarily suspended the provision of intelligence and military aid to Ukraine, offered concessions to Russia, requested half of Ukraine's oil and minerals as repayment for American support, and said that Ukraine bore partial responsibility for the invasion. The administration resumed the aid after Ukraine agreed to a potential ceasefire.[10]
Trump is the second U.S. president to serve non-consecutive terms,[a] and is the oldest person to assume the presidency. Following his victories in the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections, he is not eligible to be elected to a third term due to the provisions of the Twenty-second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
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2024 election
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Trump, who previously served as 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 and lost his reelection bid to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election,[11] announced his candidacy for the nomination of the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election on November 15, 2022.[12][13] In March 2024, Trump clinched the nomination.[14] Trump selected Senator JD Vance of Ohio, a former critic of his, as his running mate, and the two were officially nominated at the 2024 Republican National Convention.[15] Two days prior to the RNC, Trump was the victim of an attempted assassination during his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Early on November 6, 2024, the day after the election, Trump was projected to have secured the presidency.[16][17] Trump won the presidential election with 312 electoral votes, while Kamala Harris received 226.[18] Trump, upon taking office, was the second president in U.S. history to serve non-consecutive terms after Grover Cleveland in 1893,[19] the oldest individual to assume the presidency, and the first convicted felon to serve the presidency following his conviction in May 2024.[20] Vance, as the third-youngest vice president in U.S. history, became the first Millennial vice president.[20] In the concurrent congressional elections, Republicans retained a reduced majority in the House of Representatives and took control of the Senate.[21]
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Transition period, inauguration, and first 100 days
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Incumbent president Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office on November 13, 2024
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Chief Justice John Roberts administers the presidential oath of office to Trump in the Capitol rotunda, January 20, 2025
The presidential transition period began following Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, though Trump had chosen Linda McMahon and Howard Lutnick to begin planning for the transition in August 2024. According to The New York Times, Trump was "superstitious" and prefers to avoid discussing the presidential transition process until after Election Day. His transition team relied on the work of the America First Policy Institute, rather than the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that garnered controversy during the election for Project 2025, a set of initiatives that would reshape the federal government.[22] By October, he had not participated in the federal presidential transition process,[23] and he had not signed a required ethics pledge, as of November.[24]
During the transition period, Trump announced nominations for his cabinet and administration. Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2025, officially assuming the presidency at 12:00 pm, EST.[25] He was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts.[26] The inauguration occurred indoors in the Capitol Rotunda.[27] Two days before the inauguration, Trump launched a meme coin, $Trump.[28] In his first weeks, several of Trump's actions ignored or violated federal laws, regulations, and the Constitution.[29][30]
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Administration
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Cabinet
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Trump's cabinet choices were described by news media as valuing personal loyalty over relevant experience,[31][32] and for having a range of conflicting ideologies and "eclectic personalities".[33][34] It was also described as the wealthiest administration in modern history, with over 13 billionaires chosen to take government posts.[35][36] Trump officials and Elon Musk threatened to fund primary challengers in upcoming elections against Republican senators who did not vote for Trump's nominees.[37][38] Despite this, three Republicans — Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, and Lisa Murkowski — have voted against at least one of Trump's nominees; all three voted against U.S. secretary of defense Pete Hegseth.[39]
Loyalty tests
Once the second Trump presidency began, White House screening teams fanned out to federal agencies to screen job applicants for their loyalty to the president's agenda. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order asserting to restore merit-based federal hiring practices and "dedication to our Constitution".[40][41] As part of its U.S. federal deferred resignation program, the Trump administration demanded "loyalty" from federal workers.[42] In a break from politically neutral speech, the Justice Department issued memos about "insubordination", "abhorrent conduct" and vowed to pursue opponents of Trump's cost-cutting efforts "to the ends of the Earth" in what was described by current and former law enforcement officials as a campaign of intimidation against agents insufficiently loyal to Trump.[43] Candidates for top national intelligence and law enforcement positions were given Trump loyalty tests. Candidates were asked to give yes or no responses to whether or not January 6 was an "inside job" and whether or not the 2020 election was "stolen". Those that did not say yes to both answers were not hired.[44]
Advisors
Trump had assistance from Elon Musk, other political operatives, and an antisemitism task force.[45] Advisors were Christopher Rufo in education; Stephen Miller in domestic policy and immigration; and four co-authors of Project 2025: Russell Vought, Peter Navarro, Paul S. Atkins, and Brendan Carr.[46]
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Government targeting of political opponents and civil society
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During Donald Trump’s second presidency, the Trump administration took a series of actions using the government to target his political opponents and civil society. His actions were described by the media as part of his promised "retribution" and "revenge" campaign, within the context of a strongly personalist and leader-centred conception of politics.[47][48][49][50] He repeatedly stated that he had "every right" to go after his political opponents during his 2024 presidential campaign.[51]
He undertook a massive expansion of presidential power,[52] and several of his actions ignored or violated federal laws, regulations, and the Constitution according to American legal scholars.[53][54][55] He threatened, signed executive actions, and ordered investigations into his political opponents, critics, and organizations aligned with the Democratic Party.[56] He politicized the civil service,[52] undertaking mass layoffs of government employees to recruit workers more loyal to himself.[57] He ended the post-Watergate norm of Justice Department independence, weaponizing it and ordering it to target his political enemies.[58] He engaged in an unprecedented targeting of law firms and lawyers that previously represented positions adverse to himself.[59][60] He targeted higher education by demanding it give federal oversight of curriculum and targeted activists, legal immigrants, tourists, and students with visas who expressed criticism of his policies or engaged in pro-Palestinian advocacy.[61] He detained and deported United States citizens.[62]
His actions against civil society were described by legal experts and hundreds of political scientists as authoritarian and contributing to democratic backsliding,[63][64][65] and negatively impacting free speech and the rule of law.[58][66][67][68]Remove ads
Executive orders
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Trump began office with the most executive orders ever signed on the first day of a United States presidential term,[69] at 26 executive orders.[70] Following behind Trump's executive order tally is Joe Biden at 9 executive orders on January 20, 2021,[71] then Barack Obama at 2 executive orders, and Bill Clinton at 1 executive order.[72] Trump's signing of executive orders was described as a "shock and awe" campaign that tested the limits of executive authority.[73][74] Four days into Trump's second term, analysis conducted by Time found that nearly two-thirds of his executive actions "mirror or partially mirror" proposals from Project 2025,[75] which was seconded with analysis from Bloomberg Government.[76]
The signing of many of Trump's executive orders are being challenged in court, as the executive orders are affecting federal funding, federal employee status, immigration, federal programs, government data availability, and more. The majority of the cases are being filed in response to executive orders related to the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Executive Order 14158, and the actions taken by Elon Musk and the DOGE team towards federal agencies as self-identified cost-cutting measures.[77]
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Domestic policy
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Prospective policies for Trump's second presidency were proposed in Agenda 47, a collection of his formal policy plans.[78][79]
Abortion
Before being elected, Trump had declared that abortion should be delegated to states in April 2024.[80] To that extent, he stated he would allow states to monitor pregnancies and criminally charge abortion patients.[81] Trump criticized the Arizona Supreme Court's ruling in Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes (2024), in which the court upheld an 1864 law criminalizing abortions except to save the life of the mother, stating that he would not sign a federal abortion ban[82] and reaffirmed his position in October.[83]
After the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine (2024) that frozen embryos are living beings, Trump positioned himself in favor of in vitro fertilisation (IVF).[84] On January 24, 2025, during the first week of his second term as president, Trump reinstated the Mexico City policy, which had been rescinded by the Biden administration.[85] On February 19, 2025, Trump signed an executive order to expand access to and reduce the costs of IVF.[86]
Climate and environment
At a private dinner at Mar-a-Lago in April 2024, Trump encouraged fossil fuel companies to donate to his campaign, saying that he would roll back environmental regulations if elected.[87] Trump's transition team for climate and the environment was led by David Bernhardt, a former oil lobbyist who served as interior secretary, and Andrew R. Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist who led the EPA under Trump. The team prepared to withdraw from the Paris Agreement for a second time, expand drilling and mining on public land, and dismantle offices working to end pollution. Trump pledged to redraw the boundaries of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monuments as he did in his first term, end a pause on new natural gas export terminals that began under President Joe Biden, and prevent states from setting their own pollution standards.[88]
Upon taking office, Trump appointed oil, gas, and chemical lobbyists to the Environmental Protection Agency to roll back climate rules and pollution controls.[89] Trump ordered the pause on disbursement of climate-related funds issued by the IRA and BIL, and falsely conflated the funds with the "Green New Deal".[90] In February 2025, the FBI, Treasury Department, and EPA requested that Citibank freeze bank accounts of nonprofit organizations that received funding under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, created by Congress in 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Citibank froze the accounts. The FBI also asked Citibank to freeze accounts of Habitat for Humanity, United Way, the Colorado Clean Energy Fund and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Three nonprofit organizations challenged the actions in court.[91] In April 2025, Trump issued Executive Order 14260 (Protecting American Energy From State Overreach) which directs the attorney general to "identify and take action against state laws and policies that burden the use of domestic energy resources and that are unconstitutional, preempted by federal law, or otherwise unenforceable".[92][93]
Criminal justice and law enforcement
Trump entered office following 2024's 50-year record-low level of violent crime.[94][95] The Associated Press reported that despite historic drops in crime, many voters felt unsafe due to "misleading campaign rhetoric".[96] Upon taking office, Trump issued an executive order to resume and pursue executions for criminal cases,[97] and the Justice Department put a freeze on civil rights cases and signaled it would roll back consent agreements with police departments.[98] A New York Times analysis described Trump's conflicting policies and pardons towards criminal justice as sending a message of "backing the blue" as long as they backed him.[99] The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (which kept disciplinary records of federal law enforcement officers) was deactivated in January 2025; it was proposed by Trump in 2020 and created by Biden in 2023.[100] Separately, Elon Musk's private bodyguards were assigned as special deputies by the United States Marshals Service, reported CNN and CBS News in February 2025.[101][102]
Presidential pardons and commutations
During the transition period, Trump was expected to end the Department of Justice's prosecutions against him in Washington, D.C., and Florida. According to The Washington Post, Special Counsel Jack Smith considered ending his prosecutions early and submitting a final report to Attorney General Merrick Garland before Trump was inaugurated.[103] The final report was submitted on January 7, 2025, with no charges being brought to trial against Trump.[104]
Upon assuming the presidency again on January 20, 2025, Trump issued a blanket mass pardon for those charged with the January 6 Capitol Riot,[105] which he had repeatedly promised on his campaign.[106][107][108][109] The pardon commuted the prison sentences of 14 people by name, effected the release of over 200 others also in prison, and pardoned the more than 1,550 people who had been criminally charged.[110] 500 people had been sentenced to prison terms and 1,358 had been criminally charged. Following Trump's grant of clemency to all January 6 rioters, on January 22, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced a formation of a panel to investigate the January 6 committee in what the Associated Press described as "an effort to defend Trump's actions that day and dispute the work of a bipartisan committee that investigated the siege two years ago".[111]
In May 2024 at the Libertarian National Convention, Trump said that he would commute Ross Ulbricht's sentence on his first day in office.[112] Since 2015, Ulbricht had been serving a life sentence for charges related to creating and operating the darknet market website Silk Road, which operated as an onion service on the Tor network and facilitated the sale of narcotics and other illegal products and services.[113][114] On January 21, 2025, Trump issued a full and unconditional pardon to Ulbricht, fulfilling a campaign promise.[113][115]
On January 23, 2025, Trump granted pardons to 23 anti-abortion protestors. Among the 23 pardoned were Lauren Handy and 9 of her co-defendants, who were involved in the October 2020 blockade of a Washington, D.C., abortion clinic, and later convicted in violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.[116][117] Trump has also floated or hinted at issuing potential pardons for Julian Assange, Hunter Biden and Peter Navarro; media outlets have also speculated that Trump may issue pardons for Eric Adams and Todd and Julie Chrisley.[118] In March 2025, Trump wrote on social media that President Joe Biden's pardons of lawmakers who investigated the January 6 attack were now "void, vacant, and of no further force of effect", as Trump stated that these pardons were signed by autopen. In 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that pardons do not have to be in writing.[119]
Diversity, equity and inclusion
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In January 2025, President Trump signed executive orders aimed at terminating DEI practices and another aimed at transgender issues.[120] At a press conference also held in January 2025, the day after a mid-air collision between an airplane and helicopter that killed 67 people, Trump said, "the FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency's website."[121]
In response to anti-DEI executive actions, numerous agencies and websites altered or removed material related to women, racial minorities, and transgender individuals. The National Park Service removed mentions of transgender individuals from its website on the Stonewall riots, changed "LGBT" to "LGB", and removed the word "queer".[122] The National Cryptologic Museum papered over portraits of women and racial minorities in their Hall of Honor, including those of Elizabeth Friedman, Washington Wong, and Ralph W. Adams Jr.[123] The portraits were restored after news of the actions began circulating online.[123][124] Pictures that celebrated women in science were removed from NASA buildings.[125]
Economy
Trump inherited a resilient economy from the Biden administration, with increasing economic growth, low unemployment, and declining inflation by statistics.[b] When Trump assumed office in January 2025, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4%, and the inflation rate, measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditure price index, was projected to range between 2.2% and 2.4% for 2025.[131][132] The New York Times and Economic Policy Institute described the economy as "in better shape than that bequeathed to any newly elected president since George W. Bush came into office in 2001".[133][134] However, polls found that many Americans still felt the impacts of the 2021–2023 inflation surge, which partly contributed to Trump's reelection.[130][135]
In a March 2025 media interview, Trump was asked if he expected a recession to occur in 2025, to which he answered: "I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition, because what we're doing is very big."[136] By that month, the Trump administration shut down the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee and the Bureau of Economic Analysis Advisory Committee, both of which calculated economic data and had operated for over 20 years.[137] On March 13, 2025, the S&P 500 index entered into a correction, dropping 10% from its peak on February 19, 2025.[138] The drop came amidst what the Associated Press called "historic" jumps in public anxiety caused by Trump's tariff threats, with large drops in consumer sentiment and increased expectations of higher inflation rates among consumers and Wall Street economists.[139]
Markets dropped substantially in early April 2025 following Trump's imposition of tariffs on nearly all countries, prompting retaliation from trade partners that triggered a stock market crash.[140][141] The crash triggered what The Associated Press described as a "freak" sell-off in the bond market. The sell-off was attributed to a loss of confidence among investors in the United States as a safe, stable place to store money.[142] In May 2025, Trump said of the American economy: "I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy".[143]
Taxation and deficits
In January 2025, Republicans began considering cuts for various social programs in order to pay for the proposed tax cuts.[144][145][146] The Congressional Budget Office estimated in January 2025 that extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts could increase deficits by more than $4 trillion over 10 years, if not offset by spending cuts. Trump's campaign proposals to exempt Social Security benefits, tip and overtime income from taxation would further increase deficits. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that all of Trump's tax cut proposals together would reduce federal tax receipts by $5 trillion to $11 trillion over a decade, if not offset. Some congressional Republicans argued the tax cuts would not increase deficits.[147][148][149] Trump, with the help of Elon Musk, launched a campaign to reduce the federal workforce by thousands of employees, primarily focusing on probationary staff, to streamline government operations. This has sparked criticism over the potential disruption of vital services and raised concerns about employee rights, with legal challenges and internal dissent emerging.[150]
"Big, Beautiful" Budget Bill
Republicans hold thin majorities in the House and Senate. President Trump has pushed for the passage of a major, 1,116-page[151] budget bill he calls "one big, beautiful bill". The White House aims for it to be passed by July 4.[152][153]
The bill proposes to make Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent and end taxes on tips, car loan interest and overtime pay.[151][154] The bill also intends to raise the SALT deduction.[151]
Defense spending would be allocated an additional $150 billion,[151] including $25 billion towards the planned Golden Dome defense system.[155] The bill puts $50 billion towards construction of a border wall and $4 billion towards Border Patrol.[156]
Some savings are expected to come from reforms to Medicaid, such as adding a work requirement for able-bodied adults without children, more frequent eligibility checks, penalizing states who use Medicaid infrastructure to provide health coverage for undocumented immigrants, and not paying for gender transition for children.[152] Reforms are estimated to cause millions of people to lose coverage by 2034.[151]
This overall budget package would also tighten eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, with a proposal to raise the minimum age for able-bodied adults from 54 to 64. The plan would also shift more of the costs to the states. In addition, Republicans want to close a provision in which states could request a waiver of the work requirement for areas which have higher than 10% unemployment.[152]
On May 22, this Budget bill passed the House in a close vote 216-215, with two Republicans voting against it and one voting “present.” The Medicaid work requirement for able-bodied persons without children was moved up to an earlier starting time at the end of 2026. And the SALT deduction (State And Local Taxes) had its cap increased to 40,000 for those with incomes up to half a million. The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate. The Senate Majority Leader John Thune has stated that the Senate “will have its imprint on it.”[157]
Tariffs policy
President Donald Trump is a staunch proponent of tariffs and has been described by some academics as a mercantilist.[158] During his 2024 campaign, Trump promised to impose higher tariffs on all countries, especially China.[159] On November 25, 2024, following his election victory, Trump said he would sign an executive order placing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and impose an additional 10% tariff on China.[160]
Threats to BRICS nations over currency
On November 30, 2024, Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on BRICS nations if they tried to create a new BRICS currency or promote another currency to replace the U.S. dollar as the global reserve currency.[161]
February 1 tariffs and one month pause
On February 1, 2025, Trump signed three executive orders imposing a 25% tariff on all goods from Mexico and Canada (although energy imports from Canada were only to be taxed at 10%[162]), and a 10% tariff on China, originally due to take effect on February 4.[2]
In response to the higher tariffs, representatives from Mexico and Canada announced intentions to impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States, which if implemented could have led to an increase in tariff rates in accordance with a clause included in the orders signed by Trump.[3][163] On February 3, Trump announced that the tariffs on both Mexico and Canada would be paused for one month after the countries agreed to take further steps to prevent the trafficking of drugs into the United States.[4][164]
Without this pause, Trump's executive order would have raised American tariffs to the highest in the world, with the new tariffs being the highest since the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act of 1930.[citation needed] According to Kim Clausing of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the proposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China would represent the "largest tax increase [in the United States] since the 1990s."[165]
April 2 "Liberation Day" and stock market declines
On April 2, a day Trump nicknamed "Liberation Day", Trump announced a 10% universal import duty on all goods brought into the US and even higher rates for 57 trading partners.[5] In response, markets sunk sharply lower.[166][167][168]
In large part as a response to the new tariffs, on April 17 the European Central Bank announced it was reducing interest rates on loans by a quarter of one percent to a rate of 2.25% (2-and-a-quarter percent). European inflation seemed to be settling towards 2%, and the bank's governors expressed concern over economic growth. They said that "the adverse and volatile market response to the trade tensions is likely to have a tightening impact on financing conditions."[169][170]
Tariff loophole on $800 and less expires on May 2
On May 2, a tariff loophole expired which previously exempted duties on packages $800 or less. This change is expected to directly affect customers of the large Chinese retailers Shein and Temu. In addition, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be responsible for the inspection of millions of new packages. On April 30, President Trump described this loophole as "a big scam going on against our country, against really small businesses."[171]
May 12 deal with China
On May 12, the United States and China announced that tariffs would be reduced for a period of 90 days. U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods would be reduced from 145% to 30% and Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods would be reduced from 125% to 10%.[9][8] However, this 30% is still more expensive for consumers in the United States compared to the state of affairs before Trump's initial tariffs.[172]
Education
Emergency management
Just before the Los Angeles fires were contained, the United States Army Corps of Engineers started releasing water from federal reservoirs in California's Lake Success and Lake Kaweah via the Schafer Dam and Terminus Dam respectively, for a total of 2.2 billion gallons of water per local authorities.[173] The Army Corps initially stated that the water was for California to "respond to the wildfires", following an executive order by Trump.[174] However, the Army Corps later stated that the released water "could not be delivered to Southern California directly", that other government agencies said they "likely could not utilize the additional water with such short notice", and that the water release was stopped after "elected officials expressed concerns from their constituents about potential flooding of downstream lands".[175]
In February 2025, Trump signed a pair of executive orders blocking FEMA funds from being used to help undocumented immigrants in "sanctuary cities." This had the consequence of freezing billions of dollars in disaster grants, which were funding rebuilding efforts for communities struck by Hurricane Helene.[176] In April 2025, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under Trump has denied North Carolina's request to extend the full reimbursement period for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. The Trump administration also turned down a request from Georgia governor Brian Kemp for a second deadline extension to apply for relief from the state following Hurricane Helene in March 2025.[177]
Tornadoes hit the state of Mississippi on March 14 and 15, and were especially damaging to Tylertown in southern Mississippi. Approximately two weeks later on April 1, Governor Tate Reeves (Republican) requested that FEMA issue an major disaster declaration for parts of his state. As of May 20, no such federal declaration has been made. President Trump has described FEMA as “very slow” and “very bureaucratic.” When asked about the delay at an unrelated hearing by Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that Trump “wants to make sure that those reforms are happening where states are empowered to do the response and trained and equipped, and then the federal government would come in and support them and financially be there when they need them on their worst day.” David Richardson, FEMA’s new acting-administrator since early May, has said regarding potential policy changes that there could be “more cost-sharing with states” and that FEMA might coordinate federal assistance “when deemed necessary.[178]
Federal government and executive power
![Thumb](#/media/File:Donald_Trump_"Long_Live_the_King".png)
The second Trump administration has pursued a maximalist interpretation of the unitary executive theory.[180][181] It has been noted for making sweeping assertions of executive authority, and challenging several Congressional laws and parts of the Constitution restraining presidential power.[182][183][184] He issued an executive order to take control of independent federal agencies such as the FCC, FEC, and SEC, attacked journalists and media organizations whose coverage he disliked, placed loyalists in charge of the military and FBI, used the Department of Justice to promote his political interests, and suggested defying court orders and impeaching justices who ruled against him.[185]
On February 15, 2025, Trump wrote on Truth Social and X: "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law", which the White House later reposted on X that day.[186][187] Shortly afterward on February 19 in a post about congestion pricing in New York, Trump compared himself to a king by saying "LONG LIVE THE KING!".[179] Later that month, Trump told the governor of Maine, Janet Mills, to "comply" with his executive order banning transgender athletes from women's sports, or he would withdraw "any federal funding" because "we are the federal law".[188]
Screenshots from the leaked Signal chat showing "Pete Hegseth" discussing plans for American military operations against the Houthis in Yemen
Also in February 2025, Elon Musk declared that "all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week ... Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation"; within hours federal employees received an email from the United States Office of Personnel Management demanding their response, within two days, on work done last week.[189][190]
In March 2025, senior Trump administration officials used the Signal private messaging service to discuss imminent military operations against the Houthis in Yemen, which led to the United States government group chat leak when Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the American magazine The Atlantic, was added to the chat by Michael Waltz, the national security advisor.[191] The Atlantic reported on and published details of the chat, showing that defense secretary Pete Hegseth used the chat to share details of the impending strikes, including the launch times of F-18 aircraft, MQ-9 drones and Tomahawk missiles, as well as the time when the F-18 aircraft would reach their targets, and the time when the bombs would land.[192][193] Some of the chat's other members were Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and CIA director John Ratcliffe.[191] The incident raised several issues, including the Trump administration officials' use of a non-government communication system and the potential transmission of classified information on it, as well as Signal's automatic deletion of chat logs contradicting with the requirement to preserve government records.[194]
DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency)
The Trump administration established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a temporary organization with Elon Musk as its administrator,[195] and renamed the United States Digital Service to the United States DOGE Service to function as a parent agency. DOGE is a unit tasked with recommending cost-cutting measures, and according to the executive order that established it, its formal purpose is to "modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity".[196][197][198]
In late January 2025, Wired reported that the top ranks of the human resources-focused United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had been filled by new hires who had formerly worked for either Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Republican politicians or right-wing media outlets, while Musk's allies were installed into the technology-focused General Services Administration and planned massive spending cuts.[199][200] On January 28, the OPM offered a "deferred resignation" scheme to federal government employees to announce their resignation by February 6, while stating that employees who resigned would still receive salary and benefits until September 30, 2025.[201] The offer made was similar to Elon Musk's notice to employees after he took control of Twitter.[202][203] On January 31, Trump added that he would nullify federal employee union contracts, specifically including one with the Education Department, that had been agreed to late in Biden's term.[204] Musk also gained access to the Treasury's payment system.[205] Two OPM officials told Reuters that Musk's allies locked some OPM officials from accessing OPM data systems, with one official saying this enabled Musk's allies to use the systems without oversight.[206] It was reported that this gave DOGE "full access" to the major U.S. Treasury database controlling the expenditure of 6 trillion dollars, as well as "the sensitive personal data of millions of Americans as well as details of public contractors who compete directly with Musk's own businesses." It was reported that the previous top civil servant who was associated with the database was placed on leave and then resigned after objecting to DOGE's access. It was reported that this access could allow Musk to block payments by the U.S. government to many federal programs. Senator Ron Wyden stated that this access was a "national security risk."[207]
On March 21, Elon Musk visited the Pentagon. This was originally scheduled to be a non-classified briefing on China with the Joint Chiefs. However, seemingly after The New York Times reported the previous day on possible Musk conflicts-of-interest due to business interests in China, this was changed to a meeting with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on efficiency. President Trump said, "Elon has businesses in China, and he would be susceptible perhaps to that. But it was such a fake story."[208][209][c] Musk said he wants to find those who leaked details about this meeting ahead of time.[208][210]
Mass layoffs
Trump oversaw mass firings of federal workers at various agencies, many of them described as breaking with precedent or federal law and with the intent to replace them with workers more aligned with Trump's agenda.[211][212][181][213] On January 24, 2025, less than a week into Trump's second presidency, he fired 17 independent inspectors general at federal agencies, which appeared to violate federal law that requires advance notice of dismissals to both chambers of congress with reasons given 30 days in advance.[214] Trump also fired all Democratic but not Republican members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, which would prevent the board from meeting quorum and functioning.[180] Trump also fired members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, over 160 members of the National Security Council for not aligning with his agenda, and 56 senior officials at USAID for allegedly attempting to thwart his priorities.[211]
The New York Times reported in January 2025 that the White House might be hoping the firings would be challenged in court, ultimately the Supreme Court, as test cases to invoke the unitary executive theory to give the president exclusive control of the executive branch. The Republican-appointed supermajority on the Court had in recent years indicated support for the theory, which had also been promoted by Project 2025.[215][216] On the first day of his second term in January 2025, Trump named a Republican as acting chair of the United States Merit Systems Protection Board. In February 2025, Trump removed a Democratic member of the board, Cathy Harris, who had served three years of her term, and demoted the other Democratic member.[217] Harris then sued the Trump administration, alleging that her removal was illegal.[218] On March 4, 2025, a U.S. district judge, citing U.S. Supreme Court cases from 1933 and 1953, entered a permanent injunction ordering that she be reinstated.[219]
Lawsuits
On March 13, federal judge William Alsup of San Francisco ordered that fired employees must be re-hired at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, Department of Interior, and Department of Treasury. He ruled that blanket claims of poor performance cannot be used as a "gimmick" to get around the Reduction in Force Act, and stated that "it is a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that's a lie."[220][221] The Ninth Circuit Court rejected the Trump administration's appeal for them to stay Alsup's ruling, with the appeals court stating that a stay "would not preserve the status quo. It would do just the opposite — it would disrupt the status quo and turn it on its head".[222]
In a second lawsuit also on March 13, federal judge James Bredar of Maryland issued a broader order that the Trump administration must re-hire workers who had been fired from 12 departments and 6 agencies. This was the result of a lawsuit brought by 19 states and the District of Columbia that they had not been given the legally-required advance notice of large layoffs. And that the reason of "performance" was not true. Judge Bredar wrote, "There were no individualized assessments of employees. They were all just fired. Collectively."[221][223]
The Trump administration is both appealing this second decision and complying with it in the meantime. Twenty-four thousand employees are in the process of being re-hired, with most being placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits as the in-between step. The re-hires include 6,400 employees at the IRS, 5,700 employees at the Department of Agriculture, 3,200 employees at the Department of Health and Human Services, and 1,700 employees at the Department of Veteran's Affairs, with all these numbers being rounded to the nearest hundred.[224] Judge William Alsup wrote in a brief follow-up order that re-hired employees must be placed back in their former posts, and not merely placed on administrative leave.[225] On April 8, the U.S. Supreme Court halted the injunction aspect of Judge Alsup's order of immediately re-hiring. However, the Supreme Court didn't rule on the merits of this case as it more slowly and normally works its way through the courts.[226]
USAID
Freezing (most) programs for 90 days
Trump and DOGE have attempted to dismantle the vast majority of USAID,[227] a 10,000-person agency originally tasked to carry-out humanitarian projects.[228] USAID's critics maintain that many of the projects are in fact not all that humanitarian and/or that much of the money is not all that well spent.[229] The administration issued a 90-day stop-work order worldwide,[230] and attracted a lawsuit for not paying vendors.[231] Stop work interrupted about 30 clinical trials,[232] and interrupted projects such as emergency medical care for displaced Palestinians and Yemenis, war refugees on the Sudan-Chad border, and heat and electricity for Ukrainian refugees.[230] The HIV Modeling Consortium estimated the death toll from HIV in sub-Saharan Africa at 14,872 adults and 1,582 children in the one month after Trump's January 2025 funding freeze.[233][234] A key controversy is whether or not waivers are being made and money actually starting to flow again for the most essential programs.[230] For example, the Associated Press reported on February 19, that waivers for PEPFAR, the program that has saved 26 million lives from AIDS, were not in force, despite a federal judge having lifted the funding freeze.[235]
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In February 2025, it was reported that the USAID director of security and a deputy were put on administrative leave after they "blocked efforts by DOGE members to physically access restricted areas" in order to obtain sensitive information. The DOGE members did eventually gain access to the information, which reportedly included email as well as classified information for which they did not have security clearance. And they obtained the ability to lock USAID staff out. Musk had earlier tweeted "USAID is a criminal organization" and that it is "Time for it to die."[236] USAID staff were instructed to keep away from USAID headquarters while hundreds of USAID staff lost access to USAID computer systems.[227] There have been reports that China has offered to take over development projects if the United States permanently leaves.[237][238][239]
During a February 6 press conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, "If it's providing food or medicine or anything that is saving lives and is immediate and urgent, you're not included in the freeze. I don't know how much more clear we can be than that."[240] However, a February 8 CNN article reported that many waivers were not being acted upon because of staff placed on leave, plus payment systems had been taken over.[240] In an interview before the February 9 Super Bowl, Trump said, "Let him take care of the few good ones", referring to Rubio.[241] Rubio's waivers were not in effect.[242] On February 13, federal judge Amir Ali ordered the Trump administration to continue contracts and grants which were in effect January 19.[243] Chief Justice John Roberts, overseeing cases for the District of Columbia, paused this order.[244][245] On March 5, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that the Trump administration must comply with Judge Ali's order.[246][247][248] However, the Supreme Court added that Judge Ali must clarify what obligations the government must meet with "due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines".[246] On March 10, Judge Ali ruled that the Trump administration must pay for completed projects at the rate of 300 back payments a day, meaning four days for all 1,200 back payments, and this being for projects completed by February 13.[249][250] A March 11 ABC News article reported that, until recently, no payments were being made because DOGE had disabled the payment system.[250]
Keeping 17% of programs
On March 10, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he was cancelling 83% of USAID programs, or approximately 5,200 out of 6,200 programs. The remaining 1,000 programs (approximately) would be moved to the Department of State.[251][252] On March 11, USAID acting executive secretary Erica Carr wrote that USAID was "clearing our classified safes and personnel documents", instructing colleagues to shred or burn the documents.[253][254] In mid-March, it was reported that a memo was circulating regarding a re-focused (and renamed) USAID. Even such traditional goals such as equal rights for women and religious freedom are to be classified as "political" goals and are to be brought under direct State Department control. One stated goal is "countering global competitors including China." As of March 20, this memo is still under review by Secretary of State Rubio.[255] As of late March, DOGE no longer lists the details of canceled USAID contracts on its "Wall of Receipts" due to "legal reasons." DOGE lists approximately $12 billion saved, although a former USAID analyst estimates the actual amount is closer to $6 or $7 billion.[256]
President Trump stated the U.S. will help in response to the March 28 earthquake in Myanmar, although the question was asked by a former USAID executive of whether or not the United States will beat other countries in getting there with a relief team(s).[257] In early April, USAID announced it was adding back 14 nations to grants under the UN's World Food Programme. This nations include Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Jordan, Iraq and Ecuador, plus the International Organization for Migration in the Pacific region.[258] However, food aid was not restored to either Yemen or Afghanistan, with a State Department spokesperson saying this was "based on concern that the funding was benefiting terrorist groups, including the Houthis and the Taliban".[259]
On March 28, former DOGE member and then-USAID executive Jeremy Lewin announced plans to wind-down USAID by July 1 "following congressional consultations." The United States State Department will take over some, not all, of remaining functions. Some employees will remain until September 2 to responsibly shut down the agency.[260] In mid-April, Jeremy Lewin himself was moved to the State Department Office of Foreign Assistance to replace Pete Marocco, although it was not known if Lewin would also continue at USAID for a while. [261]
Federal funding freeze
On January 27, 2025, the Trump administration's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released memo M-25-13, which ordered the federal government to take action the next day to "temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by [Trump's] executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the Green New Deal".[262] The memo continued that this would allow the Trump administration to "determine the best uses of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and [Trump's] priorities", while "Medicare or Social Security benefits" were exempted from being affected.[263] 2,600 federal programs were selected for review.[264] The memo sparked considerable uncertainty among government employees, lawmakers and nonprofit organizations.[265]
On January 28, 2025, the Medicaid payment portal shut down across the United States before returning online later that day; the Trump administration said that the shutdown was not related to the funding freeze.[266] Nonprofit organizations reported being unable to enter federal government systems to receive federal funds.[265] The OMB released an additional statement declaring several programs (Medicaid, SNAP, "funds for small businesses, farmers, Pell grants, Head Start, rental assistance", student loans, and "any program that provides direct benefits to Americans") to be exempt from the federal funding freeze.[267][268] After several organizations sued, the OMB memo was blocked by United States District Judge Loren AliKhan before the freeze began, with the block to expire on February 3.[269]
On January 29, the OMB withdrew memo M-25-13, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that this did not nullify the federal funding freeze.[262] On February 1, after 22 states and the District of Columbia sued, District judge John J. McConnell Jr. ordered the Trump administration to temporarily stop the federal funding freeze in those states, as "no federal law would authorize the executive's unilateral action here".[270][271] McConnell took action after concluding that the withdrawal of the "wide-ranging, all-encompassing, and ambiguous" OMB memo was "in name-only and may have been issued simply to defeat the jurisdiction of the courts".[272][273] On February 10, McConnell cited the suing states as providing "evidence" that the Trump administration "in some cases have continued to improperly freeze federal funds and refused to resume disbursement of appropriated federal funds", causing "irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country"; hence McConnell ordered the Trump administration to "immediately restore frozen funding".[274]
Response to judges
After federal district judge Paul Engelmayer ruled in February 2025 to block DOGE from accessing United States Treasury payment systems, Trump responded that "no judge should, frankly, be allowed to make that kind of a decision", while Vance commented that "judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power."[275] After multiple federal judges ruled against the Trump administration's actions, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in February 2025 denied that there was a "constitutional crisis taking place here at the White House", instead saying that the "judges are acting as judicial activists" and "the real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch."[276][277] Meanwhile, Musk proposed "an immediate wave of judicial impeachments".[278] In March 2025, when Judge William Alsup ordered the Trump administration to rehire probationary federal government employees they had fired, with Alsup stating that firings needed to follow a lawful process, Leavitt declared Alsup's decision to be "absurd and unconstitutional", as she stated: "If a federal district court judge would like executive powers, they can try and run for President themselves."[220]
Deportation of Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act
On March 15, 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union and Democracy Forward filed suit against the Trump administration in anticipation of Trump invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which Trump did later the same day.[279] Chief Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a temporary restraining order that any foreigners in the Trump administration's custody could not be deported under the act, pending further judicial rulings in the legal case. Boasberg also made the verbal order: "Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States".[280] Despite Boasberg's order, the Trump administration used three planes to deport around 250 people, alleged to be Venezuelan gang members, to El Salvador.[281] Amnesty International USA has stated that these flights are "yet another example of the Trump administration's racist targeting" of Venezuelans "based on sweeping claims of gang affiliation".[282]
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, "The administration did not 'refuse to comply' with a court order."[282] Leavitt expressed doubts about "whether a verbal order carries the same weight as a written order", while the Trump administration argued in court that "an oral directive is not enforceable as an injunction".[283] The Trump administration also stated that plane was already airborne and outside United States airspace.[282] Trump's border czar Tom Homan said that the Trump administration completed the deportations despite the court order because Boasberg's order was made when the planes were above international waters after departing the United States; Homan also declared regarding deportations: "Another flight every day. ... We are not stopping. I don't care what the judges think."[284] White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Boasberg's order "had no lawful basis ... A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft carrier [commercial jet] full of foreign alien terrorists who were physically expelled from U.S. soil."[281]
Judge Boasberg gave the Trump administration until March 18 to provide details of the timing of the flights. He stated he would not issue another ruling until a hearing scheduled for March 21.[282] Trump criticized Boasberg as "crooked" and called for him to be impeached, leading John Roberts, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, to rebuke Trump, saying "impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision".[285] Attorney General Pam Bondi said on March 19 regarding Boasberg: "this judge has no right to ask those questions" regarding details about the deportation flights, and has "no power" to order the Trump administration to stop the deportation flights, as Bondi declared that judges are "meddling in our government".[286] The family of one deported man stated he had been a tattoo artist for 10 years and was not a gang member. The families of five other deported persons made similar claims.[287] In a 5–4 decision issued on April 7, in a case pertaining to alleged Venezuelan members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration may deport persons under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. However, persons who are detained must be provided notice "within a reasonable time and in such a manner as will allow them to actually seek habeas relief."[288]
Healthcare
On November 14, Trump announced that he would nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary. This was controversial given Kennedy's repeated endorsement of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, with the director of the American Public Health Association stating that Kennedy "already caused great damage in health in the country" and that he is also "a person without a health background".[289] In December, Trump revealed he was discussing ending childhood vaccination programs with Kennedy and promoted the scientifically disproven claim of a link between vaccines and autism.[290] Upon election, the Trump administration ordered a freeze on all communications and reports from HHS and sub-agencies, unless approved by a political appointee.[291] On January 22, DHS announced that ICE would start arresting illegal immigrants in hospitals, if necessary.[292]
On February 18, Trump signed an executive order, that called for the policy recommendations for reducing the out-of-pocket costs of IVF, or In Vitro Fertilisation, and recommendations on removing any legislation that "exacerbate" the costs.[86][293] A fact sheet published by the White House also stated that the administration was going to look into expanding health care coverage for IVF.[294] On February 25, Trump signed an executive order to improve healthcare cost transparency.[295]
By late April, the Trump administration had placed on leave and then temporarily rehired federal employees in the NIOSH, or National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, who had been involved in monitoring for black lung disease. The employees are rehired through June. The administration plans to instead run the black lung surveillance program out of a new bureau called the Administration for a Healthy America.[296]
In January 2025, it was reported that a CDC official had ordered all CDC staff to stop working with WHO, or World Health Organization.[297] Around January 31, 2025, several CDC websites, pages, and datasets related to HIV and STI prevention, LGBT and youth health became unavailable for viewing.[298][299] Shortly thereafter, the CDC ordered its scientists to retract or pause the publication of all research which had been submitted or accepted for publication, but not yet published, which included any of the following banned terms: "Gender, transgender, pregnant person, pregnant people, LGBT, transsexual, non-binary, nonbinary, assigned male at birth, assigned female at birth, biologically male, biologically female."[300]
Also in January 2025, due to a pause in communications imposed by the second Trump administration at federal health agencies, publication of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) was halted, the first time that had happened since its inception in 1960. The pause in communications also caused the cancellation of a meeting between the CDC and IDSA about threats to public health regarding the H5N1 influenza virus.[301]
On February 14, 2025, around 1,300 CDC employees were laid off by the administration, which included all first-year officers of the Epidemic Intelligence Service.[302] The cuts also terminated 16 of the 24 Laboratory Leadership Service program fellows, a program designed for early-career lab scientists to address laboratory testing shortcomings of the CDC.[303] In the following month, the Trump administration quietly withdrew its CDC director nominee, Dave Weldon, just minutes before his scheduled Senate confirmation hearing on March 13.[304]
In April 2025, it was reported that among the reductions is the elimination of the Freedom of Information Act team, the Division of Violence Prevention, laboratories involved in testing for antibiotic resistance, and the team responsible for determining recalls of hazardous infant products.[305] Additional cuts affect the technology branch of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, which was established during the COVID-19 pandemic.[305]
Immigration
Trump has indicated intent to expand and revive immigration policies imposed during his first presidency, including a travel ban on Muslims, expulsion of asylum seekers by asserting that they carry infectious diseases, deputization of police officers and soldiers to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement in mass deportations, and establishment of sprawling detention camps, according to The New York Times.[306] After his win, Trump said "there is no price tag" to carry out these deportations.[307] On November 10, 2024, Trump announced that Tom Homan would be joining the incoming administration as the "border czar",[308] writing that "Homan will be in charge of all deportation of illegal aliens back to their country of origin."[309] While border crossings reached record highs during the first half of the Biden presidency, they reached lower levels near the end of his term and continued into Trump's second presidency.[310]
Shortly after he became president on January 20, 2025, the Trump administration ended services for the app of CBP One and reinstated the national emergency at the southern border and reordered the armed forces to draft plans for deployment,[311][312] and declared actions to move towards labeling Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.[313] Trump increased deportation authorities for the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Marshals Service.[314] He gave ICE the power to deport immigrants who came to the United States legally under Biden administration programs,[315] and established daily deportation quotas to ICE offices.[316] Trump also signed an executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for children of unauthorized immigrants as well as immigrants legally but temporarily present in the United States. At least nine lawsuits have been filed challenged the order on constitutional grounds, and as of February 2025[update], four federal judges have issued preliminary injunctions blocking its implementation and enforcement nationwide.[317][318][319]
On January 22, Trump revoked guidance from 2011 prohibiting immigration arrests in sensitive areas such as courthouses, schools, churches, and hospitals, or during funerals and weddings.[320] NPR reported that a "growing number" of Democrat and Republican officials in cities, states, police departments, school districts and other local governments stated they would not assist in migrant raids citing public safety, civil rights, and administrative capability concerns.[321] On January 29, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, the first legislation of his second term.[322][323] On the same day, he signed a presidential memorandum to begin expansion of the Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center to house up to 30,000 migrants under detention, separate from the high security military prison at Guantanamo Bay. On February 6, U.S. Border Patrol chief Michael W. Banks claimed that illegal border crossings were already down almost 90% since Trump's inauguration, and that criminal prosecutions of those apprehended were up more than 50%.[324] On February 25, Trump announced that the US would launch "Gold Card" residency permits for wealthy immigrants for a price of US$5 million, with an estimated release near the end of March 2025.[325] Trump deported 37,660 people during his first month in office.[326]
In response to injunctions countering his deportations, Trump considered suspending habeas corpus.[327] Stephen Miller in May 2025 said regarding immigration cases that "habeas corpus can be suspended in a time of invasion", and that the Trump administration was "actively looking at" carrying out such a suspension, depending on "whether the courts do the right thing or not"; Article One of the United States Constitution forbids such a suspension "unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it."[328]
Honduran mother deported with two American children
On April 25, 2025, a Honduran mother was deported with her two American children. The Department of Homeland Security says she was given a choice whether to take her children, including a 4-year-old boy being treated for kidney cancer. However, her advocates state that she was denied contact with her family and lawyer in the days she was in detention pre-deportation. She had been arrested and released in February for speeding, driving without insurance, and driving without a license.[329] The administration's border czar Tom Homan said, "We're keeping families together. What we did was remove children with their mothers who requested the children depart with them. There's a parental decision." However, a judge involved in the case said he had "strong suspicion" that the youngest child at age 2 had been sent out of the country with "no meaningful process".[330]
LGBTQ rights
In his 2024 campaign, Trump detailed a range of proposals aimed at reversing recent LGBTQ-related policies and reshaping federal guidelines on gender identity and transgender rights. He stated that on "day one", he would reverse the Biden administration's Title IX expansion, which protects transgender students' rights to use bathrooms, locker rooms, and pronouns that align with their gender identity. He also pledged to cut federal funding to schools promoting "critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content".[331] His proposed policies would significantly limit gender-affirming care, including calling for a federal ban on such care for minors and blocking Medicare and Medicaid funding for doctors providing gender-affirming services. Trump also proposed forbidding federal agencies from "promoting" gender transitions and plans to task the Justice Department with investigating potential long-term effects of gender-affirming treatments.[332]
In his inauguration speech, Trump stated "it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female".[333] Later that day, he issued an executive order, "Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government", that defines sex as binary. It does not include any exceptions for intersex people for whom a sex may not be clearly assigned at birth immediately.[334][335][336] As a consequence of the order, the State Department froze all applications for US passports with the non-binary 'X' marker and announced that passports would only reflect a person's sex assigned at birth.[337] Federal employees were ordered to adjust their email signatures to cease listing personal pronouns aligned with their gender identity.[338] In February, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission moved to dismiss six of its own pending cases alleging gender identity discrimination.[339]
Trump signed other orders:
- On January 27, "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness" rescinded inclusion of transgender members of the US military.[340][341][342] (On March 27, however, a district court issued a preliminary injunction.)[343]
- On January 28, "Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation" threatened the federal funding of any medical institution that provides gender-affirming care for a person under 19.[344] (On February 13, however, a judge blocked it.)[345]
- On January 29, "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling" threatened the federal funding of any school that recognizes a child's gender transition, including name or pronoun changes.[346]
- On February 5, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" attempted to ban transgender women and girl athletes from participating in women's and girls' sports.[347]
- On February 6, "Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias" referred to certain recognitions of sexual orientation and gender identity as examples of "anti-Christian government".[348]
Trump ordered all DEI programs shut down by January 22, placed all employees of such programs on immediate leave, and demanded federal employees report on their colleagues attempting to "disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language".[349] Trump rescinded Executive Order 11246 signed by former president Lyndon Johnson forbidding employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion and national origin, and establishing affirmative action.[350] He attempted to impose more restrictive "red state" social policies onto "blue states" by threatening to cut off federal funding in what was described as an escalation of a culture war.[351]
On May 4, the New York Times reported that nearly half of the 669 grants "canceled in whole or in part" by the NIH had been related to LGBTQ health, amounting to the cancellation of "more than $800 million worth of research into the health of L.G.B.T.Q. people", including dozens of HIV studies.[352]
Military
In November 2024, Trump's transition team was reportedly compiling a list of military officials involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and investigating whether they could be court-martialed. They were also considering creating a commission to investigate the withdrawal, including whether some officials could be eligible for treason.[353] During his campaign, Trump promised to use the military on American soil to fight "the enemy from within" which he described as "radical left lunatics" and Democratic politicians such as Adam Schiff.[354][355] Upon taking office, Trump was described as politicizing the military and introducing culture war topics.[356] Charles Q. Brown Jr., who was originally nominated by Trump, became the first African American to lead a branch of the United States Armed Forces.[357] Trump abruptly dismissed Brown as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on February 21, 2025.[358] Trump subsequently announced that Brown would be replaced with John D. Caine.[359][360]
Religion
Trump's 2024 presidential campaign took on the symbols, rhetoric and agenda of Christian nationalism.[361] He wove Christian religious imagery into his ideology, characterizing it as a "righteous crusade" against "atheists, globalists and the Marxists".[362] Trump has been critical of what he has characterized as a persecution of Christians.[363] On February 6, following the National Prayer Breakfast, he signed an executive order to create a task force to "immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the DOJ, which was absolutely terrible, the IRS, the FBI — terrible — and other agencies."[364][365] Trump appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the task force and appointed Paula White to direct the White House Faith Office.[363]
Science
In response to executive orders, there were freezes in scientific funding and purges of data related to LGBTQ issues, gender, climate change, and racial diversity.[366][367] There were also mass firings across federal scientific agencies. The National Science Foundation (NSF) ceased paying out grants to researchers.[368] After a court order on February 2, the NSF funds were unfrozen.[369] On February 4, 2025, the NSF announced that it would lay off 25% to 50% of its workforce.[370]
The Trump administration ordered a suspension of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding on January 27.[371] The order was blocked by courts after legal challenges but continued when the government exploited a loophole in which they refused to publish the agency's meeting plans in the Federal Register.[371] The NIH announced on February 7 that it would cap support for indirect costs in grants to institutions at 15% of a grant's value.[372] Indirect costs cover expenses that are not directly related to research but are necessary to support it, such as rent for facilities, utilities like heat and electricity, or janitorial and administrative staff.[373][374] Indirect costs typically range from 30% to 70%, and the cuts represent "tens to hundreds of millions of dollars" in lost funding for research institutes.[374] In response, 22 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit and the cuts were paused on February 10.[375] The cuts have led to universities pausing or reducing admissions for graduate biomedical research and medical school programs and hiring of postdoctoral researchers.[376][377] Reports in mid-March stated that the NIH was expected to fire 3,400 to 5,000 people from its 20,000 person workforce.[378]
The Center for Disease Control's (CDC) social vulnerability index and environmental justice index, which measured disparities in health risks, were removed from the organization's website, and on January 31, the data portal was taken completely offline in response to Executive Order 14168, which mandated that federal agencies use "sex" instead of "gender" and that they only recognize male and female sexes.[366] Census web pages about sexual identity and orientation were taken offline, and CDC pages about HIV and LGBTQ+ youth also disappeared.[379] About 750 CDC employees were fired over the weekend of February 15 with leadership stating that 10% (1,300) would be notified of their termination.[380] The Food and Drug Administration purged online material on clinical trial diversity that encouraged drug developers to test the effects of medical treatments on different populations.[381] After a court order, many web pages were restored. The administration added a disclaimer to the restored websites that notes the administrations opposition to what it terms "gender ideology", claiming it is "inaccurate".[382]
Layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began on February 27, 2025, when 880 employees (approximately 5% of the organization) were fired.[383] In some cases, the government attempted to rehire scientists. Members of the technical staff at the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the nuclear arsenal, were fired on February 13; attempts to contact them for rehiring failed because their emails had been disconnected.[375][384] The Department of Agriculture fired several scientists working on the ongoing avian flu outbreak over the same weekend and attempted to rehire them.[385] Members of the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service were told their positions were eliminated, but the decision was reversed after an outcry.[384]
Social Security
On March 18, 2025, the Social Security Administration said that they would be implementing tighter identity verification requirements starting March 31.[386][387] On March 26, the implementation date was pushed to April 14. The policy requires individuals to appear in-person at a field office when applying for retirement benefits, survivors benefits, or auxiliary benefits if they are unable to apply online, removing the option to verify identity by telephone.[388] Applications for SSDI, Medicare, or SSI are exempted from in-person verification requirements, along with benefits applicants subject to extreme situations "such as terminal cases or prisoner pre-release scenarios."[388] This new policy comes at a time the Trump administration is closing some field offices and laying off some Social Security employees.[389]
In late March, Wired reported that DOGE is putting together a team to migrate the Social Security base code from COBOL to a more modern programming language, with the goal of achieving this in a matter of months, whereas most experts say it should take several years to do and test this safely.[390][391] It was reported in mid-April that the Trump administration had placed on the "Master Death File", renamed the "Master Ineligible File", more 6,000 legal immigrants whom officials claimed were either on a terrorism watch list or had an FBI criminal record. However, the White House did not provide evidence for this claim.[392]
In late April, District Judge Ellen Hollander halted DOGE access to individual Social Security records citing privacy law. The Appeals Court for the 4th Circuit decided not to lift this injunction. In early May, the Trump administration appealed this case to the Supreme Court.[393]
Social Security will "clawback" money from a disabled or retired person's monthly payments in cases in which overpayments are discovered. Overpayments can either be the fault of Social Security or of the recipient, for example, a person on SSDI disability not reporting monthly work income over a certain amount. The Biden administration had capped the clawback rate at 10%, but this expired on March 27, 2025, and the clawback rate reverted to 100%. On April 25, the Trump administration reduced this clawback rate to 50%.[394]
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Summarize
Perspective
Trump's second term foreign policy has been described as a mixture of both imperialist and expansionist policies.[395][396][397][398] He engaged in a realist and isolationist "America First" foreign policy agenda.[399][400] His relations with allies were transactional and ranged from indifference to hostility, and he threatened them with economic tariffs or annexation.[401][402] He was described as taking the side of Russia in the Russian invasion of Ukraine,[401][402][403] and overseeing a rupture of the post-1945 rules-based liberal international order and abandonment of multilateralism.[404][399][400]
Trump, historians, and commentators frequently compared his foreign policy to former president William McKinley in relation to expansionism and tariffs.[405][406][407] Michael Klare wrote that containing the influence of China and preventing the rise of any rival power is the central foreign policy objective of the Trump administration, comparing Trump's approach to the Wolfowitz Doctrine.[408] Trump has attempted to deepen the U.S.-India partnership.[409]
A combination of American allies, enemies, and critics have responded to comments and actions of the second Trump administration.[410] Countries like Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Denmark and Finland are warning their citizens about traveling to the U.S. as they can be detained without warning.[411][412][413][414][415]
Europe
The Trump administration has argued that European nations should contribute more to their own defense while the U.S. focuses on China.[416] During his 2024 campaign, he said he would not defend NATO allies if they did not meet the alliance's spending target of 2% of GDP on defense, and that he would "encourage" Russia to "do whatever the hell they want".[417][418][419] Trump officials privately expressed contempt for European "freeloading";.[420][421] Trump's policies and rhetoric accelerated an ongoing European rearmament.[422][423][424][425] Trump called Poland, which exceeds the NATO defense spending target, "one of the best groups of people I have ever met".[426] Trump's administration has also expressed cultural disagreement with Europe and the European Union: in a speech at the 61st Munich Security Conference, Vice President Vance criticized European policies on free speech and democratic values, and accused European leaders of suppressing dissenting views on issues such as immigration.[416][427] Vance also expressed support for lifting restrictions on the Alternative for Germany, a far-right German political party.[428] Trump's first foreign visit as president-elect was to Paris for the reopening of the Notre-Dame de Paris, during which he met with French president Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the war in Ukraine,[429][430] and met with other European officials.[431][432] While meeting with British prime minister Keir Starmer in February 2025, Trump accepted a request from King Charles III for a state visit in the U.K.;[433][434] both Trump and Starmer praised the U.S.–U.K. "Special Relationship".[433]
Trump began a push for peace negotiations to end the Russia–Ukraine war.[435] In February 2025, Trump held phone calls with Russian president Vladimir Putin and with Zelenskyy that he said marked the beginning of negotiations.[436] He threatened Ukraine with a suspension of U.S. military aid[437] and Russia with sanctions and tariffs if he decided they were not negotiating in good faith.[438][439] The U.S. sought a mineral resources agreement with Ukraine[440] though was unwilling to offer postwar security guarantees for Ukraine in exchange.[440][441] Negotiators reached a deal on the agreement[442][443][444] but the agreement fell through after a contentious meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office that ended when the Ukrainian delegation was abruptly asked to leave.[433][445] Afterwards, the U.K. and France developed a proposal in which a "coalition of the willing" would provide security guarantees to Ukraine.[446][447] The U.S. and Russia held a summit in Saudi Arabia for peace talks in February[448] and U.S. held a summit with Ukraine the next month, during which Ukraine accepted a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire.[449][450] Putin did not accept the ceasefire,[451] though on 18 March Russia agreed to a 30-day ceasefire only for strikes on energy infrastructure and in the Black Sea,[452] which Ukraine agreed to.[453][454]
Africa
Trump's administration strained relations with South Africa. Trump suspended all aid to South Africa, saying the country's land expropriation law discriminated against Afrikaners;[455] he also offered Afrikaners refugee status in the U.S.[416][456] Rubio refused to attend the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Johannesburg[457] and he declared the South African ambassador persona non grata for his criticism of U.S. policies.[458] Rubio condemned the Rwandan-backed Goma offensive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and called for an immediate ceasefire and respect for territorial integrity.[459] U.S. officials entered into talks with the DRC on a minerals deal after a proposal from Congolese president Félix Tshisekedi.[460] Trump called Lesotho a nation "which nobody has ever heard of",[461] and the U.S. revoked all visas of and barred entry to citizens of South Sudan after a dispute over the deportation of a South Sudanese citizen.[462]
Asia
Middle East
Syria
During the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives that toppled the Assad regime in Syria, Trump said that the U.S. should stay out of the conflict.[463] In March 2025, Rubio condemned the massacres of Syrian Alawites.[464] Trump agreed to lift sanctions on Syria after discussing the situation with Mohammed bin Salman and Erdoğan.[465][466]
Israel and Gaza
After being elected in November 2024, Trump said he wished to end the Gaza war,[467][468] telling Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end Israel's invasion within two months[467] and warning Hamas that they would have "all hell to pay" if they did not agree to a ceasefire and release all hostages by Trump's inauguration.[469] Trump's incoming administration joined the Biden administration in pressuring negotiations,[470][471][472] and Israel and Hamas agreed to a phased ceasefire on January 15, 2025.[473][474][475] In February 2025, Trump proposed an American takeover of Gaza in which the territory's Palestinian population would be relocated to allow for its redevelopment, which was criticized by Egypt and Jordan.[476][477] The ceasefire lasted until March 18, when Israel launched attacks on Gaza.[478]
On May 16, while in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Trump said, “We’re looking at Gaza. And we’re going to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving.” This is an area of tension between President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel claims that Hamas systemically raids food aid in order to support its operations, and Israel has put forward a plan of food distributed through a system of hubs run by private contractors and protected by Israeli soldiers. The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been set up to carry out this plan and announced it would be ready to begin operations by the end of May.[479][480]
Houthis
In March 2025, the U.S. began a series of airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen to counter attacks on Red Sea shipping, with the goal of restoring freedom of navigation and deterring further aggression.[481] U.S. officials accidentally included The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat discussing the military plans, sparking a political scandal and accusations of risking national security and violating records-preservation laws.[482][483][484]
Iran
Trump reinstated his "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran and sought to negotiate a new deal to limit Iran's nuclear program.[485][486] In March 2025, Trump sent a letter to Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei urging new negotiations and warning of military action if talks fail.[487][488][489]
Indian subcontinent
India rejected Trump's offer to mediate India-China tensions.[490] On February 13, 2025, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi became the fourth world leader to visit Donald Trump at the White House.[491]
In early 2025, deportations to Bhutan of Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugees who had been settled in the US for nearly two decades resulted in statelessness of the deportees following their interrogation and expulsion from Bhutan upon arrival. Some of the refouled refugees, who had encountered largely minor legal issues in the US, were then arrested for illegal entry to Nepal upon seeking to re-enter the refugee camps they had previously inhabited before US resettlement.[492][493]
In response to the 2025 India–Pakistan strikes, Vice President Vance said that, a potential war between India and Pakistan is "none of our business."[494]
Trade and tariffs
Trump has said he would establish an External Revenue Service to collect tariffs.[495] In February 2025, Trump announced tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China, and acknowledged that U.S. consumers may feel "short-term" pain as a result.[496] The 10% Chinese tariffs went ahead, while North American tariffs were paused for 30 days. On March 4, the administration imposed 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada (with a lower 10% tariff on Canadian energy) and an additional 10% tariff on China, for a total of 20%.[497] China and Canada responded immediately with retaliatory tariffs, while Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum stated their tariffs would be announced on March 9.[498]
Expansionism
In the lead-up to his second inauguration, Trump proposed plans and ideas that would expand the United States' political influence and territory.[499] It has been characterized as a revival of the Monroe Doctrine.[500] The last territory acquired by the United States was in 1947 when the Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands were acquired.
Canada
The Trump administration has imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods imports that do not fall under Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement, with exceptions for steel, aluminum, and Canadian-made passenger vehicle content.[501] Canadian officials responded with retaliatory 25% tariffs,[502][503] and have even proposed cutting off the supply of Canadian energy into the Northern United States.[504] Manitoba has diverted energy to Canada that it previously supplied to the USA.[505] Peter Navarro, a trade envoy and high-ranking Trump official, has suggested expelling Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance to increase pressure in the trade war.[506]
Trump has repeatedly stated his desire for the United States to annex Canada and calling for it to become the 51st state,[507] calling former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau "Governor of the Great State of Canada".[508] Trudeau stated to business leaders in Canada that he believes the annexation threats are a "real thing."[509] The strained relations have led to a "Buy Canadian" movement to boycott American goods and services,[510] and booing the American national anthem during international hockey games.[511] When tariffs were implemented on March 4, Trudeau stated that Trump's goal in the trade war was to weaken Canada in order to annex it.[512]
Greenland
In December 2024, Trump stated a further proposal for the United States to purchase Greenland from Denmark, describing ownership and control of the island as "an absolute necessity" for national security purposes. This builds upon a prior offer from Trump to buy Greenland during his first term, which the Danish Realm refused, causing him to cancel his August 2019 visit to Denmark.[513][better source needed] On January 7, 2025, Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. visited Greenland's capital city Nuuk alongside Charlie Kirk to hand out MAGA hats.[514] At a press conference the following day, Trump refused to rule out military or economic force to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal.[515] However, he did rule out military force in taking over Canada.[515] On January 14, the Trump-affiliated Nelk Boys also visited Nuuk, handing out dollar bills to locals.[516] On January 16, the CEOs of major Danish companies Novo Nordisk, Vestas and Carlsberg among others were assembled for a crisis meeting in the Ministry of State to discuss the situation.[517][518] On the subsequent day, former chief executive Friis Arne Petersen in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the situation as "historically unheard of", while Noa Redington, special adviser to former prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, compared the international pressure on Denmark that during the 2005 Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.[519] On February 12, 2025, a bill was introduced in Congress to advance efforts to acquire Greenland and rename it Red, White, and Blueland.[520]
Panama Canal
In 2024, Trump demanded that Panama return control of the Panama Canal to the United States due to 'excessive rates' being charged for American passage.[521] The United States previously was in control of the Panama Canal Zone from 1903 until 1999, and has invaded Panama before in 1989.[522][523] Trump told Congress in March 2025 that his administration "will be reclaiming the Panama Canal".[524] Also that month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instructed the Trump administration to "immediately" present "credible military options to ensure fair and unfettered US military and commercial access to the Panama Canal".[525]
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Ethics
Summarize
Perspective
Trump's second presidency was described by political commentators as having fewer prohibitions on business activity and guardrails against potential conflicts of interest than his first, and for having more opportunities to directly influence Trump.[526][527] Trump repealed and rolled back anti-corruption efforts and ethical standards for himself and his allies, dropped corruption charges against political figures with ties to him, and fired inspectors generals investigating fraud and abuse. The New York Times described Trump as making up statistics "out of thin air", and for accusing government agencies and "anyone he disfavors of corruption and even criminality without proof".[528] His second presidency was described as breaking with decades of ethical norms,[529] and raising substantial corruption concerns.[530][531] Congressional Republicans largely downplayed or ignored the concerns.[532][529]
Conflicts of interest
Trump's second presidency included multiple potential conflicts of interest that did not exist during his first term in office, including a publicly traded company in Truth Social, a cryptocurrency venture, new overseas real estate deals involving state-affiliated entities, and several branding and licensing deals selling Trump-branded merchandise.[526] His 2024 campaign was noted for an "unprecedented" mixing of personal business and political fundraising.[533] Trump promoted $59.99 bibles, $399 sneakers, $99 "Victory47" cologne, and $99 Trump-branded NFT digital trading cards for his personal, non-campaign accounts.[534][535] Trump's campaign was noted for spending large sums of campaign money at Trump-owned businesses, in particular his Mar-a-Lago resort and the Trump National Doral Miami.[536]
After winning the election, Trump mirrored his first term's ethics commitments and did not divest from his interests in branding and real estate. He also did not place his assets in a trust managed by an independent trustee.[537] Trump did not adopt his own formal ethics guidelines.[538] Trump transferred his shares of Truth Social into a trust in which he is the sole beneficiary, of which his oldest son is the trustee. Ethics experts described it as falling "well short of the blind trusts and divestitures from private business interests that other presidents have used to avoid ethical conflicts with their job". Trump's son, Eric Trump, said the Trump Organization would continue to pursue business deals overseas, dropping a self-imposed prohibition during Trump's first presidency.[527] Trump profited from holding events at his hotels and golf courses.[537][539] Trump's conflicts of interest were described as having national-security risks, with particular emphasis placed on relationships with the Saudi and Dubai governments through the Trump Organization and his son-in-law Jared Kushner's investment fund backed by the Saudis.[540] Trump noted that conflict of interest laws did not apply to him and that he was protected by broad immunity for his official actions as president.[541]
Trump repealed ethics rules prohibiting executive branch employees accepting major gifts from lobbyists and two year bans on lobbyists seeking executive jobs and vice versa. Critics described the repeal as the opposite of his pledge to "drain the swamp".[543] Trump also signed an executive order to stop the Justice Department prosecuting Americans accused of bribing foreign government officials.[544] Trump's wife, Melania, entered into a deal with Amazon to create a documentary about herself, which raised ethics concerns as it was made while she was still in office.[537] In March 2025, Trump praised Tesla's cars on the White House lawn with notes about the cars features alongside Elon Musk in "something of a sales pitch" which was described in The Nation as "brazenly corrupt".[542][545] Countries facing tariffs were pushed by the State Department to approve Musk's Starlink satellite service.[546]
On April 9, 2025, Trump's encouragement of investors to buy stocks hours before pausing tariffs that sent markets soaring was scrutinized by Democrats and government ethics experts as possible market manipulation.[547] Representative Adam Schiff called on congress to investigate whether in pausing tariffs, Trump had engaged in insider trading or market manipulation.[548]
In May 2025, Trump's intention to accept a $400 million dollar luxury jet from Qatar to first serve as Air Force One and later be transferred to his presidential library elicited rare, bipartisan criticism, with his supporters deriding it as a "bribe", "grift" and "corruption".[549] The Guardian criticized it as an example of a quid pro quo.[550] The Boston Globe described the deal as an example of an increasingly transactional presidency, describing it as more direct than during his first term and showing that he was "willing to bend for anyone who gives him what he craves: praise, prestige, and a cut of the profits".[551]
Trump's cabinet were noted to have a large number of potential conflicts of interest, with the Campaign Legal Center finding over 467 that would require recusal, with the most, 106, belonging to Howard Lutnick.[538] Trump Media gifted 25,946 shares of stock of DJT to each of his picks for FBI director, Kash Patel, and education secretary nominee, Linda McMahon, totaling $779,400 each as of January 31, 2025. Both members served as directors for his company, and they later said they would not accept the award. He also gifted thousands of shares to his son.[552]
Cryptocurrency ventures
On January 17, 2025, Trump launched, promoted, and personally benefited[543] from a cryptocurrency memecoin, $Trump, that soared to a market valuation of over $5 billion within a few hours—a total $27 billion diluted value—through a Trump-owned company called CIC Digital LLC, which owned 80 percent of the coin's supply.[553] Within two days, the $Trump coin became the 19th most valuable form of cryptocurrency in the world, with a total trading value of nearly $13 billion, and a total of $29 billion worth of trades based on a $64 value of each of the 200 million tokens issued by the afternoon of January 19. The New York Times reported that Trump affiliates controlled an additional 800 million tokens that, hypothetically, could be worth over $51 billion, potentially making Trump one of the richest people in the world. Trump also launched a new memecoin named after his wife, $Melania, and promoted it on Truth Social shortly before attending an inauguration rally. The crypto venture was criticized by ethics experts and government watchdogs.[554] The venture and the possibility of foreign governments buying the coin was highlighted as possibly violating the Constitution's foreign emoluments clause.[555] He promoted exclusive access to him for the largest holders of $Trump, which according to The New York Times, certain buyers in interviews and statements said they "bought the coins or entered the dinner contest with the intention of securing an action by Mr. Trump to affect United States policy".[556]
He directly benefited from his cryptocurrency company World Liberty Financial which engaged in an unprecedented mixing of private enterprise and government policy. It directly solicited access to Trump with secret payments and currency swaps from foreign investors, companies, and individuals with criminal records and investigations. At least one investigation was dropped after payment worth several million was made to the firm, and Trump granted an official pardon to an investor of a company World Liberty had invested in. Trump's family received a cut of all transactions made through the World Liberty, and the company directly advertised its connections to Trump. Several actions taken by Trump's administration regarding cryptocurrency were noted to bolster the company's assets and position. A spokeswoman for Trump stated that since his assets were in a trust managed by his children, there were "no conflicts of interest".[541] On May 12, 2025, another family bitcoin company co-founded by Eric Trump in March, American Bitcoin, announced plans to go public by merging with an existing Nasdaq company.[557]
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Elections during the second Trump presidency
Historical evaluations and public opinion
Summarize
Perspective
Evaluations
Professor Christina Pagel mapped the first actions of the Trump administration in a Venn diagram that identifies "five broad domains that correspond to features of proto-authoritarian states". These five domains are: undermining democratic institutions and the rule of law, dismantling federal government; dismantling social protections and rights, enrichment and corruption; suppressing dissent and controlling information; attacking science, environment, health, arts and education; aggressive foreign policy and global destabilization.[560]
Journalist Martin Sandu and authoritarian politics researcher Alex Norris described the maximalist interpretation of executive power in Trump's second term as president, including sweeping executive orders, the federal funding freeze, actions against political opponents and the media, pardons of those involved in the 2021 attempted self-coup, the actions of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, and the like as an attempted self-coup.[561][562] Political scientist Lee Morgenbesser argued the actions of DOGE are a form of state capture.[563]
Public opinion
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Donald Trump began his second term with another historically low job approval rate, only improving on the lowest rate, which he claimed in his first term, by three points.[564] President Trump began his first term at a 45% job approval and began his second term with 47%. According to Gallup, "Trump remains the only elected president with sub-50% initial approval ratings".[564] In a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted from February 5–7, 2025, Trump reached a career high poll rating of 53%.[565] According to ABC News, Trump's approval rating at the end of his first 100 days in office was 39%, worse than any president's approval after his first 100 days since at least 1945.[566] A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that Trump's approval increased from 42% to 44% between April and May.[567]
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See also
Notes
- Grover Cleveland became the first to do so following his win in the 1892 election.
- The New York Times article links to an earlier tweet by chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell refuting the very first New York Times report, including a screen capture of it. It was originally published in the section "Trump Administration – Live updates", and titled "Musk Set to Get Access to Top Secret U.S Plan for Potential War With China".
References
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