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| Second presidency of Donald Trump January 20, 2025 – present | |
Vice President | |
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| Cabinet | Full list |
| Party | Republican |
| Election | 2024 |
| Seat | White House |
| Official website | |
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Business and personal
45th and 47th President of the United States Tenure
Shutdowns Speeches
Opinion polls Legal affairs
Impeachments   | ||
Donald Trump's second and current tenure as thepresident of the United States began uponhis inauguration as the47th president on January 20, 2025. Trump, aRepublican, previously served as the45th president from 2017 to 2021. He lost re-election toDemocratic candidateJoe Biden in2020, and then won against Democratic candidateKamala Harris in2024. Trump is the secondformer U.S. president to return to office.[a] Alongside Trump's second presidency, the Republican Party also currently holds majorities in theHouse of Representatives and theSenate during the119th U.S. Congress following the2024 elections, thereby attaining an overall federalgovernment trifecta.
During 2025, Trump signed 225executive orders, the most of any president in a single year sinceFranklin D. Roosevelt. Many of these have been or are being challenged in court.[1] Hisattempts to expand presidential power andconflict with the courts have been described as a defining characteristic of his second presidency.[2] The Trump administrationhas taken action against law firms for challenging its policies. Onimmigration, Trump signed theLaken Riley Act into law, revived numerous immigration laws from his first presidency,attempted to restrictbirthright citizenship, and initiated procedures formass deportations, including nationwide raids byImmigration and Customs Enforcement. In January 2025, Trump launched theDepartment of Government Efficiency (DOGE), withElon Musk briefly overseeing it. DOGE was tasked with reducing federal spending and limiting bureaucracy, and it oversawmass layoffs of civil servants along with efforts to dismantle government agencies such as theAgency for International Development. Trump has also overseena series of tariff increases and pauses, which led to retaliatory tariffs from other countries andstock market volatility.[3][4][5][6]
In international affairs, Trump has further strengthenedU.S. relations with Israel. His administrationincreased support for Israel in the Gaza war, aidedIsrael in the June 2025Iran–Israel war and carried outstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.[7] In early October, Trump'splan for a Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel andHamas was signed. Amid theRusso-Ukrainian war that began in 2022, the Trump administration undertook multiple attempts atpeace negotiations. Trump has authorized a series of lethalstrikes on suspected drug traffickers in theCaribbean Sea, whose legality is widely disputed under both U.S. and international law, and subsequently ordereda military operation to captureNicolás Maduro, thedisputed president of Venezuela.[8][9] As in his first presidency, Trump initiated the withdrawal of the U.S. from theWorld Health Organization, theParis Climate Accords, andUNESCO.[10]
The Trump administration has been criticized forits targeting of political opponents and civil society. Many of his administration's actions have been found by judges to be illegal and unconstitutional,[11][12][13][14] and have been criticized as authoritarian and contributing todemocratic backsliding in the country. Trump is the first president with afelony conviction.[b] At 78 years old and seven months, he is theoldest person to become U.S. president. Following his electoral victoriesin 2016 and 2024, he is constitutionally ineligible from seeking further terms due to theTwenty-second Amendment to theU.S. Constitution, although many of his associates have discussed the possibility of him running for a third term.[15]
Trump, whopreviously served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 and losthis reelection bid toJoe Biden in the2020 presidential election,[16] announcedhis candidacy for thenomination of theRepublican Party in the2024 presidential election on November 15, 2022.[17][18] In March 2024, Trump secured the Republican nomination.Trump selected SenatorJD Vance of Ohio, a former critic of his, as hisrunning mate, and the two were officially nominated at the2024 Republican National Convention.[19] On July 13, Trump was the victim of anattempted assassination during a campaign rally inButler, Pennsylvania.[20]
Early on November 6, 2024, the day after the election, Trump was projected to have secured the presidency.[21][22] Trump won thepresidential election with 312 electoral votes and 49.8% of the popular vote, whileKamala Harris received 226 electoral votes and 48.3% of the popular vote.[23][24] Trump, upon taking office, became the second president in U.S. history to serve non-consecutive terms after Grover Cleveland in 1893,[25] and the first with a felony to serve the presidency afterhis conviction in May 2024.[26] In the concurrentcongressional elections, Republicans secured agovernment trifecta after retaining their majority in theHouse of Representatives and winning back control of theSenate.[27]
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Thepresidential transition period began following Trump's victory in the2024 U.S. presidential election, though Trump had chosenLinda McMahon andHoward Lutnick to begin planning for the transition in August 2024. According toThe New York Times, Trump was "superstitious" and preferred to avoid discussing the presidential transition process until after Election Day. His transition team relied on the work of theAmerica First Policy Institute, rather thanthe Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that garnered controversy during the election forProject 2025, a set of initiatives that would reshape the federal government.[28] By October, he had not participated in the federal presidential transition process,[29] and he had not signed a required ethics pledge, as of November.[30]
During the transition period, Trump announced nominations for hiscabinet andadministration. Trump wasinaugurated on January 20, 2025.[31] He was sworn in byChief JusticeJohn Roberts.[32] The inauguration occurred indoors in theCapitol Rotunda.[33] Two days before the inauguration, Trump launched ameme coin,$Trump.[34] In his first weeks, several of Trump's actions ignored or violated federal laws, regulations, and the Constitution.[35][36]
In Trump'sfirst hundred days in office, he signed 143executive orders, the most of any president in this period, 42presidential memoranda, 42presidential proclamations, theLaken Riley Act,a continuing appropriations act, and other pieces oflegislation for Congress.Trump's extensive use of executive orders drew a mixed reception from both Republicans and Democrats. Some executive orders tested the limits ofexecutive authority, and others faced immediate legal challenges.[37][38] Major topics Trump focused on includedimmigration reform,deportations,applying tariffs on other countries, cutting federal spending, reducing the federal workforce, increasing executive authority, and implementing anon-interventionist foreign policy.
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Trump's cabinet choices were described by news media as valuing personal loyalty over relevant experience,[39][40] and for having a range of conflicting ideologies and "eclectic personalities".[41][42] It was also described as the wealthiest administration in modern history, with over 13 billionaires chosen to take government posts.[43][44] He nominated or appointed 23 formerFox News employees to his administration.[45] Notably, Trump's nomination ofScott Bessent asSecretary of the Treasury made Bessent the highest ranking openly LGBTQ person to serve in the United States government.[46]
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".[47][48] As part of itsU.S. federal deferred resignation program, the Trump administration demanded "loyalty" from federal workers.[49] 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.[50]
Staffers were dispatched across federal agencies to look for anti-Trump sentiment among government agencies. Some new hires were told to provide examples of what they did to help Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, when their moment of "MAGA revelation" occurred, prove their "enthusiasm", be positively referenced by confirmed loyalists, and provide access to their social media handles.The Associated Press described the intense loyalty tests as a way to separate individuals following traditional Republican orthodoxy from Trump's MAGA ideology.[47] 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.[51]
Trump had assistance from Elon Musk, other political operatives, and an antisemitism task force.[52] Advisors wereChristopher Rufo in education;Stephen Miller in domestic policy and immigration; and four co-authors of Project 2025:Russell Vought,Peter Navarro,Paul S. Atkins, andBrendan Carr.[53]
Trump began office with the most executive orders ever signed on the first day of a United States presidential term,[54] at 26executive orders.[55] Following behind Trump's executive order tally is Joe Biden at 9 executive orders on January 20, 2021,[56] then Barack Obama at 2 executive orders, and Bill Clinton at 1 executive order.[57] Trump's signing of executive orders was described as a "shock and awe" campaign that tested the limits of executive authority.[58][59] Four days into Trump's second term, analysis conducted byTime found that nearly two-thirds ofhis executive actions "mirror or partially mirror" proposals fromProject 2025,[60] which was seconded with analysis fromBloomberg Government.[61]
The signing of many ofTrump's executive orders are being challenged in court, with the executive orders affecting federal funding, federal employee status, immigration, federal programs,government data availability, and more. The majority of the early cases were filed in response to executive orders related to the establishment of theDepartment of Government Efficiency (DOGE),Executive Order 14158, and the actions taken byElon Musk and the DOGE team towards federal agencies described as cost-cutting measures.[62]
In the first quarter of 2025, economic growth was a negative 0.5%.CBS News said the decline occurred because “businesses scrambled to bring in foreign goods ahead of new U.S. tariffs,” .[65] Second quarter economic growth was 3.8% annualized (as if continuing for the full year).[66] In the third quarter,real GDP grew to 4.3%, the fastest rate in two years.[67]
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was aU.S. federal statute which constituted the core of the Trump administration's second-term economic agenda. It contains hundreds of provisions. Among the most notable, the Act extends the individual tax ratesTrump signed into law in 2017, raises the cap on thestate and local tax deduction to $40,000 for taxpayers making less than $500,000, expands work requirements forSNAP benefits, adds work requirements and makes significant spending cuts toMedicaid, and significantly increases spending on defense and border security.[68][69][70]
The OBBBA has been criticized for limiting health insurance coverage and resulting in an upwards transfer of wealth.[71][72] It is expected to add a total of $3 trillion to the national debt of the United States by 2034, according to theCongressional Budget Office.[68][69][71][73]
Because the Senate could not muster 60 votes perfilibuster rules, funding for non-essential services ended October 1, 2025. Throughout October and into November, Senate had 14 votes all of which failed to reach the 60-vote threshold. The shutdown ended on November 12.[74][75]
In early October,Senate majority leader John Thune said, "We have a majority of senators — 55 senators have already voted for this clean, short-term, nonpartisan CR," referring to acontinuing resolution.Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke from the floor of the Senate and said 70% of Americans supported keeping the same money for theAffordable Care Act, informally "Obamacare". In addition, Schumer claimed that a survey byKFF showed that 57% ofMAGA supporters also favored keeping the same money for ACA.[74]
The governments of 25 states are suing the Trump administration regarding SNAP benefits (“food stamps”) which are expected to run out on the first day of November. 1 out of 8 Americans rely on these benefits. SNAP stands for "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program."[76] The administration says that they are prohibited by law from using the “contingency fund” for normal, operational expenses because this money is purposed for extraordinary events such asHurricane Melissa. The states suing say this both goes against the wording of the law and is a “dramatic change,” pointing out that the contingency fund was used for SNAP benefits during the 2019 shutdown.[77]
On October 31, a federal judge in Rhode Island cited the Administrative Procedure Act and temporarily ordered the Trump administration to continue SNAP funding. A second federal judge in Boston said the Trump administration’s plan to stop SNAP funding during the shutdown was against the law, but did not order payments to resume.[78]
On November 7, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson temporarily froze the lower court order requiring full payment of SNAP.[79]ABC News stated, “at least nine states had already begun issuing SNAP benefits under the direction of the federal agency that operates SNAP,” reportedly including California, Wisconsin, Kansas, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Vermont.[80]
In early November, Trump called for ending the Senate’s rule and tradition of the filibuster.[81] On November 6, some Republican senators talked about making a "clean" Continuing Resolution one of the exceptions to the filibuster rule, but it’s estimated that this change is unlikely.[82]
On November 9, the Senate achieved a 60-vote compromise of a “mini-bus” which will fund certain departments through next September and the rest of government through January 30. SNAP will be funded through September. Senate Republicans agree to have a vote on the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) funding by the 2nd week of December. Eight Democrats voted with Republicans to end the shutdown.[83] On November 12, the House passed the bill, 222 to 209. Trump then signed it into law.[84]
During the shutdown pain had been increasing from government workers not getting paid, from SNAP benefits ending, and from understaffed air traffic control.CBS News said, “The moderates viewed the deal — after Republicans leaders refused Schumer's offer — as the best possible offer they could secure, arguing that continuing the shutdown would only inflict more pain without any hopes of a better deal.” In addition,Senator Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) was won by a new continuing resolution coming from theWhite House which reversed the October layoffs.[75]
On January 8, 2026, theHouse of Representatives voted 397 - 28 for a three-bill package, known as a "minibus," which House and Senate negotiators had put forward earlier that week.[85]
There was a partial shutdown fromJanuary 31 till February 3, 2026. On February 3, the House passed and President Trump signed the Senate version to fund the United States government through September, which the exception of theDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS) only being funding through February 13. This is the result of disagreement between Democrats and Republicans over how to move forward from thesituation in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[86]
In the end, 21 House Democrats had voted for the funding bill and 21 House Republicans had voted against it.[87]
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Trump has been a strong proponent of tariffs both during his campaign and as president.[88][89] Throughout the first 100 days of his presidency, he implemented tariffs on multiple different countries, though mainly China, Mexico, and Canada, leading to retaliation.[90]
On April 2, 2025, a day Trump nicknamed "Liberation Day", he announced a 10% universal import duty on all goods brought into the US (even higher for some trade partners), before ordering a 90-day pause shortly after drops in the market.[91][92] The Trump administration promised it would achieve 90 trade deals during this period, though only managed to achieve two by the end of the deadline, July 9, as well as ongoing negotiations with China, extending the window until August 1.[93] Trump threatened to raise tariffs on multiple countries after the first deadline was met, including Japan and South Korea.[94]
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Tariffs were primarily absorbed by importers by compressing profit margins. Oxford Economics estimated that tariffs contributed about 0.4 percentage points to the 2025 SeptemberConsumer Price Index's annual rate of 3.0%, keeping inflation above the Federal Reserve’s target. Corporate earnings were significantly affected, with global companies reporting more than $35 billion in tariff-related costs ahead of the third-quarter earnings season.[100]
On August 29, 2025, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled 7-4 that many of the Trump tariffs were invalid. The Appeals Court had ruled that theInternational Emergency Economic Powers Act (1977), did not grant the broad powers which the Trump administration was claiming.[101]
The Supreme Court will consider the case in February 2026, and the Appeals Court decision is paused until the Supreme Court issues its decision.[102][103]
This decision did not affect some specific tariffs, such as steel or aluminum which were increased under other presidential authority.[101]
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%.[104][105] However, this 30% is still more expensive for consumers in the United States compared to the state of affairs before Trump's initial tariffs.[106]
On August 11, 2025, this deal was extended for another 90 days.[107]
On July 27, 2025, the United States and theEuropean Union concluded a trade agreement, providing for 15% tariffs on European exports. The deal was announced by Trump and President of the European CommissionUrsula von der Leyen atTurnberry, Scotland.[108][109] European states committed to $750 billion inenergy purchases and $600 billion in additional investments in the United States.[110]
From May 13 to 16, 2025, Donald Trump undertook afour-day visit to the Middle East, focused primarily on securing business deals and investments in the United States.[111][112][113][114]
In early January 2026, President Trump called for capping credit card interest at 10%. In contrast,Reuters reports that the average American consumer pays more than 19% interest.[115][116]
However, Wall Street analysts say that such a cap would require legislation from Congress which they estimate has “slim odds” of passing. Furthermore, this might hurt the overall economy since consumer spending is a major driver.[115]
In January 2026, Trump proposed several actions and policies to make housing more affordable. These included the banning of "large institutional investors" from buying single-family homes, buying up to $200 billion of mortgage debt in order to reduce mortgage interest rates [already started earlier in the month], making 50-year mortgages available, making portable mortgages available, and allowing homebuyers to use their 401(k)s plans for down payments.[117]
Critics saythe housing shortage is the number one reason for higher prices and that addressing this shortage will take a number of state and local actions. Critics also say that making portable mortgages available would give existing home-owners an even bigger advantage over first-time buyers.[117]
In January 2026, Trump announced that he had orderedFannie Mae andFreddie Mac to buy up to $200 billion in mortgage-backed bonds to drive down interest rates for new mortgages. The interest rates have since fallen.[117]
In April 2024, former president Trump had declared thatabortion should be delegated to states.[118][119] He said he would not sign a federal ban and criticized theArizona Supreme Court's ruling inPlanned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes (2024), which upheld an 1864 law.[120][121]
TheAlabama Supreme Court ruled inLePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine (2024) thatfrozen embryos are living beings. In contrast, Trump positioned himself in favor ofin vitro fertilisation (IVF).[122][123]
In January 2025, Trump reinstated theMexico City policy ("global gag rule"), which had been rescinded by theBiden administration. Since the 1980s, this rule has been put in place during Republican administrations and rescinded during Democratic administrations.[124]
In May 2025, in a case involvingtelehealth prescriptions and the abortion-drugMifepristone, the Trump administration asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the states involve did not havestanding. This case wasMissouri v. FDA brought beforefederal judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in theNorthern District of Texas. The states involved were Missouri, Idaho, and Kansas.[125][126][127]
In June 2025, theCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services ended the rule which required hospitals to provide emergency abortions under theEmergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.[128][129][130]
In October 2025, theFood and Drug Administration approved a generic version of the abortion pillmifepristone, allowing three U.S. companies to produce it and expanding access to medication abortion. The administration has not implemented major new restrictions on medication abortion, althoughHealth and Human Services officials announced a review of mifepristone's safety in response to pressure from opponents.[131][132]
During his second presidency beginning in 2025, Donald Trump launched a campaign of anti-LGBTQ+ and especiallyanti-transgender policies that eliminated federal recognition of transgender people, stripped legal protections, and sought to erase trans identities from public life.[133] Througha series of executive orders, the administration defined sex strictly by birth biology, banned trans people from the military,[134] restricted or defunded gender-affirming healthcare, censored research and education materials,[135] and targeted schools, universities, and cultural institutions accused of promoting "gender ideology". Additional measures barred transgender athletes from sports, limited passport access,[136] and fueled international efforts to undermine trans rights. Accompanied by rhetoric portraying transgender people as a societal threat, these policies triggered widespread legal challenges, condemnation from human rights groups, and a surge in emigration and asylum claims by transgender Americans.[133]
Within hours of his January 2025 inauguration, Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the country from the 2015Paris Agreement, joining only Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries not party to the agreement.[138] The same day, Trump issuedExecutive Order 14154, "Unleashing American Energy", which included pausing funding for theInflation Reduction Act,[139] introducing uncertainty as to theenergy transition.[140] His administration soon renewed a practice from his first term: removing mentions of climate change across numerous federal government websites that had been reinstated during Joe Biden's intervening term.[141] In April, Trump dismissed the scientists and experts who compile theNational Climate Assessments (NCAs) that are required by Congress, the next assessment having been planned for 2028.[142] Theglobalchange.gov website—established in 1990 to host legislatively mandated reports such as the NCAs—was taken down altogether at the end of June.[143]
In May 2025,NOAA said that itsNational Centers for Environmental Information would no longer update itsBillion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database beyond 2024, and that its information—going as far back as 1980—would be archived.[137] In July, the chief administrator of theEnvironmental Protection Agency announced rescinding of the 2009endangerment finding, which concluded that planet-warminggreenhouse gases pose a threat to public health.[144] (The endangerment finding is thescientific determination that underpins the federal government's legal authority tocombat climate change.[144]) In concurrence with the attempt to rollback the endangerment finding, Trump'sDepartment of Energy released an assessment titledA Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate. The report was assembled by five climate science contrarians and was heavily criticized for cherry-picked evidence, falsehoods, and distortions.[145][146] The Union of Concerned Scientists called it "deeply flawed [and] anti-science." Climate scientist Andrew Dessler called it "a mockery of science."[147] On February 12, 2026, theEPA formally rescinded theEndangerment Finding.[148]
In August, theBureau of Land Management initiated a review of offshore wind energy regulations and revised its rules to favor fossil fuel production over renewables.[149]
On September 23, 2025,Trump told the United Nations General Assembly that climate change is "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world", that scientificpredictions "were made by stupid people", and that renewable energy is a "scam".[150]
In October 2025, the US used trade and visa threats to sabotage an agreement for cleaner international shipping at theInternational Maritime Organization.[149]
In December 2025, Russel Vought announced plans to dismantle theNational Center for Atmospheric Research.[149]
On January 7, 2026, Trump announced that the United States would be withdrawing from the 1992United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), the UN'sIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and 65 other international organizations—alleging the treaties "no longer serve American interests".[151] The next day, Trump's administration announced that the country would be withdrawing from theGreen Climate Fund, which since 2010 has provided funds to help poorer nations deal with the effects of climate change.[152]
On January 14, the EPA revised its regulations on air pollution so as to no longer consider the dollar value of pollution's impact on human health when determining acceptable levels of polluted air for public health.[153]
The Department of Energy issued several emergency orders in 2025 directing coal power plants to continue operating. The cost to ratepayers to maintain and run these aging plants was estimated at $3 billion per year.[154]
The Trump administration has sought to drastically expand the US's nuclear power generation, setting a goal to quadruple it by 2050. The administration seeks to revive production at decommissioned plants, such as the plant atThree Mile Island in Pennsylvania. It also seeks to promote the construction of newsmall modular reactors. The administration considers nuclear power generation a strategic priority because of its potential use in powering data centers needed to compete in the international AI development race. Experts are divided on the feasibility of Trump's nuclear power goals, with many expressing skepticism that they can be reached due to the high cost of nuclear power generation, while others say the conditions for financing nuclear power are relatively favorable. Despite efforts to increase nuclear power generation, data centers have led to steep increases in the cost of power in some communities, prompting local backlash.[155]
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2025) |
During theJune 2025 Los Angeles protests against local immigration raids, against the wishes of the governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles, Trump federalized the California National Guard and deployed them to Los Angeles along with 700Marines.
Declaring a crime emergency in August 2025, the Trump administration deployed 2,000 National Guard soldiers toWashington, D.C.[156] The administration also federalized theD.C. Metropolitan Police Department for 30 days. The increased presence was mainly used in tourist areas instead of high-crime areas.[157]
In September 2025, Trump announced the deployment of national guardsmen toMemphis, Tennessee, saying that the city "is deeply troubled."[158][159] Their presence in Memphis started on October 1. U.S. attorney generalPam Bondi said in a social media post that theMemphis Safe Task Force has made more than 50 arrests over two days. Tennessee governorBill Lee indicated that he believed that any deployment of National Guard troops would include no more than 150 unarmed personnel.[160][161]
Trump has repeatedly singled out Chicago as "next," calling it a "mess" and claiming residents are "screaming" for federal intervention.[162] No formal request has been made by Illinois officials, and crime data shows a decline.[163] As reported byBBC, Chicago has had a declining homicide rate with 19 homicides per 100,000 persons in 2023 and 17 per 100,000 in 2024.[164]
On September 6, Trump threatened "Apocalypse Now"-style action against Chicago, writing "I love the smell of deportations in the morning" amid an AI-generated picture of himself as Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore in front of a burning Chicago skyline with helicopters and that "Chicago [is] about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR". The post was criticized by local elected leaders, with governor of IllinoisJB Pritzker writing, "The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal."[165]
On Sunday September 28,U.S. Border Patrol andImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents with automatic weapons and full combat gear patrolled high-visibility tourist areas inDowntown Chicago. Federal officers repeatedly fired chemicals at a crowd of 100 protesters after some of this crowd attempted to block a car from driving down a street toward the ICE building.[166]
On October 7,Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson said, "We do know that much like what we've seen in other parts of the country, there is a process that the National Guard goes through before they're actually released into the streets of Chicago or anywhere."[167]
On October 9, a federal judge issued a restraining order against the use of National Guard soldiers in Illinois through October 23.[168] In mid-October, theU.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit upheld this pause on deployment, but also upheld the federalization.[169]
On October 17, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to review this decision.[170]
On October 5, a federal judge whom Trump had appointed issued a temporary restraining order against the deployment of the National Guard in Portland, Oregon. This restraining order was effective through October 19.BBC summarized the judge's rationale as being that "the use of the military to quell unrest without Oregon's consent risked the sovereignty of that state and others, and inflamed tensions in the city of Portland."[171]
On October 20, a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the9th Circuit ruled 2-1 that the Trump administration can go forward with deploying National Guard soldiers in Portland. This conflicts with the decision of U.S. Court of Appeals for the7th Circuit for Chicago.[172]
This case is different because Louisiana governorJeff Landry has requested the National Guard for large upcoming events: theBayou Classic college football event November 27–29, New Year Eve and Day celebrations, and Mardi Gras celebrations in February. The New Orleans police superintendent said, "We are working together and planning their deployment". New Orleans had been the site of theJanuary 1, 2025, terrorism attack in which 14 persons lost their lives and at least 57 persons were injured.[173]
In early January 2026, federal agentsshot and killed Renee Good. On January 24, federal agentsshot and killed Alex Pretti. The Department of Homeland Security said the agent acted in self-defense after attempting to disarm Pretti. However, video shows him holding a cell phone.[174]
On January 26, President Trump andMinnesota Governor Tim Walztalked by phone, in a call which Walz described as “productive” and Trump described as “on a similar wavelength.” A top official with theU.S. Border Patrol will be leaving Minnesota, along with some agents.Homeland Security Tom Homan will be traveling to Minnesota.[175]
On February 2, 2026, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that all immigration officers in Minneapolis will begin wearing body cams (and nationwide as funding becomes available). Also on February 2, President Trump said that body cams “generally tend to be good for law enforcement because people can't lie about what's happening.”[176]
TheCongressional Budget Office, provided this estimate when requested by Senate Democrats. Deployments to five American cities — Los Angeles, Portland (Oregon), Chicago, Memphis, and Washington, DC — cost approximately $496 million from June through the end of December. Even in cities of Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois, in which National Guard soldiers were prevented from assisting law enforcement due to court order, the stand-by status still largely cost the same amount of money.[177][178]
In April, theFederal Emergency Management Agency denied an extension of benefits for areas in Georgia and North Carolina which had been hit byHurricane Helene in September 2024.[179]
Tornadoes hit parts the state of Mississippi in March and a major disaster declaration by the federal government took more than two months, even at the request of Republican governorTate Reeves of Mississippi.[180] On May 23, the Trump administration approved disaster aid for areas within 8 states including Mississippi, as well as Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.[181]
Trump and his administration'sMake America Healthy Again agenda promoted variousanti-science andanti-vaccine claims, which led to a resurgence of whooping cough and measles. They alleged they were working againstBig Pharma.[182][183]
On November 14, Trump announced that he would nominateRobert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services Secretary. This was controversial given Kennedy's repeated endorsement ofanti-vaccine conspiracy theories. The director of theAmerican Public Health Association, America's largest organization of public health professionals, said, "He is not competent by training, management skills, temperament or trust to have this job."[184][185]
On February 18, Trump signed an executive order calling for the policy recommendations for reducing the out-of-pocket costs ofIn Vitro Fertilisation.[123][186] On February 25, Trump signed an executive order to improve healthcare cost transparency.[187]
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.[188]
On June 9, Kennedy fired all 17 members of theAdvisory Committee for Immunization Practices. He claimed that it "has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine."Senator Bill Cassidy, a medical doctor, said "now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion." These firings came before a scheduled June 25 meeting in which the Committee was expected to issue new recommendations for vaccines including COVID-19.[189][190]
In late January, several CDC websites, pages, and datasets related to HIV and STI prevention, and LGBT and youth healthbecame unavailable for viewing.[191][192][193]
In mid-February, around 1,300 CDC employees were laid off.[194] In April, it was reported that among the reductions were the elimination of the Freedom of Information Act team, the Division of Violence Prevention, labs involved in testing for antibiotic resistance, and the team responsible for recalls of hazardous infant products. Additional cuts affected the technology branch of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, which was established during the COVID-19 pandemic.[195]
On June 25, 2025, Kennedy announced that the U.S. was stopping its donations to the Gavi vaccine alliance, until Gavi can better demonstrate vaccine safety.[196][197] The United States had been providing approximately 13 percent of Gavi's budget.[198]
On August 5, 2025, Secretary Kennedy announced that he was stopping 22 vaccine projects using mRNA technology, including Covid, RSV, and bird flu. A critic of this funding halt pointed out that mRNA vaccines have the potential for faster roll-out.[199]
On December 5, 2025, it was no longer systematically recommended for newborns of mothers having never gottenHepatitis B to get vaccinated against this infection. The memos sparked indignation among most health experts.[200][201][202]
On May 14, 2025,Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that lawyer Matthew Buzzelli is acting CDC director, though the CDC web site did not list that name.[203][204]
Susan Monarez was confirmed as CDC head on July 31, 2025, but on August 27, she was fired. Monarez disputed the legality of the firing, as it had not been carried out by the president, and it had been falsely reported that she had resigned. The president later officially carried out the firing.[205] The firing was due to her refusing to rubber stamp what were expected to be unscientific recommendations from the senior staff vaccine experts, as well as refusing to fire them. The dispute began over demands from Kennedy and his top staff for changing the recommendation for COVID vaccine to persons with higher-risk conditions and senior citizens only. The official recommendation also affects insurance coverage and whether vaccines are available in pharmacies. Senator Bill Cassidy called for the next meeting of theAdvisory Committee on Immunization Practices to be postponed. He said, "Serious allegations have been made about the meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process being followed for the now announced September ACIP meeting. These decisions directly impact children's health and the meeting should not occur until significant oversight has been conducted."[206][207] The next day, the Trump administration announced the selection of Deputy Secretary of Health and Human ServicesJim O'Neill as a replacement.[208]
Following news of Monarez's ouster, at least four other CDC senior officials announced their resignations:[209][210][211]
Dozens of CDC employees walked out of headquarters and protested in support of Monarez and the departing officials.[212]
On September 22, 2025, Trump and other U.S. Department of Human Service officials delivered speeches issuing a major agenda for combatingautism. Warnings were for doctors not to recommend during pregnancy the pain- and fever-reduceracetaminophen, which is commonly used as an ingredient inTylenol.[213][214] These warnings were issued in spite of the fact that medical experts have found no link between autism and this ingredient, with autism generally established to be a result of complex neurological factors.[215][216]Scientific American has reported that fever itself in the second [2nd] trimester is a risk factor for autism, and therefore the claims made by the Trump administration are counter-productive.[217]
Also on September 22, Trump also spoke in favor of and theFDA approved the use of the chemotherapy drugleucovorin to also help alleviate the symptoms of autism.[213] However, the justification for this approval was based on limited evidence.[214] ACBS News contributor said, "Not all children with autism have this defect, so there's a test you can do to assess whether that's what's at play. For those kids, leucovorin has been shown to help, particularly with speech, getting kids to be more verbal than they were before."[216] TheNational Institute of Health (NIH) was also granted $50 million in funding for 13 projects to help transform autism research through the proposed Autism Data Science Initiative.[213]
Two-thirds of the increase in autism are estimated by an April 2025Scientific American article to be due to better diagnosis and the desire of parents and schools to get started with early intervention. However, this same article estimates that one-third is due to an actual increase in autism from a variety of factors such as mothers in richer countries being older on average at childbirth, the ability to keep more premature children alive and healthy, and small-particle air pollution during the 3rd trimester which can cause an inflammatory response.[217]
On October 9, 2025, Trump and U.S. secretary of health and human servicesRobert Kennedy Jr. alleged a link between autism andcircumcisions.[218][219] Kennedy cited a 2015Danish study to justify this claim.[220] The validity of Kennedy's assertion about circumcisions being linked to autism has also been challenged by scientists and medical experts.[219][221]
In December 2025, President Trump announced a deal in which nine major pharmaceutical companies will in 2026 begin offering “Most Favored Nation” pricing to state Medicaid programs. In return, the companies will receive a reduction in tariffs for three years. This announcement brings the total to 14 out of the 17 largest pharmaceutical manufacturers agreeing to this deal, leaving AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson, and Regeneron as the major holdouts. In 2026, the Trump administration plans to start a website named TrumpRx which will not sell drugs directly, but will give patients information and links on pricing. Trump officials said the deal also included more than $150 billion for new investment within the U.S. In addition, several of the companies will be donating pharmaceutical ingredients to theStrategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve.[222][223]
Senior citizens onMedicare will see lower prices in 2026 from the first negotiated prices going into effect from theInflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed in 2022 byPresident Biden. This includesblood thinners such as Eliquis and Xarelto anddiabetes drugs such as Jardiance and Januvia. However, a negative feature of the Inflation Adjustment Act is, that since it penalizes year-to-year increases in drug prices, drug companies have responded by setting higher starting prices. One study found that “launch prices” for new drugs became approximately 50% higher over the three-year period from 2022 to 2024 (inclusive), with an expert saying this practice is likely to continue until it receives a policy response.[224]
On January 8, 2026, theHouse voted 230-196 to extend the higherBiden-era subsidies for another three years. Without this extension, it’s estimated that monthly premiums will double for many persons who are signed up for theAffordable Care Act. One House Republican said, “I am voting in favor of this discharge and of this legislation to send it to the Senate, so that the Senate will have the opportunity to put forth a reform package that can pass Congress and become law.”[225][226]
President-elect Trump stated his intentions to revive theimmigration policies from his first presidency, including atravel ban on refugees fromIran,Iraq,Libya,Somalia,Sudan,Syria, andYemen. Other policies includedexpulsion of asylum seekers by asserting that they carryinfectious diseases, deputization ofpolice officers and soldiers to assist in massdeportations, and the establishment of sprawlingdetention camps.[227] Trump said "there is no price tag" to carry out these deportations.[228] On November 10, 2024, Trump announced thatTom Homan would be "border czar".[229]
While border crossings reached record highs during the first half of the Biden presidency, they fell to lower levels near the end of his term, then dropped even further at the start of Trump's presidency.[230][231]
Shortly after he became president on January 20, 2025, the Trump administration ended services for the app ofCBP One, reinstated thenational emergency at thesouthern border, ordered the armed forces to draft plans for deployment,[232][233] and began the steps towards labeling Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.[234] Trump increased deportation authorities for theDrug Enforcement Administration, theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and theMarshals Service.[235]
He gave ICE the power to deport immigrants who had come to the United States legally underBiden administration programs,[236] and established daily deportation quotas to ICE offices.[237]
Trump also signed anexecutive order attempting to endbirthright 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 challenging the order on constitutional grounds, and as of February 2025[update], four federal judges have issued preliminary injunctions blocking its implementation and enforcement nationwide.[238][239][240] On June 27, the Supreme Court limited the ability of individual District Judges to issue injunctions against executive actions, meaning to pause executive action. The Supreme Court did not rule on the merits of birthright citizenship. District Judges can still issue injunctions in limited circumstances, such as for persons directly involved in a class action lawsuit.[241]
On January 22, 2025, Trump ended the policy from 2011 which prohibited immigration arrests in sensitive areas such as courthouses, schools, churches, and hospitals, or during funerals and weddings.[242] 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.[243] On January 29, Trump signed theLaken Riley Act into law, the first legislation of his second term.[244][245] On the same day, he signed a presidential memorandum to begin expansion of theGuantanamo 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 chiefMichael 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%.[246] 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.[247] Trump deported 37,660 people during his first month in office.[248]
In response to injunctions countering his deportations, Trump considered suspendinghabeas corpus.[249]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."[250]
On July 1, Trump toured a newly-built facility in the Florida Everglades nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz". This facility is designed to keep 3,000 persons in detention.[251] On July 10, the Department of Health and Human Services announced they would be restricting undocumented immigrants from enrolling forHead Start, a federally funded U.S. preschool program.[252]
The administration announced on August 21, 2025, that it would be reviewing all 55 million visa holders in the United States.[253]
In October 2025, the White House set a record-low refugee admissions cap of 7,500 for the 2026 fiscal year, primarily for white Afrikaners from South Africa.[254]
By December 2025, the Department of Homeland Security reported the deportation of over 605,000 individuals, while an additional 1.9 million people voluntarily left the country. This resulted in a net negative immigration flow in 2025, marking the first such occurrence in 50 years. According toBrookings Institution, the net loss of immigrants ranged from 10,000 to 295,000 people.[254]
In January 2026, the U.S. suspended immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, citing concerns over potential financial burdens and a need to reassess immigration procedures to prevent reliance on public welfare.[254]
A rule from 2024 had been scheduled to go into effect in Spring of 2025 lowering the allowable silica dust from 100 to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air averaged over an 8-hour shift, with 50 being the standard already enforced byOSHA in other industries. However, industry lawsuits delayed the rule in April 2025, and the Trump administration did not energetically defend the new standard. In addition, a group of seven Republicans in theU.S. House led byTim Walberg (R-Michigan’s5th Congressional District) signed a letter to theMine Safety and Health Administration saying the new rule ignored cheaper solutions such as job rotation.[255]
In 2018,National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reported that approximately one in five coal miners with at least 25 years' experience in centralAppalachia hadblack lung disease. However, among 11,000 workers who sought chest X-rays from 2020 to 2025, approximately 55% had some form of black lung.[255]
CBS News said, “Some angry retired miners with black lung are fighting back, demanding that President Donald Trump honor promises he made to the people who voted him in.”[255]
On February 13, Charles Ezell, acting director of the U.S.Office of Personnel Management, signed a directive instructing federal agencies to dismiss probationary employees—generally, federal workers who have held their jobs less than a year, or had been promoted into theexcepted service during that time.[256][257] Ezell told agencies to tell the fired employees that their performance was inadequate, and that they needed to cite no evidence.[258]
As of May 12, 2025[update],The New York Times tracked more than 58,000 confirmed cuts, more than 76,000 employee buyouts, and more than 149,000 other planned reductions; cuts total 12% of the 2.4 million civilian federal workers.[259] As of July 14, 2025[update],CNN has tracked more than 128,000 workers laid off or targeted for layoffs.[260] The administration took back some layoffs such as for bird flu and nuclear safety.[261]
In December 2025, the Office of Personnel Management launched theUnited States Tech Force, a two-year hiring initiative intended to recruit about 1,000 technologists (including AI engineers) for federal technology modernization projects across multiple agencies.[262][263]
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.[264][265][266][267] On January 24, 2025, less than a week into Trump's second presidency, he fired 17 independentinspectors 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.[268] Trump also fired all Democratic but not Republican members of thePrivacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, which would prevent the board from meeting quorum and functioning.[269] Trump also fired members of theEqual Employment Opportunity Commission,National Labor Relations Board and 56 senior officials atUSAID for allegedly attempting to thwart his priorities.[264]
President Trump fired over 160 members of theNational Security Council for not aligning with his agenda.[264]
On August 22, 2025, the Trump administration firedLt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse who had been the director of theDefense Intelligence Agency, reportedly because his preliminary assessments regarding the June bombing of nuclear sites in Iran disagreed with President Trump's public address to the nation that the Iran nuclear program had been set back "basically decades." Also on August 22,CBS News confirmed thatRear Adm. Milton Sands, who had served as commander of Navy Special Warfare, andVice Adm. Nancy Lacore, who had been the chief of the Navy Reserve, both had been fired. In addition, CBS News reported thatMaj. Gen. J. Patrick Work, commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division, had "recently" been pulled from a future role as deputy commander ofU.S. Central Command.[270]
Announced on October 4,Secretary of Defense Hegseth fired Navy chief of staffJon Harrison.[271]
In early August, theBureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revised their numbers for May from 125,000 new jobs to 19,000, and their June numbers from 147,000 new jobs to 14,000. The BLS frequently revises monthly jobs numbers, but typically not to this extent.[272] For the United States, unemployment is still low at 4.2%. The BLS estimates that 73,000 new jobs were added in July.[272]
President Trump fired BLSdirector Erika McEntarfer. On social media, he wrote, "No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes."[272]
In the last 10 years, companies have responded slower to the jobs survey and the percentage of companies responding at all has fallen. However, the survey gets responses from roughly 200,000 business locations, which can be independent companies or franchise owners.[272] Two former commissioners with the BLS, including one appointed by Trump during his first term, made public statements criticizing the firing and supporting Director McEntarfer.Associated Press describes the economic data provided by the United States government as having long being regarded as the gold standard of economic measurement.[272]
Trump issuedNSPM-7 (National Security Presidential Memorandum-7) on September 25, 2025, directing a government-wide strategy to counter what it characterizes as organized domestic terrorism and political violence. The memorandum cites "common threads" such as "anti-Americanism", "anti-capitalism", "anti-Christianity", support for 'overthrowing' the United States Government, and extremism related to migration, race, and gender. It assigns the National Joint Terrorism Task Force to lead investigations, directs the Department of Justice to prioritize prosecutions and consider domestic terrorist organization designations, and instructs the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service to disrupt financial networks, while noting that the directive creates no enforceable rights. Thirty-one[which?] members of Congress later warned in a letter that NSPM-7 raises constitutional and civil-liberties concerns if used to target political dissent or ideological speech.[273][274][275][276]
Due to the specific states not cooperating with Trump immigration policy, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reduced more than $233 million from Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and state of Washington. In addition, funding was cut to the District of Columbia.[277]
In December, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration could not do this, stating in her decision, “To hold hostage funding for programs like these based solely on what appear to be defendants’ political whims is unconscionable and, at least here, unlawful.”[277]
On March 18, 2025, the Social Security Administration announced they would be implementing tighter identity requirements starting March 31,[278][279] with this date pushed forward to April 14. The new policy requires takes away the telephone option and requires individuals to either apply online or appear in-person at a field office.[280] Applications for SSDI, Medicare, or SSI are exempted from this in-person requirement, along with applicants subject to extreme situations "such as terminal cases or prisoner pre-release scenarios."[280] This new policy comes at a time the Trump administration is closing some field offices and laying off some Social Security staff.[281]
In late March,Wired reported that DOGE was putting together a team to migrate the Social Security base code fromCOBOL 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.[282][283]
It was reported in mid-April that the Trump administration had placed on the "Death Master File", renamed the "Ineligible Master File", more than 6,000 persons who are legal immigrants whom officials claim are either on a terrorism watch list or have an FBI criminal record. The White House, however, did not provide evidence for this claim.[284]
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 threshold. The Biden administration had capped the clawback rate at 10%, but this expired on March 27, 2025, reverting back to 100%. On April 25, the Trump administration reduced this clawback rate to 50%.[285]
In February 2025,Leo Terrell, the chair of the Department of Justice's Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, announced that he would investigateColumbia University,Harvard University,George Washington University,Johns Hopkins University,New York University,Northwestern University,University of California, Berkeley,University of California, Los Angeles, theUniversity of Minnesota, and theUniversity of Southern California as part of the Department of Justice's broader investigation intoantisemitism on college campuses.[286]
Trump's actions targeting higher education were described as part of an intimidation campaign against institutions viewed as hostile to his political views.[287][288] Hetargeted higher education by demanding it give federal oversight of curriculum andtargeted activists, legal immigrants, tourists, and students with visas who expressed criticism of his policies or engaged in pro-Palestinian advocacy.[289] Trump froze billions of dollars in federal funding for multiple universities in express defiance of existing laws prohibiting such actions without following proper legal processes that did not happen.[290] The deals and demands made by Trump were criticized as coercive, a shakedown, and legalized extortion in whatAxios described as pursuit of a "cultural crackdown".[291][290] On September 3, JudgeAllison D. Burroughs found Trump's efforts to freeze billions of dollars of funding for Harvard illegal, writing that the government had infringed upon Harvard's free speech rights and that it was "difficult to conclude anything other than that defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country's premier universities".[292]
Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me. I don’t need international law. I’m not looking to hurt people.
Trump's second term foreign policy has been described as a mixture of bothimperialist andexpansionist policies.[296][297][298][299] He engaged in arealist andisolationist "America First" foreign policy agenda.[300][301] His administration favoredhard power to achieve foreign policy goals,[302] and dismantled or withdrew support from domestic and international organizations dedicated to advancing Americansoft power.[303][304] The moves were described as ceding American global influence and creating a void filled byRussia andChina.[305]
His relations with allies were transactional and ranged from indifference to hostility, and he threatened them with economic tariffs or annexation.[306][307] He was described as taking the side of Russia in theRussian invasion of Ukraine,[306][307][308] and overseeing a rupture of the post-1945 rules-basedliberal international order and abandonment ofmultilateralism.[309][300][301]
Michael Klare wrote thatcontaining the influence of China and preventing the rise of any rival power is the central foreign policy objective of the administration.[310] Trump has attempted to deepen theU.S.-India partnership.[311]
Trump's administration saw large drops in global public opinion of the U.S.[312] Countries like Canada, Germany, the U.K., Denmark, and Finland warned their citizens about traveling to the U.S.[313][314][315][316][317]
Trump's second presidency has been characterized by a renewed American interference in the internal affairs of Latin American nations. These efforts have included both threats and promises made to influence the outcomes of elections in Honduras, Chile and Argentina, as well as tariff threats against Brazil and Mexico and military action against Venezuela.[318]
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On October 20, the United States and Argentina agreed to a currency swap for up to $20 billion. About President Javier Milei of Argentina and his upcoming October 26 mid-term elections, President Trump said, “If he loses, we are not going to be generous with Argentina.”[319]
The Trump administration also announced plans to increase beef imports from Argentina. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association objected to this plan with their leader saying, “If President Trump is truly an ally of America’s cattle producers, we call on him to abandon this effort to manipulate markets.” On October 22, Trump posted on social media that American ranchers need to help get beef prices down, and said that ranchers “don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil.”[320]
At Trump’s direction, the United States has executed a series ofairstrikes in the Caribbean Sea on vessels alleged to be smuggling illegal drugs. As of January 4, 2026, a total of 35 strikes have been conducted, in which 115 individuals have been killed and 2 have been rescued after surviving the strikes.[321] Since the first strike, which was conducted on September 2, 2025, and killed eleven people, the Trump Administration has invoked combatting “terrorism” conducted by drug cartels as a justification for the strikes.[322]
Many legal experts have argued that the strikes constitute illegal extrajudicial killings under both U.S. andinternational law, noting that drug smuggling is generally considered to be a crime, not an act of war, and that the military is categorically prohibited from targeting civilians, even suspected criminals, unless facing a threat of imminent harm.[323]Conservative lawyer and commentatorAndrew C. McCarthy, writing inNational Review, called the strikes “lawless” and “not legitimate under the law.”[324] TheU.S. Department of Justice’sOffice of Legal Counsel defended the strikes in a memo that has not been released to the public, endorsing President Trump’s claim that the United States is an armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels and arguing that the destruction of drug boats eliminates a source of revenue that could be used to purchase weapons for attacks against the United States.[325]
On November 27,The Washington Post published an article alleging that Secretary of DefensePete Hegseth had ordered the officers responsible for the first airstrike on September 2, 2025, to “kill everyone,” on board, prompting AdmiralFrank M. Bradley to order a second strike to kill the two survivors of the initial strike, who were clinging to the wreckage of the boat that had been by the initial strike.[326] Asno quarter orders are forbidden under theLaw of war, the second September 2 strike was widely criticized as constituting awar crime even under the Trump Administration’s justification for the boat strike campaign in general, with the chair of theUnited States Senate Committee on Armed Services,Republican SenatorRoger Wicker, along with ranking memberJack Reed, promising “vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.”[327] According toThe New York Times, five U.S. officials stated that while Hegseth did, on September 2, order the killing of all individuals aboard the alleged drug boat, he did not specifically address what was to be done if any individuals survived the initial strike and was not present when Bradley carried out the second strike.[328] After Hegseth refused to release a video of the second strike toCongress, theUnited States Senate placed a provision in the 2026National Defense Authorization Act holding back a quarter of Hegseth’s travel budget until he showed the video to lawmakers.[329]
On January 3, 2026, the United States launchedairstrikes in Venezuela, capturing Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife.[330]
The Trump administration has argued that European nations should contribute more to their own defense while the U.S. focuses on China.[333] During his 2024 campaign, he said he would not defendNATO allies if they did not meet the alliance's spending target of 2% ofGDP on defense, and that he would "encourage" Russia to "do whatever the hell they want".[334][335][336] Trump officials privately expressed contempt for European "freeloading";.[337][338] Trump's policies and rhetoric accelerated anongoing European rearmament.[339][340][341][342] Trump called Poland, which exceeds the NATO defense spending target, "one of the best groups of people I have ever met".[343]
Trump's administration has also expressed cultural disagreement with Europe and theEuropean Union: ina speech at the61st 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.[333][344] Vance also expressed support for lifting restrictions on theAlternative for Germany, a far-right German political party.[345]
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While meeting with British prime ministerKeir Starmer in February 2025, Trump accepted a request fromKing Charles III for astate visit in the U.K.;[346][347] both Trump and Starmer praised the U.S.–U.K. "Special Relationship".[346] The state visitoccurred between September 16–18 2025.[348]
Trump began a push forpeace negotiations to end theRussia–Ukraine war.[349] Trump's first foreign visit aspresident-elect was to Paris forthe reopening of theNotre-Dame de Paris, during which he met with French presidentEmmanuel Macron and Ukrainian presidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the war,[350][351] and met with other European officials.[352][353] In February 2025,Trump held phone calls with Russian presidentVladimir Putin and with Zelenskyy that he said marked the beginning of negotiations.[354] He threatened Ukraine with a suspension ofU.S. military aid[355] and Russia with sanctions and tariffs if he decided they were not negotiating in good faith.[356][357] The U.S. sought amineral resources agreement with Ukraine[358] though was unwilling to offer postwar security guarantees for Ukraine in exchange.[358][359] Negotiators reached a deal on the agreement[360][361][362] but the agreement fell through aftera contentious meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy in theOval Office that ended when the Ukrainian delegation was abruptly asked to leave.[346][363] Afterwards, the U.K. and France developed a proposal in which a "coalition of the willing" would provide security guarantees to Ukraine.[364][365] TheU.S. and Russia held a summit in Saudi Arabia for peace talks in February[366] and U.S. held a summit with Ukraine the next month, during which Ukraine accepted a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire.[367][368] Putin did not accept the ceasefire,[369] though on March 18 Russia agreed to a 30-day ceasefire only for strikes on energy infrastructure and in theBlack Sea,[370] which Ukraine agreed to.[371][372]
On July 9, Trump reversed a previously suspended military aid package to Ukraine following Russia's largest aerial assault on the country, involving hundreds of drones and missiles. The suspension, reportedly authorized by senior defense officials without Trump's prior knowledge. Trump expressed growing frustration with Russian president Vladimir Putin, accusing him of insincerity and relentless aggression, saying, "He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people, it's no good." The U.S. are discussing sending 10Patriot missiles to Ukraine, and Trump said he is reviewing aproposed sanctions bill by SenatorLindsey Graham that would impose 500%tariffs on countries trading with Russia. Although Trump has previously mentionedsecondary sanctions, none have been implemented so far, with the president citing their cost and waiting to see if a peace deal would emerge.[373] On July 14, 2025, Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs and secondary sanctions oncountries purchasing Russian oil if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire within 50 days.[374][375] Trump confirmed asummit meeting between him and Putin to be held on August 15, 2025, inAlaska[376] The high-level summit atJoint Base Elmendorf–Richardson inAnchorage concluded without progress toward a ceasefire. Following the talks, Trump suggested the United States could assist Ukraine with surveillance flights or air defense support, while ruling out the deployment of ground troops.[377][378]
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Trump emphasized that European nations should shoulder the primary burden of assistance and pressed Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to take greater responsibility in securing peace. He further hinted that Ukraine may eventually face difficult choices, including potential territorial concessions, to bring the conflict to an end.[379]
In September 2025, Trump urged Europe to stop buyingRussian oil and start puttingeconomic pressure on China for funding Russia's war effort.[380] Treasury SecretaryScott Bessent said the Trump administration is "prepared to increase pressure on Russia, but we need our European partners to follow us."[381]
In September 2025, the Trump administration approved the delivery of the first two packages of weapons to Ukraine from US stockpiles totalling approximately $1 billion, which would be paid for by NATO allies, under the new mechanism calledPrioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL). The mechanism aims to deliver aid worth up to $10 billion.[382] On September 27, 2025, President Zelenskyy announced a $90 billion arms agreement with the United States in works.[383]
On October 22, 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on Russian energy companiesRosneft andLukoil,[384] affecting their customers inChina andIndia.[385]
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Trump's administration strainedrelations with South Africa. Trump suspended all aid to South Africa, saying the country'sland expropriation law discriminated againstAfrikaners;[386] he also offered Afrikaners refugee status in the U.S.[333][387] Rubio refused to attend theG20 foreign ministers' meeting in Johannesburg[388] and he declared the South African ambassadorpersona non grata for his criticism of U.S. policies.[389]
Rubio condemned theRwandan-backedGoma offensive in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo and called for an immediate ceasefire and respect for territorial integrity.[390] In April, U.S. officials entered into talks with the DRC on a minerals deal after a proposal from Congolese presidentFélix Tshisekedi.[391]
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In June 2025, President Trump brokered apeace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, with the U.S. getting "a lot of mineral rights." This potentially brings to an end a 30+ year conflict dating back to the1994 Rwanda genocide. Each country had accused the other of financing and supporting rebel groups. On June 27, in a deal signed in the White House, each country pledged to end such support, allow the return of refugees, and create a joint security coordination mechanism aimed at resolving disputes.[392]
An estimated 6 million persons have died in this conflict, and Trump said that this deal ends "one of the worst wars anyone's ever seen." A critic said, "It risks reducing peace to a transactional exchange. Minerals are only one driver of conflict." Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, "This is an important moment after 30 years of war. President Trump is a president of peace. He really does want peace. He prioritizes it above all else."[392] A former prime minister of the DR Congo, Joseph Kabila, expressed skepticism of the peace deal, saying that it was "nothing more than a trade agreement."[393]
In April 2025, the U.S. revoked all visas of and barred entry to citizens ofSouth Sudan after a dispute over the deportation of a South Sudanese citizen.[394]
In March 2025, theU.S. began a series of airstrikes onHouthi targets in Yemen to counterattacks on Red Sea shipping, with the goal of restoring freedom of navigation and deterring further aggression.[395] U.S. officials accidentally includedThe Atlantic editorJeffrey Goldberg in aSignal group chat discussing the military plans,sparking a political scandal and accusations of risking national security and violating records-preservation laws.[396][397][398]
In May 2025, Trump announced that his administration had reached aceasefire deal with the Houthis.[399]
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Trump reinstated his"maximum pressure" campaign against Iran and soughta new set of negotiations to limitIran's nuclear program.[400][401] In March 2025, Trump sent a letter to Iranian supreme leaderAli Khamenei urging new negotiations and warning of military action if talks fail.[402][403][404]
On June 13, 2025,Israeli planes bombed sites in Iran associated with Iran's nuclear program. President Trump stated he was not involved, although Iranian leaders have said they do not believe this. There have been reports that Trump vetoed a plan to kill Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei, and that the United States communicated to Israel that Iran has not killed an American and discussions of killing political leaders should not be on the table.[405]
In retaliation, Iran has fired missiles and drones at Israel, most of which has been shot down by Israel'sIron Dome air defense system.[406] As of June 15, 24 people have been killed in Israel[407] and 224 people have been killed in Iran,[408] according to state media.
On June 18, Trump said he had not decided whether to join with Israeli bombing runs on nuclear program sites in Iran. Trump said that it is "very late to be talking." An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman told Al Jazeera news that he did not believe the Trump administration could dictate to Israel what it can and cannot do.[409]
Regarding whether the United States will strike with B-2 planes carrying "bunker-buster" bombs directed against Iran's Fordo nuclear site (which is buried in a mountain), President Trump said, "Based on the fact that there is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks."[410]
On June 21, 2025, the U.S.attacked three nuclear sites: theFordow uranium enrichment facility, theNatanz nuclear facility, andIsfahan nuclear technology center.[411][412] B-2 airplanes took off from the state of Missouri and made the 18-hour flight to Iran, being refueled multiple times en route. Entering Iranian airspace, fighter jets cleared space ahead of them, and a Navy sub fired more than 24 Tomahawk missiles. The leading B-2 dropped two Massive Ordnance Penetrators bombs (MOPs, or "bunker-busters") at the Fordo site. A total of 14 MOPs were dropped at two target sites.Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said, "We devastated the Iranian nuclear program, but it's worth noting that the operation did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people."[413]
On June 22, Trump said that since the Islamic regime in control of Iran has failed to make Iran great, it should be replaced to "Make Iran Great Again".[414][415] Later he posted on social media that their constant anger, hostility, and despair have only led them to ruin. The path they're on offers no hope, only more hardship, " I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with honey than you do with vinegar".[416]
On August 22, 2025, the Trump administration fired director ofDefense Intelligence AgencyLt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse. This reportedly was done because General Kruse had made a preliminary assessment that Iran had moved some of their uranium stockpile and that the bombing had only set Iran back a matter of mere months, whereas President Trump had said in a speech to the nation that Iran's program had been set back "basically decades."Senator Mark Warner (Democrat - Virginia), who is Vice-Chair of theSenate Select Intelligence Committee, said, "The firing of yet another senior national security official underscores the Trump administration's dangerous habit of treating intelligence as a loyalty test rather than a safeguard for our country."[270]
During the2025–2026 Iranian protests, Trump repeatedly warned the Iranian authorities that the U.S. would "intervene" if the regime did not halt itscrackdown on protesters.[417] On January 16, 2026, Trump announced that the Iranian leadership had reportedly canceled over 800 planned executions.[418]
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After being elected in November 2024, Trump said he wished to end theGaza war,[419][420] telling Israeli prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu to endIsrael's invasion within two months[419] and warning Hamas that they would have "all hell to pay" if they did not agree to a ceasefire andrelease all hostages by Trump's inauguration.[421] Trump's incoming administration joined the Biden administration in pressuring negotiations,[422][423][424] and Israel and Hamasagreed to a phased ceasefire on January 15, 2025.[425][426] In February 2025, Trumpproposed 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.[427][428] The ceasefire lasted until March 18, whenIsrael launched attacks on Gaza.[429] Trump's special envoySteve Witkoff blamed Hamas for renewed fighting in Gaza.[430]
On May 16, while inAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 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 andPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel claims thatHamas 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.-backedGaza 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.[431][432]
On July 28, while inScotland, President Trump said he believed there wasstarvation occurring in Gaza. He further added, "Nobody's done anything great over there. The whole place is a mess... I told Israel maybe they have to do it a different way." Israeli Prime Minister said, "And what has interdicted the supply of humanitarian aid is one force, Hamas. Again, the reversal of truth."[433][434]
Asked about an Israelidouble-strike on a hospital on August 25, 2025, Trump said he was "not happy about it," adding, "We have to end this whole nightmare."[435]
On September 29, 2025, President Trump announced, alongside Prime Minister Netanyahu, a20-Point Gaza Peace Plan from the White House which consisted of 20 specific points aimed at achieving a ceasefire, the return ofIsraeli hostages, dismantlingHamas's military capabilities, and establishing a transitional governance structure in theGaza Strip.[436]
In October 2025, President Trump announced his deal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas had been reached and that the remaining hostages would be released.[437] In exchange, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving longterm sentences and another 1,700 other prisoners. The Israeli military will withdraw from a "blue line" to a "yellow line" further away from the Gaza coast.[438] Trump was widely praised for negotiating this settlement, including by former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.[439][440]
On October 23, 2025, theKnesset passed a bill that would applyIsraeli sovereignty to all West Bank settlements. The bill was condemned by Vice PresidentJD Vance as a "very stupid political stunt" and by Secretary of StateMarco Rubio as "counterproductive" to Trump's Gaza peace plan. Trump added that "Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened."[441]
In September 2025, following an Israeli strike against suspected Hamas terrorists in Qatar's capital city of Doha, President Trump signed an executive order which stated, "The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States."[442] President Biden had begun a closer relationship with Qatar following their help with the 2001 American withdrawal from Afghanistan. In January 2022, Biden named Qatar a "major non-NATO ally," although this was largely a symbolic honor.[443]
The editorial board ofThe Wall Street Journal wrote, "This is a decision that can be and should have been debated. Instead it comes out of the blue — an executive order following no public debate."[443]
In October, Defense Secretary Hegseth announced a training agreement that the Qatar Air Force will build a facility at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. The United States has a similar arrangement with Singapore, at the same base. Hegseth emphasized that the U.S. will remain in charge of the facility "like we do with all partners."[442]
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During the2024 Syrian opposition offensives thattoppled the Assad regime in Syria, Trump said that the U.S. should stay out of the conflict.[444] In March 2025, Rubio condemned themassacres of Syrian Alawites.[445] Trump agreed to lift sanctions on Syria after discussing the situation withMohammed bin Salman andErdoğan.[446][447]
India rejected Trump's offer to mediateIndia–China tensions.[448] On February 13, 2025, Indian prime ministerNarendra Modi became the fourth world leader to visit Donald Trump at the White House.[449]
In early 2025, deportations to Bhutan of Nepali-speakingBhutanese 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 therefouled 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.[450][451]
In response to the2025 India–Pakistan conflict, Vice President Vance said that, a potential war between India and Pakistan is "none of our business."[452] Trump claimed to have negotiated a ceasefire, a claim that Pakistan corroborated and India denied.[453][454][455]
In July 2025, Trump criticized India over its continued oil trade with Russia, despite ongoing Western sanctions.[456] On July 30, 2025, Trump announced that Indian products would be subject to 25% reciprocaltariffs upon arrival in the United States starting August 1, and that a "penalty" would be added for the purchase of Russian oil.[457] On August 6, 2025, Trump raised the tariff to 50%, a 25% increase, over India's purchase of Russian oil.[458]
In July 2025, Trump's administration reached atrade agreement with Pakistan, in which Trump announced that the United States would help Pakistan develop its large and untappedoil reserves.[459] The agreement also reduced American reciprocal tariffs on Pakistan to 19%, the lowest of any country inSouth Asia.[459]
On August 8, 2025, Armenian prime ministerNikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani presidentIlham Aliyev signed apeace agreement in a ceremony hosted by President Donald Trump in the White House,[460] aiming to end the more than35-year conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.[461]
In 2025, Trump attempted to negotiate a ceasefire in theborder conflict between Cambodia and Thailand.[462][463]
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In February 2025, Trump signed an executive order that directed theCommittee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to restrict Chinese investment in strategic economic areas.[464]
Trump blamed China for theopioid crisis in the United States.[465] He said the tariffs are intended to pressure China to do more to stop the flow offentanyl into the US.[466]Opioids, predominantly fentanyl, have killed over 500,000 Americans since 2012.[467]
In September 2025, Trump asked the EU to impose 100% tariffs on China to punish it forbuying Russian oil and de facto financing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[468][469]
On October 21, 2025, partly as a consequence of theChina–U.S. trade war that included China imposing restrictions on its sale of processedrare-earth elements, Trump signed a deal withAnthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia,[470] over rare-earths and othercritical minerals[c] that are needed for commercialclean energy production and technologically advancedmilitary hardware. They each committed to provide at least US$1bn (A$1.54bn) towards a number of projects worth $US8.5bn (A$13bn) in both countries over six months.[472][473] The deal has been well-received by theAustralian rare-earths industry[474][475] and the markets,[476] and is important to the U.S. because rare earths are used in many technologies, including components of the Defense Force such asF-35 fighter jets andTomahawk missiles.[477] The deal is also seen as a major shift in economic alliances.[476]
DOGE dismantled most ofUSAID,[478] which had been a 10,000-person agency originally tasked to carry-out humanitarian projects.[479] USAID's critics maintained that many of the projects were in fact not all that humanitarian and/or much of the money was not well spent.[480]
In January 2025, the administration issued a 90-day stop-work order worldwide,[481][482] Stop work interrupted about 30clinical trials,[483] and interrupted projects such as emergency medical care for displaced Palestinians and Yemenis, aid for war refugees on the Sudan-Chad border, and electricity for Ukrainian refugees.[482] The HIV Modeling Consortium estimated the death toll from HIV in sub-Saharan Africa at approximately 15,000 adults and 1,600 children in the one month after Trump's January 2025 funding freeze.[484][485] A key controversy is whether or not waivers are being made and money actually starting to flow again for the most essential programs.[482] For example, theAssociated Press reported on February 19, that waivers forPEPFAR, the program that has saved 26 million lives fromAIDS, were not in force, despite a federal judge having lifted the funding freeze.[486]
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In early February 2025, it was reported that theUSAID 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 eventually gained 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."[487] Estimates do vary.Oxfam criticized Musk’s policies and actions as the world’s richest individual deciding "to shutter the world’s largest provider of lifesaving humanitarian aid."[488]
USAID staff were instructed to keep away from USAID headquarters while hundreds of USAID staff lost access to USAID computer systems.[478]
There have been reports that China has offered to take over development projects if the United States permanently leaves.[489][490][491]
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."[492] 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.[492] In an interview before theFebruary 9 Super Bowl, Trump said, "Let him take care of the few good ones", referring to Rubio.[493][494]
On February 13, federal judgeAmir Ali ordered the Trump administration to continue contracts and grants which were in effect January 19.[495] Chief Justice John Roberts, overseeing cases for the District of Columbia, paused this order.[496][497] On March 5, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that the Trump administration must comply with Judge Ali's order.[498][499] However, the Supreme Court stated that Judge Ali must clarify the payment obligations with "due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines".[498] 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.[500][501] A March 11ABC News article reported that, until recently, no payments were being made because DOGE had disabled the payment system.[501]
On March 10, Secretary of StateMarco 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.[502][503] As of late March, DOGE no longer lists the details of canceled USAID contracts on its "Wall of Receipts".[504]
DOGE lists approximately $12 billion saved, although a former USAID analyst estimates the actual amount is closer to $6 or $7 billion.[504]
In early April, USAID announced it was adding back 14 nations to grants under the UN'sWorld Food Programme. These nations include Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Jordan, Iraq and Ecuador, plus theInternational Organization for Migration in the Pacific region.[505] 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".[506]
In June 2025, the White House requested that Congress pass a package ofrescissions, or "claw backs", of approximately $8 billion in foreign aid and $1 billion for theCorporation for Public Broadcasting includingNPR andPBS.[507]
The House of Representatives passed the cuts as requested. The Senate excluded thePEPFAR cuts, which is the program started in 2003 during thepresidency of George W Bush to help provide HIV medicines to lower-income countries. The Senate passed two preliminary votes in close 51-50 fashion withVice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking votes. A rescission is one of the exceptions to the Senate's 60-votefilibuster rule.[507]
President Trump focused on the public broadcasting aspect, criticizing CNN and also "MSDNC" which is a mix ofMSNBC andDNC (Democratic National Committee). In aTruth Social post, he wrote, "It is very important that all Republicans adhere to my Recissions Bill and, in particular, DEFUND THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (PBS and NPR), which is worse than CNN & MSDNC put together."[508]
In a late night session at 2:00 AM on July 17, the Senate voted 51-48 in favor of the cuts. Later that same day, the House of Representatives voted 216 - 213 for the Senate version, meaning PEPFAR was protected in the amount of $400 million.[508] Regarding the cuts to public broadcasting, service to rural areas became one of the political issues.[509]
President Trump stated the United States would help in response to theMarch 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).[510]
Hurricane Melissa was aCategory 5hurricane which first made landfall atJamaica on October 28, 2025, and then hit otherCaribbean islands.Secretary of State Rubio activated a disaster assistance response team. By October 31, three U.S.CH-47 Chinook helicopters were deployed to Jamaica to help with relief efforts, with five more on the way.[511] In early November, the State Department promised $12 million in aid to Jamaica, $8 toHaiti, $3 million toCuba, and 1/2 million toThe Bahamas.[512]
On January 20, 2025, Trump signed the executive order named "Securing Our Borders". Due to this order,the Uniting for Ukraine parole program is suspended and no new applications fromUkrainian refugees with relatives in the United States are being accepted.[513][514]
On May 12, 59white South African refugees arrived from South Africa. The Trump administration has been criticized for fast-tracking their applications while pausing other refugee programs.[515]
The Trump administration slowed the entry ofAfghan refugees into the U.S, including persons who had fought on the U.S. side against the Taliban. A leader of an American veterans group said, "these pilots risked everything for America. Their lives are now on the line because of our failure to follow through on our promises."[516]
On May 12,Department of Homeland SecuritySecretary Noem announced thatTPS, ortemporary protected status, for Afghan refugees would be ended in 60 days, which is the shortest time period permitted by United States law. This decision cited improved conditions in Afghanistan.[517]
The Hill reports that theUN high commissioner for refugees has stated that the situation in Afghanistan has not improved, with a report stating "The large-scale returns are putting even greater pressure on already stretched humanitarian resources." On the other hand, Secretary Noem has pointed to an increase in tourists from China and a drop in the number of Afghans needing assistance from 29 million to 24 million.[517]
Fox News reported that the leader of "Afghans for Trump", which formed in the aftermath of President Biden's chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, claimed that conditions have not significantly improved and urged President Trump to reconsider.[518]
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In the lead-up to his second inauguration, Trump proposed plans and ideas that would expand the United States' political influence and territory.[519] It has been characterized as a revival of theMonroe Doctrine.[520] Thelast territory acquired by the United States was in 1947 when theMariana,Caroline, andMarshall Islands were acquired.
The Trump administration has imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods imports that do not fall underCanada–United States–Mexico Agreement, with exceptions for steel, aluminum, and Canadian-made passenger vehicle content.[521] Canadian officials responded with retaliatory 25% tariffs,[522][523] and have even proposed cutting off the supply of Canadian energy into theNorthern United States.[524]Manitoba has diverted energy to Canada that it previously supplied to the USA.[525]Peter Navarro, a trade envoy and high-ranking Trump official, has suggested expelling Canada from theFive Eyes intelligence alliance to increase pressure in the trade war.[526]
Trump has repeatedly stated his desire for the United States to annex Canada and calling for it to become the 51st state,[527] calling former Canadian prime ministerJustin Trudeau "Governor of the Great State of Canada".[528] Trudeau stated to business leaders in Canada that he believes the annexation threats are a "real thing".[529] The strained relations have led to a "Buy Canadian" movement to boycott American goods and services,[530] and booing the American national anthem during international hockey games.[531] 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.[532]
On February 8, 2026, Trump threatened to block the opening of theGordie Howe International Bridge, citing Canada’s recent trade developments with China and the alleged one-sided nature of the contract (wherein Canada gains all revenue from bridge tolls to pay back construction costs). Trump said the bridge’s opening will be delayed until multiple trade and bridge related grievances were resolved. Trump's announcement was criticised by politicians, business leaders and industry groups.[533][534][535]
On February 12, 2026, the United States House of Representatives voted to repeal the tariffs that had been imposed on Canadian goods during Donald Trump’s administration. The resolution passed by a 219–211 vote, with a small number of Republican lawmakers joining nearly all Democrats in support. The tariffs had originally been enacted under a national emergency declaration in February 2025, and their repeal represented a rare bipartisan rebuke of Trump’s trade policy. Following the vote, President Trump reportedly threatened political consequences for Republicans who voted against the measure. While passage in the House reflects congressional concern over the tariffs, actual repeal would still require Senate approval and presidential assent, and was expected to face a potential veto.[536][537][538]
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In December 2024, Trump stated a furtherproposal 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 theDanish Realm refused, causing him to cancel his August 2019 visit to Denmark.[541][better source needed] On January 7, 2025, Trump's sonDonald Trump Jr. visited Greenland's capital cityNuuk alongsideCharlie Kirk to hand outMAGA hats.[542] At a press conference the following day, Trump refused to rule out military or economic force to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal.[543] However, he did rule out military force in taking over Canada.[543] On January 14, the Trump-affiliatedNelk Boys also visited Nuuk, handing outdollar bills to locals.[544] On January 16, the CEOs of major Danish companies Novo Nordisk,Vestas andCarlsberg among others were assembled for a crisis meeting in theMinistry of State to discuss the situation.[545][546]
On the subsequent day, former chief executiveFriis Arne Petersen in the DanishMinistry of Foreign Affairs described the situation as "historically unheard of", whileNoa Redington, special adviser to former prime ministerHelle Thorning-Schmidt, compared the international pressure on Denmark that during the 2005Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.[547] On February 12, 2025, a bill was introduced in Congress to advance efforts to acquire Greenland and rename it Red, White, and Blueland.[548] Trump's actions against Greenland have been described ashybrid warfare by academics and analysts.[549] Prime MinisterMette Frederiksen said that "the Kingdom of Denmark—and thus Greenland—is a member of NATO and is therefore covered by the Alliance’scollective security guarantee ... I ... strongly urge the United States to cease its threats against a historically close ally."[550] The official Danish threat assessment published by theDanish Defence Intelligence Service in 2025 for the first time mentioned theUnited States as a threat tonational security, alongsideRussia andChina.[551][552][553] In 2026 Greenland and Denmark saw massiveanti-Trump protests, theHands off Greenland protests, where protesters chanted "Greenland is not for sale".[554][555][556]
In 2024, Trump demanded thatPanama return control of thePanama Canal to the United States due to 'excessive rates' being charged for American passage.[557] The United States previously was in control of thePanama Canal Zone from1903 until1999, and hasinvaded Panama before in 1989.[558][559] Trump told Congress in March 2025 that his administration "will be reclaiming the Panama Canal".[560] 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".[561]
On July 22, 2025, the United States informed of its decision to withdraw fromUNESCO, effective December 31, 2026.[562][563][564]
In a presidential memorandum issued on January 7, 2026, Donald Trump directed to start the process of withdrawal of the USA from the 66 organizations, agencies and commissions of theUnited Nations, includingUN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), calling them “contrary to the interests of the United States”.[565][566]
On January 22, 2026, President Donald Trump completed the withdrawal of the United States from theWorld Health Organization (WHO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, a year after he signedExecutive Order 14155 on January 20, 2025. As announced by theDepartment of Health and Human Services, the United States officially exited the organization, ending its 78-year membership and halting all U.S. funding and participation in the WHO’s governance and activities.[567] Although the organization hoped for a reconsideration the day after Trump's executive order,[568] the administration continued with the decision.
The administration justified the withdrawal by citing concerns about the WHO’s handling of global health emergencies, including theCOVID-19 pandemic, its resistance to reforms, and its failure to operate independently from inappropriate political influence of other WHO member states.[567] In a joint statement bySecretary of StateMarco Rubio andSecretary of Health and Human ServicesRobert F. Kennedy, Jr., they said that the WHO "tarnished and trashed everything that America has done for it" and it "abandoned its core mission and acted repeatedly against the interests of the United States," including the failure to "hand over the American flag that hung in front of it."[569]
The United States still owes outstanding dues to the WHO from 2024 to 2025, raising questions about the legality and financial implications of the exit.[570] Being one of the biggest donors to the WHO, the country's unpaid fees of estimated $260 million has already caused massive job losses at the organization. However, as a response, Washington said they saw no reason to comply.[571]
Ronald G. Nahass, president of theInfectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), criticized the withdrawal, calling it "a shortsighted and misguided abandonment of our global health commitments" and "scientifically reckless." He emphasized that "It fails to acknowledge the fundamental natural history of infectious diseases" and that "Global cooperation and communication are critical to keep our own citizens protected because germs do not respect borders," adding that global cooperation is "not a luxury" but a "biological necessity."[572]
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.[573][574] Trump repealed and rolled back anti-corruption measures 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".[575] His second presidency was described as breaking with decades of ethical norms,[576] and raising substantialcorruption concerns.[577][578] Congressional Republicans largely downplayed or ignored the concerns.[579][576]
Federal judges found many of the administration's actions to be illegal and unconstitutional,[11][12][13] and by mid-July, aWashington Post analysis found he defied judges and the courts in roughly one third of all cases against him, actions which were described by legal experts as unprecedented for any presidential administration.[14] His defiance of court orders and a claimed right to disobey the courts raised fears among legal experts of aconstitutional crisis.[580] By August 2025, several grant terminations and spending freezes were found by judges and theGovernment Accountability Office as being illegal and unconstitutional.[581][582]
As of November 2025[update] Trump has issued nearly two thousand pardons and commutations[583] including for some prosecuted during his first presidency.[584] Trump's pardons and grants of clemency favored political allies and loyalists.[585][586] Lobbyists have told the Wall Street Journal and other news outlets that fees of $1M are standard. Some would-be pardon recipients have offered success fees of $6M for a successful application.[587][3][588]
Trump frequently bypassed theOffice of the Pardon Attorney, and on March 7, 2025, fired its leader, Department of Justice career attorney Liz Oyer, and installed political loyalistEd Martin in the role.[589][590] Ed Martin described the rationale for granting pardons as "No MAGA left behind".[591] In April 2025, Oyer testified to the Senate and accused the Justice Department of "ongoing corruption" and that "the leadership of the Department of Justice appears to value political loyalty above the fair and responsible administration of justice".[592] In 2025, Trump pardoned 42 people charged with white-collar crimes. As of late January 2026, he had pardoned an additional 10 white collar criminals.[593]
Trump maintained whatThe New York Times described as a "pay-for-access" operation, with millions being raised for his pro-Trump PAC,MAGA Inc, which had collected $177 million in the first half of 2025, twice as much than was raised by theRepublican National Committee and unusually large for term-limited presidents. Millions were raised from individuals, lobbyists, corporations, and donors to it and other Trump-friendly outlets. Those that gave were granted access to the president and shortly afterward several received presidential pardons, favorable regulatory and policy actions, or appointments for government positions.[594]
Examples of criticism included but were not limited to the Trump administration lifting a ban onCentral Romana Corporation shipping sugar to the United States following allegations of forced labor at the company. According toOpenSecrets,Fanjul Corp which owns Central Romana had given $1 million to MAGA Inc.[595][596] Another action criticized was thepardon of Paul Walczak following his mother's attendance at a $1 million per personal fund raising "candlelight dinner" sponsored by MAGA Inc. Walczak was alleged by prosecutors to have withheld over $10 million from paychecks of staff at a nursing home fortrust fund taxes instead using the money to buy a $2 million yacht among other expenses. Walczak was supposed to pay $4.3 million inrestitution prior to his pardon.[597][598] The Trump administration was also criticized for delaying a rule change which would restrict coverage of skin substitutes under Medicare after Extremity Care "a leading seller of skin substitutes" gave $5 million to MAGA Inc.[599][600]
 | Donald J. Trump tweeted: |
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I am pleased to report that I have raised, since the Great Presidential Election of 2024, in various forms and political entities, in excess of 1.5 Billion Dollars. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! President DJTTrump's second presidency included multiple potential conflicts of interest that did not exist during his first term in office, including a publicly traded company inTruth Social,a cryptocurrency venture, new overseas real estate deals involving state-affiliated entities, and several branding and licensing deals selling Trump-branded merchandise.[573] His2024 campaign was noted for an "unprecedented" mixing of personal business and political fundraising.[603] Trump promoted $59.99bibles, $399sneakers, $99 "Victory47" cologne, and $99 Trump-brandedNFT digital trading cards for his personal, non-campaign accounts.[604][605] Trump's campaign was noted for spending large sums of campaign money at Trump-owned businesses, in particular hisMar-a-Lago resort and theTrump National Doral Miami.[606]
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.[607] Trump did not adopt his own formal ethics guidelines.[608] 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 theTrump Organization would continue to pursue business deals overseas, dropping a self-imposed prohibition during Trump's first presidency.[574] Trump profited from holding events at his hotels and golf courses.[607][609] Trump's conflicts of interest were described as having national-security risks, with particular emphasis placed on relationships with the Saudi and Emirati governments through the Trump Organization and his son-in-lawJared Kushner's investment fund backed by the Saudis.[610] 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.[611]
As part of theInitial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions, Trump repealedEthic Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel which prohibited 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".[613] Trump also signedExecutive Order 14209 to stop the Justice Department prosecuting Americans accused of bribing foreign government officials under theForeign Corrupt Practices Act.[614] Trump's wife, Melania, entered into a deal withAmazon to create a documentary about herself, which raised ethics concerns as it was made while she was still in office.[607] In March 2025, Trump praisedTesla's cars on the White House lawn with notes about the cars' features alongsideElon Musk in "something of a sales pitch" which was described inThe Nation as "brazenly corrupt".[612][615] Countries facing tariffs were pushed by the State Department to approve Musk'sStarlink satellite service.[616]
On April 9, 2025, Trump's encouragement of investors to buy stocks hours beforepausing tariffs that sent markets soaring was scrutinized by Democrats and government ethics experts as possible market manipulation.[617] RepresentativeAdam Schiff called on Congress to investigate whether in pausing tariffs, Trump had engaged in insider trading or market manipulation.[618] His use of tariff exemptions also raised concerns of corruption, with claims of insider trading and special exemptions being given to friends and to punish rivals.[619] Trump has suggested those who "invest" within the United States would be able to reduce their tariffs.[620][621]
In May 2025, Trump's intention to accepta $400 million luxury jet from Qatar to serve first asAir Force One and later be transferred tohis presidential library elicited rare, bipartisan criticism, with his supporters deriding it as a "bribe", "grift" and "corruption".[622]The Guardian criticized it as an example of aquid pro quo.[623]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".[624]
By August 12, theUnited States Office of Government Ethics reported that Trump had made 690 stock transactions since taking office, including purchasing at least $100 million in bonds from local authorities, gas districts, and major American corporations. CNBC reported that federal law exempted the president and vice president from some conflict of interest regulations.[625]
An August 2025 New Yorker Piece entitled "The Number" byDavid D. Kirkpatrick estimated that Trump had gained over $3 billion from the presidency. The number was calculated from increased business at Mar-a-Lago, legal fees, TrumpStore.com ("the official retail website of The Trump Organization"[626]), deals with theArab states of the Persian Gulf,N7478D,Trump International, Vietnam,Trump's conflict with the media, the Trump Media & Technology Group,1789 Capital and Trumps activities involving Cryptocurrency.[627]
Trump's cabinet were noted to have a large number of potential conflicts of interest, with theCampaign Legal Center finding over 467 that would require recusal, with the most, 106, belonging toHoward Lutnick.[608] 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.[628]
At the2025 Gaza peace summit, a live microphone recorded Indonesian presidentPrabowo Subianto asking Trump if he could meet his son, Eric Trump. Trump replied he would have Eric call him. Speculation arose over the involvement of Trump organization. At the time, Eric Trump served as an executive vice president ofThe Trump Organization, which had business interests in Indonesia, including an operating golf club near Jakarta and a planned resort in Bali. The media described it as a 'hot mic moment'.[629][630][631] Prabowo had told Trump that he had also informed Hary, reportedly referring toHary Tanoesoedibjo, an Indonesian developer with ties to the Trump Organization. The incident prompted criticism. Tony Carrk, executive director of the watchdog group Accountable.US, stated that the exchange showed "there is no line between Trump presidential and personal business."[632]
In October 2025, Trump demanded the Justice Department pay him $230 million to compensate him for his former federal investigations. The move was described as unparalleled in American history and the starkest example of a conflict of interest due to the president installing his personal lawyers as leaders of the department.[633]
You've been so generous in your contributions, very substantial money, fully financed. It's fully taken care of now. And in fact, we'll have money left over and we'll use that for something.
Trump'sWhite House State Ballroom will reportedly be heavily funded by private donors.[636] Trump hosted an October 2025 dinner for donors to the ballroom.[637]
In October 2025, Trump said that an anonymous private donor has given $130 million to the U.S. government to help pay troops during the government shutdown.[638][639] While Trump refused to identify the donor, the donor was reported to beTimothy Mellon.[640]
The Justice Department reportedly shut down an investigation intoTom Homan accepting $50,000.[641][642][643]
Of a $200 million ad campaign, the majority ($143 million[644]) reportedly was awarded to Safe America Media LLC with thenational emergency designation used to bypass "the normal competitive bidding"[645]procurement process.[646] The LLC was incorporated eight days before the contract award with its address being the home of a Republican consultant.[647][646] While, "subcontractors hired to do work on the DHS ads are not disclosed in federal contracting databases", a production as part of the contract was run by the Strategy Group. The group's CEO is Ben Yoho[648][649] who is married to Tricia McLaughlin theassistant secretary for Public Affairs atDHS.[650][646]USAspending.gov lists the Office of Public Affairs at DHS as the "Funding Office" of the award.[644] Noem had previously required "that she personally approve any payment over $100,000".[646][651] Noem had previously been accused of intervening as South Dakota governor "to ensure the Strategy Group got the deal". The group paid "up to $25,000" toMadison Sheahan described as "one of Noem’s closest advisers in South Dakota".[646] Yoho had also "worked underLewandowski on the publicity campaign forNoem’s 2024 memoir".[646] Another firm, "People Who Think", owned by Jay Connaughton, has a $77 million award for advertising from DHS.[646][652] In 2023, "Connaughton appeared to have worked" with Lewandowski.[653]
The Trump Library Foundation "expects to raise about $50 million" in 2025.[654]
MGX Fund Management Limited chaired bySheikh Tahnoon put $2 billion intoWorld Liberty Financial to invest inbinance. Two weeks later, Trump announced "over $200 billion in commercial deals between the United States and the United Arab Emirates—bringing the total of investment agreements in the Gulf region to over $2 trillion"[655][656] Discussions reportedly involvedDavid O. Sacks andSteve Witkoff.[657]
The TRUMP VANCE INAUGURAL COMMITTEE, INC. raised over $700 million.[658][659][660]
David O. Sacks "stands out as a special government employee because of his hundreds of investments in tech companies, which can benefit from policies that he influences".[661]
Trump will host the2026 G20 summit atTrump National Doral Miami, a resort owned byThe Trump Organization.[662]
Trump and his family involvement in the cryptocurrency industry have given rise to ethical and legal concerns.[663]
On January 17, 2025, Trump launched, promoted, and personally benefited[613] from a cryptocurrencymemecoin,$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.[664] 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 meme coin 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.[665] The venture and the possibility of foreign governments buying the coin was highlighted as possibly violating the Constitution'sForeign Emoluments Clause.[666] He promoted exclusive access to him for the largest holders of $Trump, includinghosting a dinner, which according toThe 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".[667]
He directly benefited from his cryptocurrency companyWorld 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, who disclosed income of nearly US$60 million in an ethics filing.[668][669] 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".[611] On May 12, 2025, another family bitcoin company co-founded byEric Trump in March,American Bitcoin, announced plans to go public by merging with an existing Nasdaq company.[670]
DuringDonald Trump's second presidency, the Trump administration took a series of actions using the government to target his political opponents andcivil society. His actions were described by news outlets as part of his promised "retribution" and "revenge" campaign, within the context of a strongly personalist and leader-centered conception of politics.[675][676][677][678] Duringhis 2024 presidential campaign, he repeatedly stated that he had "every right" to go after his political opponents.[679]
He undertook a massive expansion of presidential power under a maximalist interpretation of theunitary executive theory,[680] and several of his actions ignored or violated federal laws, regulations, and theConstitution, according to American legal scholars.[681][682][683] He threatened, signed executive actions, and ordered investigations into his political opponents, critics, and organizations aligned with theDemocratic Party.[684] He politicized thecivil service,[680] undertakingmass layoffs of government employees to recruit workers more loyal to himself.[685] He ended the post-Watergate norm ofJustice Department independence, weaponizing it and ordering it to target his political enemies.[686] He utilized several government agencies to retaliate against his political enemies and continued filing personal lawsuits against his political opponents, companies, and news organizations that angered him.[677][687]
By July 2025, Trump had extracted more than $1.2 billion in settlements in a "cultural crackdown" against a variety of institutions that largely chose to settle rather than fight back.[688] He engaged in an unprecedentedtargeting of law firms and lawyers that previously represented positions adverse to himself.[689][690] Hetargeted higher education by demanding it give federal oversight of curriculum andtargeted activists, legal immigrants, tourists, and students with visas who expressed criticism of his policies or engaged in pro-Palestinian advocacy.[691] Hedetained and deported United States citizens.[692]
Trump's actions againstcivil society have been described by legal experts and political scientists asauthoritarian and contributing todemocratic backsliding,[693][694][695] and negatively impactingfreedom of the press,[696][697][698]free speech, and therule of law.[686][699][700][701]
The beginning of Trump's second presidency is largely recognized as the one theorized by political strategistSteve Bannon during Trump's first presidency, here deployed byStephen Miller. The strategy consists of "flood[ing] the zone of shit," with an impressive number of claims and executive orders with the intent to tire journalists, political opponents and judicial institutions. As such the latter can't react rapidly and appropriately enough, and it nips controversies in the bud because of the flood of information. The administration had already prepared diverse executive orders to allow the signing of 55 executive orders in 20 days, a frequency never-before-seen.[702][703][704][705][706][707]
Individually,The Hill columnist Chris Truax argues that some of Trump's "ridiculous" and "bizarre" claims and policies, joint with his frequentconfabulations, could be partly explained by an early stage ofdementia.[708][709]
A month after the beginning of the presidency, the government had been sued 200 times for "executive overreach", which the administration lost for the most part.[710] OnTwitter, Trump justified his policies by quotingNapoleon: "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law".[711] In reaction, the American left accused him of acting as a dictator.[712][713][714]
The right-wing and left-wing media both claim that their policies allowed a hitherto concentration of executive power in US history. Experts and newspapers feared a constitutional crisis because of frequentchecks and balances breaches.[711] The Trump administration often questioned the legitimacy of judges blocking his executive orders.[712][713][715]
According toThe New Yorker, Trump's new governance based itself on unconditional loyalty towards himself. Trump allegedly implemented a climate where any criticism even among the Republicans is sanctioned. Figures likeJack Posobiec andLaura Loomer acted as ideological safeguards by listing potential dissidents among the party.[716]
The administrations openly wanted to concentrate political powers within Trump's hands. They justify it with theunitary executive theory, alleging that by having been elected and with the approval of the Constitution, Trump is warranted in having unchecked and absolute power on the judicial branch, and on politics in general.[710] Legal expert Julien Jeanneney argued that the "unconstitutional" policies of Trump are backed by theSupreme Court, of which a third of the judges had been appointed by Trump during his first presidency, hence making Republican judges the majority. According to Jeanneney most of the judges "seem clearly on Trump's side concerning most of his policies, even when they violate the Court's long-lived principles."[717]
Numerous experts of fascism (Jason Stanley,Marci Shore,Timothy Snyder,[718]Johann Chapoutot,[719] Paul Lerner, Anne Berg,[720] Diana Garvin, Tiffany Florvil, Claudia Koonz[721] andAsma Mhalla[722]) denounced the authoritarianism of the presidency, which they explicitlylinked to fascism. However expertsChristopher R. Browning[720] andRoger Griffin[723] contested this comparison, although Browning noted "uncanny resemblances" between Trump and Hitler.[720]
| Senate leaders | House leaders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congress | Year | Majority | Minority | Speaker | Minority |
| 119th | 2025–present | Thune | Schumer | Johnson | Jeffries |
| Congress | Senate | House |
|---|---|---|
| 119th[d] | 53 | 220 |
On July 7, 2025, the FBI issued a two-page statement saying they had concluded that infamoussex offenderJeffrey Epstein did not possess a "client list", even though Attorney GeneralPam Bondi had hinted in February that such a document was on her desk. Several right-wing media personalities were highly critical of the decision. And per mainstream sources, FBI Deputy DirectorDan Bongino is considering resigning and had been feuding with Bondi. One of the reasons given for the non-release is the privacy of the victims. At a White House press conference on the same day, President Trump asked a reporter, "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?"[724]
In late-July 24, several Senator Republicans spoke in favor of releasing the information.Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) said, "The idea that Trump did something nefarious and Biden sat on it for four years, It's hard to believe. Just put it out. Let people look at it."Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) said, "Anybody who ever met him is going to be mentioned, so I don't think that's a big deal … but nor is it a reason to withhold the documents."Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) said, "I'm where I've been every time you always ask me this question. Release the damn files."[725]
On September 3, 2025, at an at large outside press conference on the Capitol steps, legislators were joined by nearly a dozen women who state they had been abused by convicted offender Epstein. RepresentativesRo Khanna, a California Democrat,Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican andMarjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican and close ally of Trump, urged the House of Representatives to vote to release the full files. House Republican leaders offered an alternative vote to continue investigation by the House Oversight Committee.
On September 3, President Trump spoke to reporters from the Oval Office, and said that the call for release of files is a "Democrat hoax that never ends."[726][727] Similarly,CNN states that Democrats have "sought to weaponize the Epstein issue against Trump and the GOP in recent weeks, trying to force votes that would put vulnerable Republicans in difficult positions. But the tone of Wednesday's press conference was far less partisan."[727]
On October 7, Attorney General Bondi testified before theSenate Judiciary Committee and BBC drew five "takeaways" including "3. Bondi keen to focus on crime" and "4. But Democrats focus on Epstein." However,Senator John Kennedy (Republican -Louisiana) repeated comments fromCommerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that Epstein was "the greatest blackmailer ever."[728]
On November 12, 2025, the petition to force a House vote for the release of the Epstein files by the Department of Justice secured the final required signature from Democratic Rep.Adelita Grijalva, the latter being sworn in for her position after the end of the October 2025 government shutdown.[729] On the same day, House Democrats released a series of private emails between Epstein, Gishaline Maxwell, and journalistMichael Wolff. Among them was an email in which Epstein stated that "Trump knew about the girls," though without it being clear that this refers to Epstein's crimes.[730]
On November 18, theEpstein Files Transparency Act cleared the House and Senate with overwhelming majorities, requiring the release of all materials relating to the Epstein investigation within 30 days.[731] This would exclude victims' names, as well as material which depicts sexual abuse. The Justice Department may also withhold any materials whose release would "jeapordise an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary." This fact has drawn concern from certain lawmakers, who argue that recently started, ongoing investigations into Bill Clinton andLarry Summers may delay the release of some materials.[731] The Act also requires the executive branch to provide an unredacted “list of all government officials and politically exposed persons” who are included in the material.CNN has expressed scepticism about this aspect of the Act, arguing in an analysis article that “the administration might play games with whatever discretion it has — say, by releasing information that’s politically advantageous but withholding other information using the available justifications.”[732]
Trump has reversed course and now states he favors the release of the material.[733] He signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on November 19, and made a lengthy post on Truth Social which included the claim, “Do not forget — The Biden Administration did not turn over a SINGLE file or page related to Democrat Epstein, nor did they ever even speak about him.[734][735]
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ProfessorChristina 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, particularly universities; aggressive foreign policy and global destabilization.[739]
Journalist Martin Sandu and authoritarian politics researcher Alex Norris described the maximalist interpretation ofexecutive power in Trump's second term as president, including sweepingexecutive orders, thefederal funding freeze,actions against political opponents and the media,pardons of those involved in the 2021 attempted self-coup, the actions ofElon Musk'sDepartment of Government Efficiency, and the like as an attemptedself-coup.[740][741] Political scientist Lee Morgenbesser argued the actions of DOGE are a form ofstate capture.[742]
Donald Trump began his second term with another historically low job approval rating, only improving on his lowest-ever rating (occurring in his first term) by three percentage points.[745] President Trump began his first term at 45% job approval, and his second with 47%. According toGallup, "Trump remains the only elected president with sub-50% initial approval ratings".[745] In aCBS News/YouGov poll conducted from February 5–7, 2025, Trump reached a career high poll rating of 53%.[746] According to ABC News, Trump's approval rating at the end of his first 100 days in office was 39%, even lower than his already low 42% approval rating at the end of his first 100 days of his first presidency and the worst of any president's approval ratings after their 100 days in 80 years.[747] By July 2025, Gallup found Trump's approval rating reached the lowest for his second term at 37%, largely driven by declining support from independents,[748] and in August, multiple surveys revealed record or near-record low job approval ratings, which Gallup found to be lower than any modern president.[749]
As was the case during Trump's first term,[750][751][752]the president's approval ratings have remained remarkably stable.[753][754][755] His ratings are also very polarized, often with more Republicans than Democrats approving of his leadership.
In early June 2025 in response to streetprotests against ICE actions, President Trump activated and sent 2,100 members of theCalifornia National Guard to the Los Angeles area.[756]Reuters reported that the protests were the strongest domestic backlash to Trump since he took office in January,[757] and became a focal point in a national debate over immigration, protest, the use of federal force in domestic affairs, the boundaries of presidential power, and freedom of speech and assembly.[758]
On June 14, the Trump administration held theU.S. Army 250th Anniversary Parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the anniversary of the U.S. Army and coinciding with President Trump's 79th birthday.[759] The parade is estimated to have cost somewhere between $25 and $45 million.[759] In protest,50501,Indivisible, and other organizations[760] organizedNo Kings protests in many American cities. Millions attended the largest protest since Trump was re-elected.[759][761]
No Kings protests (also called No Kings 2.0[762][763][764] and No Kings Day 2.0[765][766]) took place on October 18, 2025, as part of a series ofdemonstrations taking place largely in the United States againstDonald Trump's policies and actions during his second presidency. The demonstrations, which followed theJune 2025 No Kings protests, took place in some 2,700 locations across the country, including theNational Mall inWashington, D.C.,Chicago, andNew York City.
Organizers of the protests estimated that the protests drew nearly 7 million attendees,[767][768] while a partnership between data journalistG. Elliott Morris and the Xylom, an independent Atlanta-based science newsroom, estimated 5 million to 6.5 million participants. Either estimate would make this one of thelargest single-day protests in American history.[769]
President Trump's expansive interpretation of presidential power has become the defining characteristic of his second term.
A federal judge on Friday struck down President Trump's executive order targeting the prominent law firm of Perkins Coie, finding it unconstitutional and declaring it an attack on the foundational principles of the American legal system.
A comprehensive analysis of hundreds of lawsuits against Trump policies shows dozens of examples of defiance, delay and dishonesty, which experts say pose an unprecedented threat to the U.S. legal system. [...] The Post examined 337 lawsuits filed against the administration since Trump returned to the White House and began a rapid-fire effort to reshape government programs and policy. As of mid-July, courts had ruled against the administration in 165 of the lawsuits. The Post found that the administration is accused of defying or frustrating court oversight in 57 of those cases — almost 35 percent. Legal experts said the pattern of conduct is unprecedented for any presidential administration and threatens to undermine the judiciary's role as a check on an executive branch asserting vast powers that test the boundaries of the law and Constitution.
President Donald Trump's first day back on the job began with what has been dubbed a shock and awe campaign, a burst of dozens of executive orders meant to jump-start his political and economic strategies.
He issued more executive orders on Day 1 than any previous president
President Donald Trump's first day back on the job began with what has been dubbed a shock and awe campaign, a burst of dozens of executive orders meant to jump-start his political and economic strategies.
In all, more than 30 out of Trump's 47 initial executive actions as of Thursday afternoon match or partially align with ideas promoted in Project 2025, the analysis found.
The U.S. agreed to cut tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China committed to reduce tariffs on U.S. products from 125% to 10%
[Includes video, interview to Pam Bondi, running time: 4:55 min.]
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reviewed all of the mobilizations, except for New Orleans because it's a more recent development
Research, including a 2014 meta-analysis involving more than 1.2 million children, found no association between vaccines and autism.
Merck, for instance, said it will reduce the price of its Januvia diabetes drug on TrumpRx to $100, from $330. Gilead will provide its Hepatitis C medication, Epclusa, for $2,425, rather than $24,920. GSK will make its asthma inhaler Advair Diskus 500/50 available for $89, from $265.
The president is wasting no time in following through on his frequent campaign trail vows for retribution – with a torrent of purges and pardons.
Some advisers to Mr. Trump have been interested in advancing the so-called unitary executive theory, an expansive view of presidential power. According to the theory, the president must have complete control of the executive branch, so Congress may not give other officials independent decision-making authority or restrict the president's ability to fire them.
Advisers to Mr. Trump subscribe to a strong view of presidential power called the unitary executive theory, under which the Constitution should be interpreted as giving presidents exclusive control of the executive branch and independent agencies are considered illegitimate. During the campaign, Trump allies vowed to stomp out pockets of independence in the executive branch if he won the election.
Economists and Wall Street investors have for decades generally accepted the data as free from political bias.
Maybe so, but the settlement was still a shakedown. Mr Trump skipped the legal process by which the government can cancel funds. By law the administration has to offer a hearing and submit a report to Congress at least 30 days before the cut-off takes effect. None of that happened. Of course coercive, bilateral deals are Mr Trump's métier—he has achieved them with law firms and trading partners.
America's most elite institutions have largely succumbed to the Trump administration's cultural crackdown, opting to pay up — often to the tune of tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars — rather than fight back.
But since winning a second term, the president-elect has been embracing a new imperialist agenda, threatening to seize the Panama Canal and Greenland — perhaps by military force — and saying he will use economic coercion to pressure Canada to become the nation's 51st state.
Donald Trump's imperialist designs on Greenland, Canada and Panama often sound like the ramblings of a real estate shark who equates foreign and trade policy to a hunt for new deals. But there's method in his expansionist mindset.
At a press conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday, January 7, Trump reiterated the idea of American expansion, which he believes would validate the promise of a 'golden age' made to voters.
The international order forged after World War II is imploding, squeezed on all sides by the return of strongmen, nationalism and spheres of influence — with President Trump leading the charge. ... Trump's approach is based, according to U.S. officials, in 'realism'.
The pullback reflects a broader American retreat from international bodies and Mr. Trump's dim view of soft power, the longstanding idea that America's cultural and economic influence abroad strengthens its hand in foreign affairs.
Mr. Trump has rebuffed NATO and aligned himself with the longstanding, principal threat to the alliance: Russia.
But it underscores Mr. Trump's impulse to squeeze even America's traditional allies as he applies his transactional approach to foreign policy.
It would be hard to think of a starker demonstration of how radically Mr. Trump is recalibrating America's place in the world after barely a month back in office. He is positioning the United States in the camp of the globe's chief rogue states in opposition to the countries that have been America's best friends since World War II or before.
The rupture of the post-1945 order is gaining pace. In extraordinary scenes at the UN this week, America sided with Russia and North Korea against Ukraine and Europe. Germany's probable new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, warns that by June NATO may be dead. Fast approaching is a might-is-right world in which big powers cut deals and bully small ones.
Trump administration officials haven't kept their disdain for Europe quiet. But the contempt seems to be even louder behind closed doors.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Hours later, Hamas fired three rockets at Israel without causing casualties, in the first such attack since Israel broke the ceasefire on Tuesday.
Israel has launched a new ground offensive in Gaza after it broke the nearly two-month-long ceasefire with Hamas.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)The rescissions request would cut $8.3 billion for the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, along with other international assistance programs — from peacekeeping efforts to refugee assistance and climate projects.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Det er decideret hybrid krigsførelse, når amerikanerne forsøger at købe sig til et valgresultat i Grønland, vurderer to eksperter. Det lyder ganske problematisk: en allieret, der fører aktiv hybridkrig mod en anden allieret. Det er ikke desto mindre den virkelighed, Danmark og Grønland befinder sig i, når USA tager en bred vifte af metoder i brug for at lægge pres på Rigsfællesskabet.[It clearly amounts to hybrid warfare when the Americans try to buy their way to an election result in Greenland, two experts assess. It sounds quite problematic: an ally conducting active hybrid warfare against another ally. Nevertheless, this is the reality that Denmark and Greenland find themselves in when the United States employs a broad range of methods to exert pressure on the Realm.]
The Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog, has repeatedly ruled that canceled or delayed funding for biomedical research, K-12 education, and more is illegal and runs afoul of the Impoundment Control Act, a federal law regulating when presidents can withhold spending.
Trump granted two hundred and thirty-eight pardons and commutations in his first term; less than a year into his second, he has issued nearly two thousand.
President Trump's expansive interpretation of presidential power has become the defining characteristic of his second term.
In his first week in office, President Trump made clear that his promises to exact revenge on his perceived enemies were not empty campaign pledges — and that his retribution is intended not just to impose punishment for the past but also to intimidate anyone who might cross him in the future.
The president is wasting no time in following through on his frequent campaign trail vows for retribution – with a torrent of purges and pardons.
In the first 100 days of his second term, President Trump has moved aggressively to fulfill his promise of retribution against an extraordinary range of individuals and organizations, targeting political opponents, news organizations, former government officials, universities, international student protesters and law firms.
The president, far more than in his first term, has cast aside a post-Watergate norm that the White House should stay out of law enforcement decisions. After years of baselessly accusing Barack Obama and Joseph R. Biden Jr. of directing investigations into him, he has made a reality the very weaponization of the Justice Department he once railed against.
America's most elite institutions have largely succumbed to the Trump administration's cultural crackdown, opting to pay up — often to the tune of tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars — rather than fight back.
... marked an unprecedented attack on their ability to do business.
"Trump is using the classic elected authoritarian playbook," said Brendan Nyhan of Dartmouth College, who joined more than 800 other political scientists in signing a letter warning that Trump is undermining the rule of law and the basic constitutional principle of checks and balances.
This assault on both Congress's power of the purse and on the US's administrative state is as much of a self-coup as was the spurring of insurrectionists on January 6, 2021.
Verdict: Self coup, in-progress, success still unknown
More accurately, Musk's siege amounts to a form of 'state capture'. This refers to 'the appropriation of state resources by political actors for their own ends: either private or political.'
It's the latest in a string of national surveys released in the past month giving Trump record-low numbers, following a 37% approval from a July 7–21 Gallup poll and a 40% approval rating from a Reuters/Ispos poll at the end of the month. A historical analysis by Gallup shows Trump's approval ratings in the first July of both of his terms are lower than those of any other modern president.
Protests in Los Angeles against raids on suspected undocumented immigrants have turned into the strongest domestic backlash against President Donald Trump since he took office in January.
The protests against the raids have become the latest focal point in a national debate over immigration, protest rights, and the use of federal force in domestic affairs. It also has fueled discussion on the boundaries of presidential power and the public's right to dissent.
As President Donald Trump's military parade rolled through the nation's capital on Saturday, millions of Americans across the country took part in the largest coordinated protests against the president since the start of his second administration.
Quotations related toSecond presidency of Donald Trump at Wikiquote
Media related toSecond presidency of Donald Trump at Wikimedia Commons
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