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Second presidency of Donald Trump
The second and current tenure of Donald Trump as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration on January 20, 2025. Trump, a Republican from New York City and resident of Florida, who previously served as president from 2017 to 2021, took office following his victory over Democratic incumbent vice president Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election after she replaced incumbent U.S. president Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's nominee. He instituted deportations, tariffs, and issued numerous executive orders. Trump is the second president in U.S. history to serve non-consecutive terms after Grover Cleveland in 1893 and is the oldest individual to assume the presidency. Following his victories in the 2016 and 2024 elections, he is not eligible for a third term due to the provisions of the Twenty-second Amendment. BackgroundFirst presidency and 2020 presidential electionDonald Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2017, for his first term as the president of the United States, after winning the 2016 United States presidential election against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.[1][2] While in office, Trump signed 220 executive orders.[3] He withdrew the US from a multilateral agreement on trade (the Trans-Pacific Partnership), and initiated the United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (Iran nuclear deal), and the United States withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. In domestic policy, he signed major legislation like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, First Step Act, and the Great American Outdoors Act along with five bills for pandemic era relief: the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020; the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; the CARES Act; the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The unilateral foreign policy of the first Donald Trump administration was based in offensive realism. Trump was involved in many controversies related to his policies, conduct, and false or misleading statements. These included the Mueller special counsel investigation into his presidential campaign's alleged coordination with the Russian government during the 2016 election, the House of Representatives' first impeachment of Donald Trump in December 2019 for abuse of power and contempt of Congress after the Trump–Ukraine scandal, in which he solicited Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden (after the First impeachment trial of Donald Trump, he was acquitted by the Senate in February 2020), the Trump administration family separation policy for migrants apprehended at the U.S.–Mexico border, limitations on the number of immigrants permitted from certain countries (many of which were Muslim-majority), demand for the federal funding of the Mexico–United States border wall that resulted in the 2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown which was the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, and attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The environmental policy of the first Donald Trump administration resulted in the loosening of the enforcement of numerous environmental regulations. His reelection loss to Biden came amidst a series of crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting aftermath, along with numerous protests and riots. In the aftermath of the election, Trump repeatedly made false claims that widespread electoral fraud had occurred and that he had legitimately won the election. Although most resulting lawsuits were either dismissed or ruled against by numerous courts,[4][5][6] Trump nonetheless conspired with his campaign team to submit documents in several states (all of which had been won by Biden) that falsely claimed to be legitimate electoral certificates for President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.[7] After the submission of these documents, the Trump campaign intended that the presiding officer of the United States Senate, either President of the Senate Pence or President pro tempore Chuck Grassley, would claim to have the unilateral power to reject electors during the January 6, 2021 vote counting session; the presiding officer would reject all electors from the several states in which the Trump campaign had submitted false documents, leaving 232 votes for Trump and 222 votes for Biden, thereby overturning the election results in favor of Trump.[8][9][10] The plans for January 6 failed to come to fruition after Pence refused to follow the campaign's proposals.[11][12] Trump nevertheless urged his supporters on January 6, 2021, to march to the Capitol while the joint session of Congress was assembled there to count electoral votes and formalize Biden's victory, leading to hundreds storming the building and interrupting the electoral vote count; as a result, the House impeached Trump for incitement of insurrection on January 13, 2021, making him the only federal office holder in American history to be impeached more than once (the Senate would later acquit him for the second time on February 13, 2021, after he had already left office). Between presidencies and 2024 presidential election Donald Trump officially announced his candidacy for the nomination of the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election on November 15, 2022, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in a roughly hour-long speech.[13][14] In March 2024, Trump clinched the nomination by winning a majority of the delegates to become the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party following the party's presidential primaries.[15] Trump selected Senator JD Vance of Ohio, a former critic of his, as his running mate, and the two were officially nominated as the Republican ticket at the 2024 Republican National Convention.[16] Incumbent president Joe Biden initially ran for reelection for the Democratic nomination, becoming the party's presumptive nominee in March 2024 after comfortably winning the primaries with little opposition.[17][18] However, following a widely panned debate performance and amid increasing concerns about his age and health, Biden officially withdrew from the race in July 2024.[19][20] Biden endorsed Kamala Harris, his 2020 running mate and vice president of the United States, as his successor, who announced her campaign on July 21.[21] The following day, Harris received enough nonbinding delegates to become the party's new presumptive nominee;[22] at the Democratic National Convention in August 2024, she formally accepted the party's nomination with Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate.[23] Early on November 6, 2024, the day after the election, Trump was projected to have won Wisconsin (a flip from the previous presidential election), thereby receiving enough electoral votes to secure the presidency, becoming the president-elect of the United States.[24][25] Trump won the presidential election with 312 electoral votes compared to Harris' 226. The electoral votes were certified on January 6, 2025.[26] Trump, upon taking office, is the second president in U.S. history to serve non-consecutive terms after Grover Cleveland in 1893,[27] the oldest individual to assume the presidency, and the first convicted felon to serve the presidency following his conviction in May 2024.[28] Vance, as the third-youngest vice president in U.S. history, became the first Millennial vice president; additionally, he became the first vice president to have served in the Marine Corps.[28] In the concurrent congressional elections, Republicans retained a narrow majority in the House of Representatives and took control of the Senate.[29] Transition period, inauguration, and first 100 days.jpg) _(cropped2).jpg) The presidential transition period began following Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, though Trump had chosen Linda McMahon and Howard Lutnick to begin planning for the transition in August 2024. According to The New York Times, Trump is "superstitious" and prefers to avoid discussing the presidential transition process until after Election Day. His transition team is expected to rely on the work of the America First Policy Institute, rather than The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that garnered controversy during the election for Project 2025, a set of initiatives that would reshape the federal government.[30] By October, he had not participated in the federal presidential transition process,[31] and he had not signed a required ethics pledge, as of November.[32] During the transition period, Trump announced nominations for his cabinet and administration. Trump was inaugurated at the United States Capitol on January 20, 2025, succeeding Joe Biden as president.[33] He was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts.[34] The inauguration occurred indoors in the Capitol Rotunda.[35] Two days before the inauguration, Trump launched a meme coin, $Trump.[36] Upon taking office, Trump quickly signed a series of executive orders described as a "shock and awe" campaign that tested the limits of executive authority, which drew immediate legal challenges.[37][38] He issued more executive orders on his first day than any other president in history.[39] Four days into Trump's second term, analysis conducted by Time found that nearly two-thirds of his executive actions "mirror or partially mirror" proposals from Project 2025,[40] which was seconded with analysis from Bloomberg Government.[41] Trump's executive orders withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization and Paris Agreement,[42] rolled back recognition of "gender ideology",[43] froze new regulations from bureaucracy, froze hiring for federal workers, founded the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), reversed the withdrawal of Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terror, reversed sanctions on Israeli settlers, reversed an executive order on artificial intelligence, reversed the Family Reunification Task Force,[44] issued a mass pardon of approximately 1,500 January 6 rioters,[45][46] designated Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, attempted to end birthright citizenship, and declared a national emergency on the southern border that would trigger the deployment of armed forces.[47][48] In the days following his inauguration, Trump signed another executive order to dismantle federal DEI initiatives and programs.[49] In his first weeks, several of Trump's actions ignored or violated federal laws, regulations, and the Constitution.[50][51] AdministrationCabinetTrump's cabinet choices were described by news media as valuing personal loyalty over relevant experience,[52][53] and for having a range of conflicting ideologies and "eclectic personalities".[54][55] It was also described as the wealthiest administration in modern history, with over 13 billionaires chosen to take government posts.[56][57] Trump officials and Elon Musk threatened to fund primary challengers in upcoming elections against Republican Senators who did not vote for Trump's nominees.[58][59] Actions against political opponents and the mediaTrump frequently promised to exact retribution and revenge against perceived political enemies through his 2024 campaign,[60][61] and has said he has "every right" to go after political opponents.[62] Trump has repeatedly suggested that he supports outlawing political dissent that he regards as misleading or that questions the legitimacy of his presidency, for example saying that criticism of judges who ruled in favor of him "should be punishable by very serious fines and beyond that."[63] He has also repeatedly called for press companies who have produced unfavorable coverage of him to have their licenses revoked, and has said that he will jail reporters who refuse to name the sources of leaks.[64] The New York Times described Trump as using "grievance as a political tool, portraying himself as the victim of what he claims is a powerful and amorphous 'deep state.'"[65] Trump was described as seeking revenge after making a series of retaliatory actions against perceived opponents upon taking office and intimidating those who would cross him in the future.[66][67] Revocation of security clearances and detailsWithin 24 hours of being elected, Trump revoked the security clearances of 50 officials who signed onto a letter about the Hunter Biden laptop controversy as well as John Bolton, ex-DNI Director James Clapper and ex-CIA Directors John Brennan and Leon Panetta.[68] Trump revoked the security protection for Mike Pompeo, his aide, Brian Hook, and John Bolton, who all had faced assassination threats from Iran. The revocation of security protection was described as part of Trump's vow to target those he perceives as adversaries.[69] He also revoked protection for Anthony Fauci who had received several death threats, and said to reporters that he would not feel any responsibility if harm befell the former government officials he revoked security details from.[70] Actions against former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff MilleyHours after Trump was inaugurated the official portrait of the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley was removed from a Pentagon hallway where the portraits of all former chairmen are displayed.[71][72] On the next day workers patched the holes and painted the wall.[73][71][72] A U.S. official told the New York Times that the White House had ordered the removal.[72] On January 29, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suspended Milley's security clearance, withdrew the authorization for his security detail, and ordered a review of his actions as Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with a view to demote him in rank.[74][75] Justice Department investigationsTrump ordered the attorney general to investigate the Biden administration for "weaponization of the federal government" and "government censorship of speech". The Guardian described the investigations as "politically charged reviews into his personal grievances".[76] The orders made misleading[77] accusations against the Biden administration and asserted they had committed criminal conduct against him and his supporters and demanded evidence be found to "correct past misconduct".[65] On January 27, the Justice Department fired more than a dozen officials who worked on criminal cases against Donald Trump alleging a lack of trust in faithfully executing Trump's agenda. It also announced a "special project" to investigate prosecutors who had previously brought charges against January 6 rioters,[78] and launched a "weaponization working group" to review and investigate officials at both the state and federal levels who previously investigated Trump and provide the White House quarterly reports on its findings.[79] Several FBI agents and the FBI Agents Association sued the Trump administration to prevent the publication of the names of 5,000 FBI agents for their involvement in investigating the January 6 attack,[80] and Trump later said he would fire some agents involved in investigating the attack.[81] It was reported on February 14 that the efforts by Trump to dismiss the case of Eric Adams, which caused the resignation of seven government prosecutors, came in the same week as the administration was negotiating with the mayor over immigration enforcement initiatives and "President Trump‘s border czar" Tom Homan made reference to an "agreement."[82] Earlier, Adams had agreed with Homan to give access to the city's Rikers Island jail for ICE without—via a "loophole ... [Adams] appears to have found"—violating the city’s sanctuary laws,[83] and joined Homan in a joint interview conducted by Dr. Phil McGraw, among one or more other joint interviews.[84] The report came after February 10, 2025, when the Department of Justice under Trump instructed federal prosecutors to drop charges against Adams, citing concerns that the case had been affected by publicity and was interfering with his ability to govern.[85] The memo directing this move, written by acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, stated that the prosecution had limited Adams’ capacity to focus on issues such as immigration and crime. The Justice Department’s decision did not assess the strength of the evidence or legal arguments in the case. The memo was issued months before the city's Democratic primary, where Adams is seeking reelection. The charges were to be dropped "as soon as is practicable" pending a further review of Adams’ case following the general election in November 2025.[86] Danielle Sassoon, the US Attorney in charge of the case, refused to dismiss the charges, telling Attorney General Pam Bondi that "I cannot agree to seek a dismissal driven by improper considerations". Sassoon later resigned, accusing Bove and the Trump administration of making an illicit deal with Adams to dismiss the charges, becoming the first of seven prosecutors to resign due to the order to dismiss charges.[87] Actions against the mediaOn January 22, Trump FCC chair Brendan Carr revived three investigations into claims of bias from CBS, ABC, and NBC, but not Fox News, and Carr previously promised to punish news broadcasters he saw as unfair to Trump or Republicans in general.[88] On January 29, Carr ordered an investigation into underwriting announcements on NPR and PBS stations, and recommended that Congress stop funding these organizations (which aligns with the section of Project 2025 that Carr had authored).[89] In his first-term budgets, Trump had previously proposed eliminating funding for public broadcasting, art, libraries, and museums.[89] Carr sent a letter to the heads of NPR and PBS with his complaints, but ignored requests for a copy from a Democratic FCC commissioner.[89] On February 12, Carr launched investigations into Comcast, the parent company of NBC News and Universal Studios, over having diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.[90] In February 2025, Associated Press journalists were prevented from covering several events in the White House after the Trump administration objected to the Associated Press using the name 'Gulf of Mexico' instead of 'Gulf of America' as chosen by Trump.[91][92] The Associated Press had recommended both names were to be used, as "Mexico, as well as other countries and international bodies, do not have to recognize the name change", and "the Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years."[93] The Associated Press protested the Trump administration's action as violating the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later commented: "If we feel that there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable", as she described the name of 'Gulf of America' as a "fact".[94][95] The administration followed up by banning Associated Press journalists indefinitely from the Oval Office and Air Force One, citing the gulf's naming issue.[96] Executive Orders Beginning on January 20, 2025 President Trump, upon inauguration, began office with the most executive orders ever signed on the first day of a United States presidential term, at 26 executive orders.[97] Following behind Trump's executive order tally is Joe Biden at 9 executive orders on January 20, 2021,[98] then Barack Obama at 2 executive orders, and Bill Clinton at 1 executive order.[99] The signing of many of Trump's executive orders are being challenged in court, as the executive orders are affecting federal funding, federal employee status, immigration, federal programs, government data availability, and more. The majority of the cases are being filed in response to executive orders related to the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency, Executive Order 14158, and the actions taken by Elon Musk and the DOGE team towards federal agencies as self-identified cost-cutting measures.[100] Domestic policy Prospective policies for Trump's second presidency were proposed in Agenda 47, a collection of his formal policy plans.[101][102] AbortionTrump declared that abortion should be delegated to states in April 2024.[103] To that extent, he stated that in a Time interview he would allow states to monitor pregnancies and criminally charge abortion patients.[104] Trump criticized the Arizona Supreme Court's ruling in Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes (2024), in which the court upheld an 1864 law criminalizing abortions except to save the life of the mother, stating that he would not sign a federal abortion ban[105] and reaffirmed his position in October.[106] After the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine (2024) that frozen embryos are living beings, Trump positioned himself in favor of in vitro fertilisation (IVF).[107] On January 24, 2025, President Trump reinstated the Mexico City policy, a policy previously rescinded by the Biden administration.[108] Climate and environmentAt a private dinner at Mar-a-Lago in April 2024, Trump encouraged fossil fuel companies to donate to his campaign, saying that he would roll back environmental regulations if elected.[109] Trump's transition team for climate and the environment is led by David Bernhardt, a former oil lobbyist who served as interior secretary, and Andrew R. Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist who led the EPA under Trump. The team is preparing to withdraw from the Paris Agreement for a second time, expand drilling and mining on public land, and dismantle offices working to end pollution, while other officials have discussed moving the Environmental Protection Agency from Washington, D.C. Trump will redraw the boundaries of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monuments as he did in his first presidency, end a pause on new natural gas export terminals that began under President Joe Biden, and prevent states from setting their own pollution standards.[110] Upon taking office, Trump appointed oil, gas, and chemical lobbyists to the Environmental Protection Agency to roll back climate rules and pollution controls.[111] Trump ordered the pause on disbursement of climate-related funds issued by the IRA and BIL, and falsely conflated the funds with the "Green New Deal".[112] Criminal justiceTrump entered office following 2024's 50-year record-low level of violent crime.[113][114] The Associated Press reported that despite historic drops in crime, many voters felt unsafe due to "misleading campaign rhetoric".[115] Upon taking office, Trump issued an executive order to resume and pursue executions for criminal cases,[116] and the Justice Department put a freeze on civil rights cases and signaled it would roll back consent agreements with police departments.[117] A New York Times analysis described Trump's conflicting policies and pardons towards criminal justice as sending a message of "backing the blue" as long as they backed him.[118] Presidential pardons and commutationsTrump is expected to end the Department of Justice's prosecutions against him in Washington, D.C., and Florida. According to The Washington Post, Special Counsel Jack Smith considered ending his prosecutions early and submitting a final report to Attorney General Merrick Garland before Trump was inaugurated.[119] The final report was submitted on January 7, 2025, with no charges being brought to trial against Trump.[120] Upon assuming the presidency again on January 20, 2025, Trump issued a blanket mass pardon for those charged with the January 6 Capitol attack.[121] During his campaign for re-election, Trump had said multiple times that if he were reelected in 2024, he would pardon the rioters.[122][123][124][125] The pardon commuted the prison sentences of 14 people by name, effected the release of over 200 others also in prison, and pardoned the more than 1,550 people who had been criminally charged.[126] 500 people had been sentenced to prison terms and 1,358 had been criminally charged. Following Trump's grant of clemency to all January 6 rioters, on January 22, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced a formation of a panel to investigate the January 6 committee in what The Associated Press described as "an effort to defend Trump's actions that day and dispute the work of a bipartisan committee that investigated the siege two years ago".[127] In May 2024 at the Libertarian National Convention, Trump said that he would commute Ross Ulbricht's sentence on his first day in office.[128] Since 2015, Ulbricht had been serving a life sentence for charges related to creating and operating the darknet market website Silk Road, which operated as a hidden service on the Tor network and facilitated the sale of narcotics and other illegal products and services.[129][130] On January 21, 2025, Trump issued a full and unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht.[129][131] On January 23, 2025, Trump granted pardons to 23 anti-abortion protestors. Among the 23 pardoned were Lauren Handy and 9 of her co-defendants, who were involved in the October 2020 blockade of a Washington, DC abortion clinic, and later convicted in violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.[132][133] Trump has also floated or hinted at issuing potential pardons for Julian Assange, and Peter Navarro; media outlets have also speculated that Trump may issue pardons for Eric Adams and Todd and Julie Chrisley.[134] Diversity, equity and inclusionIn January 2025, Trump signed two executive orders aimed at terminating DEI practices and one targeting transgender issues.[135] In February 2025 it was reported that the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. State Department "suspended access to thousands of pages of training materials" related to DEI, and the Internal Revenue Service "deleted any mention of the words 'diversity', 'equity' and 'inclusion' from its procedural handbook, including from anodyne passages on taxes and finance." It was also reported that career civil servants in the United States Department of Agriculture who had previously worked to implement policies intended to reduce racial, sexual-orientation, and gender-identity discrimination were "placed on leave and faced potential firing." It was also reported that the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) told the heads of agencies that any staff members working on DEI programs before November 5, 2024 (election day) should be targeted for termination, and the OPM encouraged workers to "report colleagues who were continuing to do DEIA-related work."[136] At a press conference held in January 2025, the day after a mid-air collision between an airplane and helicopter that killed 67 people, the worst aviation accident in the U.S. since 2001, Trump read from a January 2024 New York Post article that falsely said "the FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency's website."[137] EconomyTrump inherited a strong economy from the Biden administration, with increasing economic growth, low unemployment, and declining inflation.[138][139][140][141][142] When Trump assumed office in January 2025, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4%, and the inflation rate, measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditure price index, was projected to range between 2.2% and 2.4% for 2025.[143][144] The New York Times and Economic Policy Institute described the economy as "in better shape than that bequeathed to any newly elected president since George W. Bush came into office in 2001".[145][146] However, polls found that many Americans still felt the impacts of the 2021–2023 inflation surge, which partly contributed to Trump's reelection win.[142][147] In January 2025, Republicans began considering cuts for various social programs in order to pay for the proposed tax cuts.[148][149][150] Trump, with the help of Elon Musk, launched a campaign to reduce the federal workforce by over 9,500 employees, primarily focusing on probationary staff, to streamline government operations. This has sparked criticism over the potential disruption of vital services and raised concerns about employee rights, with legal challenges and internal dissent emerging.[151] The Congressional Budget Office estimated in January 2025 that extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts could increase deficits by more than $4 trillion over 10 years, if not offset by spending cuts. Trump's campaign proposals to exempt Social Security benefits, tip and overtime income from taxation would further increase deficits. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that all of Trump's tax cut proposals together would reduce federal tax receipts by $5 trillion to $11 trillion over a decade, if not offset. Some congressional Republicans argued the tax cuts would not increase deficits.[152][153][154] Tariffs policyDuring his 2024 campaign, Trump promised to impose higher tariffs on imports from all countries, particularly China.[155] On November 25, 2024, following his election victory, Trump said he would sign an executive order placing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and impose an additional 10% tariff to China.[156] On November 30, 2024, Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff to BRICS nations if they tried to create a new BRICS currency or promote another currency to replace the U.S. dollar as the global reserve currency.[157] On February 1, 2025, after taking office the month prior, Trump followed through on his intentions and signed three executive orders imposing a 25% tariff on all goods from Mexico and Canada and a 10% tariff on China, originally due to take effect on February 4.[158] A lower 10% tariff was announced for all energy exports from Canada, including electricity, natural gas, and oil. Trump's trade advisor, Peter Navarro, stated that the lower rate for energy was intended to "minimize any disruptive effects".[159] In response, representatives from Mexico and Canada announced intentions to impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States, which if implemented could lead to an increase in tariff rates in accordance with a clause reportedly included in the orders signed by Trump.[160][161] On February 3, Trump announced that the tariffs on both Mexico and Canada would be paused for one month after the countries agreed to take further steps to prevent the trafficking of drugs into the United States.[162][163] According to Kim Clausing of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the proposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China would represent the "largest tax increase [in the United States] since the 1990s."[164] Education During his first term, Trump cut funding to the Department of Education, while continuing to criticize it. During his 2024 campaign, Trump actively promoted the idea of abolishing the Department of Education and proposed handing over control of education to individual state governments.[165] On January 21, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would no longer refrain from arresting illegal immigrants in schools.[166] Federal government and executive powerThe second Trump administration has pursued a maximalist interpretation of the unitary executive theory.[167][168] It has been noted for making sweeping assertions of executive authority, and challenging several Congressional laws and parts of the Constitution restraining presidential power.[169][170][171] Trump in February 2025 wrote on Truth Social and X: "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law", which the White House later reposted on X that day.[172][173] DOGEThe Trump administration established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a temporary organization with Elon Musk as its administrator, and renamed the United States Digital Service to the United States DOGE Service to function as a parent agency. DOGE is a unit tasked with recommending cost-cutting measures, and according to the executive order that established it, its formal purpose is to "modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity".[174][175][176] In late January 2025, Wired reported that the top ranks of the human resources-focused United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had been filled by new hires who had formerly worked for either Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Republican politicians or right-wing media outlets, while Musk's allies were installed into the technology-focused General Services Administration and planned massive spending cuts.[177][178] On January 28, the OPM offered a "deferred resignation" scheme to federal government employees to announce their resignation by February 6, while stating that employees who resigned would still receive salary and benefits until September 30, 2025.[179] The offer made was similar to Elon Musk's notice to employees after he took control of Twitter.[180][181] On January 31, Trump added that he would nullify federal employee union contracts, specifically including one with the Education Department, that had been agreed to late in Biden's term.[182] Musk also gained access to the Treasury's payment system.[183] Two OPM officials told Reuters that Musk's allies locked some OPM officials from accessing OPM data systems, with one official saying this enabled Musk's allies to use the systems without oversight.[184] It was reported that this gave DOGE "full access" to the major U.S. Treasury database controlling the expenditure of 6 trillion dollars, as well as "the sensitive personal data of millions of Americans as well as details of public contractors who compete directly with Musk’s own businesses." It was reported that the previous top civil servant who was associated with the database was placed on leave and then resigned after objecting to DOGE's access. It was reported that this access could allow Musk to block payments by the U.S. government to many federal programs. Senator Ron Wyden stated that this access was a "national security risk."[185] USAID.jpg) Trump and DOGE are attempting to dismantle the vast majority of USAID,[186] a 10,000-person agency originally tasked to carry-out and monitor humanitarian projects by means of quality feedback.[187] USAID's critics maintain that many of the projects are in fact not all that humanitarian and/or that much of the money is not all that well spent. The administration issued a 90-day stop-work order worldwide,[188] and attracted a lawsuit for not paying vendors.[189] Stop work interrupted about 30 clinical trials,[190] and interrupted such projects as a camp for war refugees on the Sudan-Chad border, emergency medical care for displaced Palestinians and Yemenis, heat and electricity for Ukrainian refugees, and HIV treatment and mpox surveillance in Africa.[188] Per a January 31 ProPublica article, a key controversy is whether or not waivers are being made and money actually starting to flow again for the most essential programs.[188] The Associated Press reported on February 19, that waivers for PEPVAR, the program that has saved 26 million lives from AIDS, were not in force, despite a judge having lifted the federal funding freeze.[191] In February 2025, it was reported that the USAID director of security and a deputy were put on administrative leave after they "blocked efforts by DOGE members to physically access restricted areas" in order to obtain sensitive information. The DOGE members did eventually gain access to the information, which reportedly included classified information as well as emails, and they obtained the ability to lock USAID staff out. They reportedly did not have security clearance to access the information. Elon Musk had earlier tweeted "USAID is a criminal organization" and that it is "Time for it to die."[192] On February 3, Musk said of USAID: "We’re shutting it down", with Musk saying Trump "agreed"; USAID staff were instructed to keep away from USAID headquarters while hundreds of USAID staff lost access to USAID computer systems.[193] During a February 6 press conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, “If it's providing food or medicine or anything that is saving lives and is immediate and urgent, you're not included in the freeze. I don't know how much more clear we can be than that.” 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.[194] On February 7, federal judge Carl Nichols, whom Trump nominated in his first term, delayed the placing of 2,200 employees on administrative leave and ordered access to their email accounts restored.[195][196] This placing on leave has been delayed until at least February 21 pending more information and another ruling.[197] In an interview which aired on Fox News before the February 9 Super Bowl, President Trump said, “Let him take care of the few good ones,” referring to Secretary of State Rubio.[196] Rubio's waivers, however, were not in effect.[198] On February 13, federal judge Amir Ali ordered the Trump administration to continue contracts and grants which were in effect January 19. He wrote, “Defendants have not offered any explanation for why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid [...] was a rational precursor to reviewing programs.”[199] There have been some early reports that China has offered to take over development projects if the United States permanently leaves.[200][201] Federal funding freezeOn January 27, 2025, the Trump administration's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released memo M-25-13, which ordered the federal government to take action the next day to "temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by [Trump's] executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the Green New Deal".[202] The memo continued that this would allow the Trump administration to "determine the best uses of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and [Trump's] priorities", while "Medicare or Social Security benefits" were exempted from being affected.[203] 2,600 federal programs were selected for review.[204] The memo sparked considerable uncertainty among government employees, lawmakers and nonprofit organizations.[205] On January 28, 2025, the Medicaid payment portal shut down across the United States before returning online later that day; the Trump administration said that the shutdown was not related to the funding freeze.[206] Nonprofit organizations reported being unable to enter federal government systems to receive federal funds.[205] The OMB released an additional statement declaring several schemes (Medicaid, SNAP, "funds for small businesses, farmers, Pell grants, Head Start, rental assistance", student loans, and "any program that provides direct benefits to Americans") to be exempt from the federal funding freeze.[207][208] After several organizations sued, the OMB memo was blocked by United States District Judge Loren AliKhan before the freeze began, with the block to expire on February 3.[209] On January 29, the OMB withdrew memo M-25-13, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that this did not nullify the federal funding freeze.[202] On February 1, after 22 states and the District of Columbia sued, District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. ordered the Trump administration to temporarily stop the federal funding freeze in those states, as "no federal law would authorize the executive's unilateral action here".[210][211] McConnell took action after concluding that the withdrawal of the "wide-ranging, all-encompassing, and ambiguous" OMB memo was "in name-only and may have been issued simply to defeat the jurisdiction of the courts".[212][213] On February 10, McConnell cited the suing states as providing "evidence" that the Trump administration "in some cases have continued to improperly freeze federal funds and refused to resume disbursement of appropriated federal funds", causing "irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country"; hence McConnell ordered the Trump administration to "immediately restore frozen funding".[214] Loyalty tests and mass firingsOnce 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".[215][216] As part of its U.S. federal deferred resignation program, the Trump administration demanded "loyalty" from federal workers.[217] 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.[218] 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.[219] 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.[220][67][168][221] On January 24, 2025, less than a week into Trump's second presidency, he fired 17 independent inspectors general at federal agencies, which appeared to violate federal law that requires advance notice of dismissals to both chambers of congress with reasons given 30 days in advance.[222] Trump also fired all Democratic but not Republican members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, which would prevent the board from meeting quorum and functioning.[167] Trump also fired members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, over 160 members of the National Security Council for not aligning with Trump's agenda, and 56 senior officials at USAID for allegedly attempting to thwart Trump's priorities.[220] The New York Times reported in January 2025 that the White House might be hoping the firings would be challenged in court, ultimately the Supreme Court, as test cases to invoke the unitary executive theory to give the president exclusive control of the executive branch. The Republican-appointed supermajority on the Court had in recent years indicated support for the theory, which had also been promoted by Project 2025.[223][224] Response to judgesAfter federal district judge Paul Engelmayer ruled in February 2025 to block DOGE from accessing United States Treasury payment systems, Trump responded that "no judge should, frankly, be allowed to make that kind of a decision", while Vance commented that "judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power."[225] After multiple federal judges ruled against the Trump administration's actions, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in February 2025 denied that there was a "constitutional crisis taking place here at the White House", instead saying that the "judges are acting as judicial activists" and "the real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch."[226][227] Meanwhile, Elon Musk proposed "an immediate wave of judicial impeachments."[228] HealthcareOn November 14 at a speech at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Trump announced that he would nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the position of health secretary. This appointment caused controversy, due to Kennedy's repeated endorsement of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, with the director of the American Public Health Association stating that Kennedy "already caused great damage in health in the country" and that he is also "a person without a health background".[229] In December, Trump revealed he was discussing ending childhood vaccination programs with RFK Jr. and promoted the scientifically disproven claim of a link between vaccines and autism.[230] Upon election, the Trump administration ordered a freeze on all communications and reports from HHS and sub-agencies, unless approved by a political appointee.[231] On January 22, DHS announced that ICE would start arresting illegal immigrants in hospitals, if necessary.[166] In January 2025 it was reported that a CDC official had ordered all CDC staff to stop working with the World Health Organization.[232] Around January 31, 2025, several CDC websites, pages, and datasets related to HIV and STI prevention, LGBT and youth health became unavailable for viewing after the agency was ordered to comply with Donald Trump's executive order to remove all material of "diversity, equity, and inclusion" and "gender identity".[233][234] Shortly thereafter, the CDC ordered its scientists to retract or pause the publication of all research which had been submitted or accepted for publication, but not yet published, which included any of the following banned terms: "Gender, transgender, pregnant person, pregnant people, LGBT, transsexual, non-binary, nonbinary, assigned male at birth, assigned female at birth, biologically male, biologically female”.[235] In January 2025, due to a pause in communications imposed by the second Trump administration at federal health agencies, publication of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) was halted, the first time that had happened since its inception in 1960. The president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) called the pause in publication a "disaster." Attempts to halt publication had been made by the first Trump administration after MMWR published information about COVID-19 that "conflicted with messaging from the White House." The pause in communications also caused the cancellation of a meeting between the CDC and IDSA about threats to public health regarding the H5N1 influenza virus.[236] On February 14, 2025, around 1300 CDC were laid off by the administration, which included all first-year officers of the Epidemic Intelligence Service.[237]On February 18, Trump signed a executive order, that called for the policy recommendations for reducing the out-of-pocket costs of IVF and recommendations on removing any legislation that "exacerbate" the costs of IVF.[238][239] A fact sheet published by the white house also stated that the administration was going to look into expanding health care coverage for IVF.[240] Immigration Trump has indicated intent to expand and revive immigration policies imposed during his first presidency, including a travel ban on Muslims, expulsion of asylum seekers by asserting that they carry infectious diseases, deputization of police officers and soldiers to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement in mass deportations, and establishment of sprawling detention camps, according to The New York Times.[241] After his win, Trump said "there is no price tag" to carry out these deportations.[242] On November 10, 2024, Trump announced that Tom Homan would be joining the incoming administration as the "border czar",[243] writing that "Homan will be in charge of all deportation of illegal aliens back to their country of origin."[244] Average daily border crossings were at the lowest level since summer 2020 shortly before Trump took office partly attributed to an executive order restricting asylum Biden passed the prior year.[245] Shortly after he became president on January 20, the Trump administration ended services for the app of CBP One and declared a national emergency at the southern border, ordered the armed forces to draft plans for deployment,[246][247] and declared actions to move towards labeling Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.[248] Trump increased deportation authorities for the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Marshals Service.[249] He gave ICE the power to deport immigrants who came to the United States legally under Biden administration programs,[250] and established daily deportation quotas to ICE offices.[251] Trump revoked guidance from 2011 prohibiting immigration arrests in sensitive areas such as courthouses, schools, churches, and hospitals, or during funerals and weddings.[252] Trump also signed an executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for children of unauthorized immigrants as well as immigrants legally but temporarily present in the United States. At least nine lawsuits have been filed challenged the order on constitutional grounds, and as of February 2025[update], four federal judges have issued preliminary injunctions blocking its implementation and enforcement nationwide.[253][254][255] On January 29, 2025, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, the first legislation of Trump’s second term.[256][257] NPR reported that a "growing number" of Democratic 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.[258] On February 6, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks claimed that illegal border crossings were already down almost 90% since Trump's inauguration, and that criminal prosecutions of those apprehended were up more than 50%.[259] LGBTQ rightsIn his 2024 campaign, Trump detailed a range of proposals aimed at reversing recent LGBTQ-related policies and reshaping federal guidelines on gender identity and transgender rights. He stated that on "day one", he would reverse the Biden administration's Title IX expansion, which protects transgender students' rights to use bathrooms, locker rooms, and pronouns that align with their gender identity. He also pledged to cut federal funding to schools promoting "critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content".[260] His proposed policies would significantly limit gender-affirming care, including calling for a federal ban on such care for minors and blocking Medicare and Medicaid funding for doctors providing gender-affirming services. Trump has also proposed forbidding federal agencies from "promoting" gender transitions and plans to task the Justice Department with investigating potential long-term effects of gender-affirming treatments.[261] In his inauguration speech, he stated "it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female".[262] Later that day, he issued an executive order:
As a consequence of the "Defending Women" order:
He also signed other orders:
Trump ordered all DEI programs shut down by January 22, placed all employees of such programs on immediate leave, and demanded federal employees report on their colleagues attempting to "disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language".[277] Trump rescinded Executive Order 11246 signed by former President Lyndon Johnson forbidding employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion and national origin, and establishing affirmative action.[278] MilitaryIn November 2024, Trump's transition team was reportedly compiling a list of military officials involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and investigating whether they could be court-martialed. They were also considering creating a commission to investigate the withdrawal, including whether some officials could be eligible for treason.[279] During his campaign, Trump promised to use the military on American soil to fight "the enemy from within" which he described as "radical left lunatics" and Democratic politicians such as Adam Schiff.[280][281] Upon taking office, Trump was described as politicizing the military and introducing culture war topics.[282] ReligionDonald Trump's campaign took on the symbols, rhetoric and agenda of Christian nationalism.[283] He wove Christian religious imagery into his ideology, characterizing it as a "righteous crusade" against "atheists, globalists and the Marxists".[284] Trump has been critical of what he sees as a persecution of Christians.[285] On February 6, following the National Prayer Breakfast, Donald Trump signed an executive order to create a task force to "immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the DOJ, which was absolutely terrible, the IRS, the FBI — terrible — and other agencies.”[286][287] Donald Trump appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the task force and appointed Paula White to direct the White House Faith Office.[285] ScienceIn response to executive orders, there were freezes in scientific funding and purges of data related to LGBTQ issues, gender, climate change, and racial diversity.[288][289] There were also mass firings across federal scientific agencies. The National Science Foundation (NSF) ceased paying out its grants to researchers leaving many without a salary.[290] Grant review panels—in which scientists decide which research proposals will receive funding—were paused to review whether projects supported potentially banned activities such as increasing diversity among scientists, international collaborations, or research into environmentally-friendly technology.[291] After a court order on February 2, the NSF funds were unfrozen, though the review panels were still paused.[292] On February 4, 2025, the NSF announced that it would lay off 25% to 50% of its workforce.[293] Ten percent of NSF staff (168 employees) were fired on February 18.[294][295] The firings were aimed at probationary employees (those who had held their positions for less than a year), but some of the laid off employees included those with over a year of experience who were unknowingly reclassified in January by the Office of Personnel Management and others who were permanent staff.[295] On February 7, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it would cap support for indirect costs in grants to institutions at 15% of a grant's value.[296] Indirect costs cover expenses that are not directly related to research but are necessary to support it, such as rent for facilities, utilities like heat and electricity, or janitorial and administrative staff.[297][298] Indirect costs typically range from 30% to 70%, and the cuts represent "tens to hundreds of millions of dollars" in lost funding for research institutes that could lead to layoffs, hiring freezes, and ending research projects.[298] The cuts had previously been outlined in Project 2025 to combat what it characterized as subsidies for "leftist agendas" and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.[296][297] In response, 22 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit and the cuts were paused on February 10.[299] The NIH fired 1,000 to 1,200 workers on February 15.[300] The Center for Disease Control's (CDC) social vulnerability index and environmental justice index, which measured disparities in health risks, were removed from the organization's website, and on January 31, the data portal was taken completely offline in response to Executive Order 14168, which mandated that federal agencies use "sex" instead of "gender" and that they only recognize male and female sexes.[288] AtlasPlus, an interactive CDC tool for tracking diseases like HIV, hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, and tuberculosis, was taken down.[301] Census web pages about sexual identity and orientation were taken offline, and CDC pages about HIV and LGBTQ+ youth also disappeared.[302] According to The Atlantic, the Trump administration targeted and replaced keywords in CDC content, including "pregnant people, transgender, binary, non-binary, gender, assigned at birth, binary [sic], non-binary [sic], cisgender, queer, gender identity, gender minority, anything with pronouns".[301] About 750 CDC employees were fired over the weekend of February 15 with leadership stating that 10% (1,300) would be notified of their termination.[300] The Food and Drug Administration purged online material on clinical trial diversity that encouraged drug developers to test the effects of medical treatments on different populations.[303] In some cases the government attempted to rehire scientists. Members of the technical staff at the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the nuclear arsenal, were fired on February 13; attempts to contact them for rehiring failed because their emails had been disconnected.[299][304] The Department of Agriculture fired several scientists working on the ongoing avian flu outbreak over the same weekend and attempted to rehire them.[305] Members of the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service were told their positions were eliminated but the decision was reversed after an outcry.[304] Foreign policy  Trump's second term foreign policy was described as a mixture of both imperialist and expansionist policies.[306][307][308][309] Trump, historians, and commentators frequently compared it to the policy of former President William McKinley in relation to expansionism and tariffs.[310][311][312] Michael Klare wrote that containing the influence of China and preventing the rise of any rival power is the central foreign policy objective of the Trump administration, comparing Trump's approach to the Wolfowitz Doctrine.[313] Global responseA combination of American allies, enemies, and critics have responded to comments and actions of the second Trump administration.[314] European UnionOn February 10, 2025, The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, released a statement in response to proposed actions by President Trump, that they "will not go unanswered—they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures".[315] AlliesParis meetingFrench President Emmanuel Macron and other World leaders became increasingly worried by the actions and rhetoric coming from the Trump Administration and on February 15, 2025 called for an emergency summit of European leaders in Paris, France on February 17, 2025.[316] Among the attendees at the Paris meeting on the 17th February joining Macron were: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, NATO boss Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.[317] Munich security conferencePolish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated about Trump, "President Trump has a method of operating which the Russians call razvedka boyem —reconnaissance through battle: You push and you see what happens, and then you change your position. ... And we need to respond".[316] President of Zelensky of Ukraine stated at the conference "...decades of the old relationship between Europe and America are ending. From now on, things will be different, and Europe needs to adjust to that,”[318] Trade and tariffsTrump has said he will establish External Revenue Service to collect tariffs.[319] In February 2025, Trump announced tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China, and acknowledged that U.S. consumers may feel "short-term" pain as a result.[320] ExpansionismIn the lead-up to his second inauguration, Trump proposed plans and ideas that would expand the United States' political influence and territory.[321] The last territory acquired by the United States was in 1947 when the Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands were acquired. CanadaTrump has said he will impose a 25% tariff on all goods from Canada in an effort for the Canadian government to stop what in his view is an illegal migration crisis and drug crisis on the Canada–United States border.[322] Canadian officials have responded by threatening the United States with retaliatory tariffs, and have even proposed cutting off the supply of Canadian energy into the Northern United States.[323] This has led to Trump taunting Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau with joke offers for Canada to join the Union, and Trump has referred to Trudeau as the "Governor of the Great State of Canada".[324] GreenlandIn December 2024, Trump stated a further proposal for the United States to purchase Greenland from Denmark, describing ownership and control of the island as "an absolute necessity" for national security purposes. This builds upon a prior offer from Trump to buy Greenland during his first term, which the Danish Realm refused, causing him to cancel his August 2019 visit to Denmark.[325][better source needed] On January 7, 2025, Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. visited Greenland's capital city Nuuk alongside Charlie Kirk to hand out MAGA hats.[326] At a press conference the following day, Trump refused to rule out military or economic force to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal.[327] However, he did rule out military force in taking over Canada.[327] On January 14, the Trump-affiliated Nelk Boys also visited Nuuk, handing out dollar bills to locals.[328] On January 16, the CEOs of major Danish companies Novo Nordisk, Vestas and Carlsberg among others were assembled for a crisis meeting in the Ministry of State to discuss the situation.[329][330] On the subsequent day, former chief executive Friis Arne Petersen in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the situation as "historically unheard of", while Noa Redington, special adviser to former prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, compared the international pressure on Denmark that during the 2005 Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.[331] Panama CanalIn 2024, Trump demanded that Panama return control of the Panama Canal to the United States due to 'excessive rates' being charged for American passage.[332] The United States previously was in control of the Panama Canal Zone from 1903 until 1999, and has invaded Panama before in 1989.[333][334] GazaIn February 2025, Donald Trump made claims about the Gaza Strip and his desire to "own it" and "take over" the area after a forceful removal of the Palestinian citizens of Gaza, which has been the center of the Gaza War between Israel and Hamas-led militant groups.[335] The comments received quick condemnation from the global community as the systematic and forced removal of a people from a place would be considered ethnic cleansing, which is a crime against humanity under the statutes of the International Criminal Court (ICC).[336] To the shock and anger of much of the global community Trump further insinuated that Gaza was prime real estate and stated “I don’t want to be a wise guy,” he said, “but [the United States would make Gaza] the Riviera of the Middle East.” [337] Trump also asserted that the Palestinians would have no right to return under his plan for Gaza.[338] Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty’s said there was “Arab consensus” of a rejection of a plan of displacement of Palestinians.[339] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a statement that it was “the only viable plan to enable a different future” [340] Ukraine.jpg) Trump's presidency marked a reversal of Biden's policy towards Ukraine and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On 12 February 2025, at the first meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group after Trump was inaugurated, new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders was "an unrealistic objective" and that attempting to regain all territory "will only prolong the war". He said that Ukraine must have "robust security guarantees", but that the "United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement". The US expects Europe to provide more financial and military assistance for Ukraine, while the US concentrates on its own security. Hegseth said that no US troops would be deployed as peacekeepers to Ukraine.[341][342] Later that day Trump said he held a "lengthy and highly productive phone call" with Russian President Putin agreed to "have our respective teams start negotiations immediately". They also agreed to visit each other's countries.[343] Trump also held held a phone call with president Zelenskyy, who said: "Together with the US, we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace".[343] Zelenskyy would meet with US Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference later in the week.[343] Trump denied keeping Zelensky out of the peace process.[344] Ukraine and its European allies were alarmed by Trump unilaterally opening negotiations with Putin and apparently giving concessions to Russia.[345] Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would not accept an agreement made without it, while Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said: "Nothing can be discussed on Ukraine without Ukraine".[345] John Bolton, Donald Trump's national security adviser during his first presidency, said: "Trump has effectively surrendered to Putin before the negotiations have even begun ... The positions that Defense Secretary Hegseth announced ... constitute terms of a settlement that could have been written in the Kremlin".[346] The following day, Hegseth seemed to backtrack on his remarks and said that "everything is on the table" for negotiations.[347] On February 16, Marco Rubio stated that Ukraine and Europe would be part of any "real negotiations" to end the war.[348] Trump said on the same day that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy "will be involved" in peace negotiations.[349] .jpg) On February 18, 2025, American and Russian delegations, headed by Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, respectively, met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to develop a framework for further negotiations on ending Russia's war in Ukraine. Rubio was accompanied by U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.[350] Following the Riyadh meeting, Trump seemingly blamed Ukraine for the Russian invasion, saying "You should have never started it. You could have made a deal".[351][352] He said that Ukraine should have new presidential elections, falsely claiming that president Zelenskyy's approval ratings were only 4%. This echoed Kremlin claims that the Ukrainian leader was illegitimate.[351][352] Zelenskyy replied that Trump was trapped in a Russian "disinformation bubble".[351][353] Recent polls found that 57% of Ukrainians trusted Zelenskyy.[353] The head of Ukraine's digital affairs ministry argued that Zelenskyy's ratings were actually 4–5% higher than Trump's.[353] Ukraine's constitution forbids elections during martial law; all parties in Ukraine's parliament want to put off elections until after the war;[352] and polls show that few Ukrainians want an election in the midst of an invasion.[352] Relevant to second term conversations with Ukraine is the fact that Donald Trump faced his first impeachment because of his actions towards Ukraine and President Zelenskyy, in his first term. In 2019, then-President Donald Trump faced impeachment over allegations that he pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden's business activities in Ukraine while withholding $400 million in military aid. The House impeached him for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, but the Senate acquitted him in 2020.[354] Proposed minerals dealIt was reported on 17 February 2025 that the Trump administration had asked for the US to be given ownership of half of Ukraine's mineral and oil resources, as "payment" for US support.[355] Several days earlier, Trump had said:
The Ukrainians did not sign the agreement. Although Zelenskyy had offered the US a stake in Ukraine's resources for continued support, he reportedly rejected the proposal because it did not offer Ukraine security guarantees.[355][357] Zelenskyy said he was prepared to work on a "serious document" if it contained security guarantees, but said he could not "sell Ukraine away".[353] According to The Telegraph, "Trump's demands would amount to a higher share of Ukrainian GDP than reparations imposed on Germany at the Versailles Treaty".[356] EthicsTrump'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.[358][359] Trump repealed and rolled back anti-corruption efforts and ethical standards for himself and his allies, dropped corruption charges against political figures with ties to him, and fired inspectors generals investigating fraud and abuse. The New York Times described Trump as making up statistics "out of thin air", and for accusing government agencies and "anyone he disfavors of corruption and even criminality without proof".[360] Potential conflicts of interestTrump's second presidency included multiple potential conflicts of interest that did not exist during his first term in office, including a publicly traded company in Truth Social, a cryptocurrency venture, new overseas real estate deals involving state-affiliated entities, and several branding and licensing deals selling Trump-branded merchandise.[358] His 2024 campaign was noted for an "unprecedented" mixing of personal business and political fundraising.[361] Trump promoted $59.99 bibles, $399 sneakers, $99 "Victory47" cologne, and $99 Trump-branded NFT digital trading cards for his personal, non-campaign accounts.[362][363] Trump's campaign was noted for spending large sums of campaign money at Trump-owned businesses, in particular his Mar-a-Lago resort and the Trump National Doral Miami.[364] 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.[365] Trump did not adopt his own formal ethics guidelines.[366] Trump transferred his shares of Truth Social into a trust in which he is the sole beneficiary, of which his oldest son is the trustee. Ethics experts described it as falling "well short of the blind trusts and divestitures from private business interests that other presidents have used to avoid ethical conflicts with their job". Trump's son, Eric Trump, said the Trump Organization would continue to pursue business deals overseas, dropping a self-imposed prohibition during Trump's first presidency.[359] Trump profited from holding events at his hotels and golf courses.[365] Trump's conflicts of interest were described as having national-security risks, with particular emphasis placed on relationships with the Saudi and Dubai governments through the Trump Organization and his son Jared Kushner's investment fund backed by the Saudis.[367] Trump repealed ethics rules prohibiting executive branch employees accepting major gifts from lobbyists and two year bans on lobbyists seeking executive jobs and vice versa. Critics described the repeal as the opposite of his pledge to "drain the swamp".[368] Trump also signed an executive order to stop the Justice Department prosecuting Americans accused of bribing foreign government officials.[369] Trump's wife, Melania, entered into a deal with Amazon to create a documentary about herself, which raised ethics concerns as it was made while she was still in office.[365] Trump's cabinet were noted to have a large number of potential conflicts of interest, with the Campaign Legal Center finding over 467 that would require recusal, with the most, 106, belonging to Howard Lutnick.[366] 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. He also gifted thousands of shares to his son.[370] Cryptocurrency memecoinOn January 17, Trump launched, promoted, and personally benefited[368] from a cryptocurrency memecoin, $Trump, that soared to a market valuation of over $5 billion within a few hours—a total $27 billion diluted value—through a Trump-owned company called CIC Digital LLC, which owned 80 percent of the coin's supply.[371] Within two days, the $Trump coin became the 19th most valuable form of cryptocurrency in the world, with a total trading value of nearly $13 billion, and a total of $29 billion worth of trades based on a $64 value of each of the 200 million tokens issued by the afternoon of January 19. The New York Times reported that Trump affiliates controlled an additional 800 million tokens that, hypothetically, could be worth over $51 billion, potentially making Trump one of the richest people in the world. Trump also launched a new memecoin named after his wife, $Melania, and promoted it on Truth Social shortly before attending an inauguration rally. The crypto venture was criticized by ethics experts and government watchdogs.[372] The venture and the possibility of foreign governments buying the coin was highlighted as possibly violating the Constitution's foreign emoluments clause.[373] Elections during the second Trump presidency
Historical evaluations and public opinionEvaluationsProfessor Christina Pagel mapped the first actions of the Trump administration’s in a Venn diagram that identifies “five broad domains that correspond to features of proto-authoritarian states”. These five domains are: undermining democratic institutions and the rule of law, dismantling federal government; dismantling social protections and rights, enrichment and corruption; suppressing dissent and controlling information; attacking science, environment, health, arts and education; aggressive foreign policy and global destabilization.[374] Journalist Martin Sandu and authoritarian politics researcher Alex Norris described the maximalist interpretation of executive power in Donald Trump's second term as President, including sweeping executive orders, the federal funding freeze, actions against political opponents and the media, pardons of those involved in the 2021 attempted self-coup, the actions of Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, and the like as an attempted self-coup.[375][376] Political scientist Lee Morgenbesser argued the actions of DOGE are a form of state capture.[377] Public opinion
Donald Trump began his second term with another historically low job approval rate, only improving on the lowest rate, which he claimed in his first term, by three points.[378] President Trump began his first term at a 45% job approval, and begun with 47% for his second term. According to Gallup, "Trump remains the only elected president with sub-50% initial approval ratings".[379] In a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted from February 5–7, 2025, Trump reached a career high poll rating of 53% in adults.[380] For February 9–11, 2025, approval decreased by seven points in Adults, in the YouGov Approval Poll, at 46%. Additionally, approval was at 47% RV (Real Voters).[381] Notes
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