Before inaugurating his second term in the White House in January, Donald Trump made an extensive list of vows about how he would mend the nation. How many of these election promises have actualized is the focus of our analysis. Various topics, from immigration measures to inflation, and from trade regulations to imposition of tariffs, form the fabric of our quantitative analysis of the achievements of the 47th president. To provide a continuous review of his governance, the information contained here will be regularly refreshed throughout his term.
Throughout his first term in service, Mr. Trump’s approval rating rarely crossed the fifty percent mark. When he embarked on his second term as president, only approximately 48.5 percent of the populace had a positive opinion of this Republican leader. Disconcertingly, this already low percentage has further fallen in the recent past. If we benchmark Mr. Trump against other U.S. Presidents at similar times into their presidencies, he falls short. However, his current performance is better than his prior term rendering a silver lining in this situation.
The commencement of Mr. Trump’s second term was marked by a revitalized appeal to address immigration. A key element of Trump’s immigration strategy is the prevention of unauthorized immigrants from crossing over to the U.S. This objective has been facilitated by bolstering the U.S. – Mexico border. Aside from focusing on newcomers, the President is keen on considering those immigrants already in the country.
Since Mr. Trump resumed his role in the White House, illicit crossings over the U.S. – Mexico border have witnessed a drastic fall, recording an all-time low. Before the elections, Trump had consistently promised to mediate the contentious situation between Russia and Ukraine, aiming to terminate the hostilities on his first day back in office. There has been initiation of ceasefire talks, however, the conflict continues unabated, with monthly increments in the number of battles and drone attacks.
Just a day prior to the elections, Mr. Trump proclaimed optimistically that the U.S. was on the verge of witnessing an impressive surge in job opportunities, substantial payrolls, and a prosperous economic future, unparalleled in the world’s history. From that point in time, the jobs growth curve started experiencing a sluggish uptick for a while, but unfortunately saw a downtrend again in May. Meanwhile, unemployment rates have remained steady, and inflation fluctuated.
Mr. Trump raised the bar in terms of issuing executive orders immediately following his inauguration, a practice originally popularized by previous presidents. On his first day at the helm for the second term, Mr. Trump issued a record 26 executive orders, surpassing other presidencies and his own precedent set in 2017. The ambit of his orders ranged from imposing a hiring freeze at the federal level to deregulating energy.
However, it’s noteworthy that executive decrees are distinct from legislation, thus many of Mr. Trump’s mandates will be subject to scrutiny and approval from federal institutions before they can be implemented. Two months prior to the election, Trump publicly critiqued federal employees as being part of the problem, labeling them as corrupt and dishonest. He pledged that such individuals would be held accountable.
Ever since his re-election, Mr. Trump has endeavored to drastically reduce the size of the federal workforce, a move he dramatically refers to as ‘draining the swamp’. The term ‘swamp’ is a colloquial moniker for Washington D.C., a nod to its humid climate and the fact that it was originally constructed on wetlands. However, legal obstacles, rules, and regulations pose hardline challenges to the president’s ambitious plan to further ‘drain the swamp’.
‘We will drill, baby, drill,’ Trump dramatically announced in his inauguration speech, emphasizing America’s intention to maximize fossil fuel extraction, despite the fact the country is already at one of its highest levels of oil production. In his speech, he noted that the US has the ‘largest reserves of oil and gas globally’, and that these would be put to use.
Trade practices and tariffs formed the crux of Mr. Trump’s policies during his initial term, and have remained crucial elements in his second term as well. Mr. Trump recommenced tariffs on electronics from China and warned European automakers of impending new tariffs. This approach is a repeat of his previous strategy and might trigger another cycle of retaliatory tariffs. He is committed to imposing applicable tariffs on all imports, asserting that countries should be prepared for ‘a little tough love’.
By April of 2025, the effects of these tariff policies began to emerge: the U.S. trade deficit was slowly approaching equilibrium, illustrating some success in Mr. Trump’s economic strategies.
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