The inauguration on January 20, 2025, marked the start of Donald Trump‘s second presidency. Since he took office, so much has changed in US politics that it’s hard to believe it’s only been 100 days, during which numerous 180-degree turns have occurred. Whether it’s fundamental shifts in US foreign policy or putting tariffs on the world’s imports, there has hardly been a single day when the White House hasn’t been a source of urgent “breaking news.”
“No matter what side of the aisle you’re sitting on, I think most people would agree that it’s been relatively busy,” said Patrick Malone, a professor in the department of public administration and policy at American University in Washington, DC. “He definitely came in guns a-blazing.”
There’s a strategy behind all the action, experts say.
Time Magazine calls it “a blitz of power grabs, strategic shifts, and direct attacks” that leaves opponents at home and abroad stunned. American citizens who disagree with Trump’s new direction are unsure of where to begin when it comes to mounting any kind of protest. Should they demonstrate against Trump’s complete disregard for climate change and his plans to increase drilling for oil? Or protest his undermining of the separation of powers, as the administration deports immigrants in violation of court orders made by federal judges?
Or maybe it’s the restrictions being placed on a free press in the US, as certain outlets Trump considers undesirable are banned from White House press conferences, that require protest first? Or maybe it’s the clampdown on freedom of expression as universities and researchers are cut off from federal funding?
This second Trump administration is dividing the country as never before. Yet even as that is happening, many are asking: How many of the promises that Trump made to his followers before the election last November has the US president actually kept?
Ending the war in Ukraine
In May 2023, at an event in New Hampshire, Trump said that if elected, he would end the war in Ukraine immediately.
“They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours,” he said.
But the war is still going, and Trump has had to acknowledge that he wasn’t able to end the conflict. The Trump administration is working unilaterally on some sort of solution, but without the support of the US’s traditional allies, and with compromises that seem to favor the Russians over the Ukrainians. Even during this first phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump seemed to make far-reaching concessions to Russian arguments, even though it was Russia that invaded Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a drubbing from Trump and Vice President JD Vance when he visited the White House for being “ungrateful.” As a result of the fracas, military aid to Ukraine was put on hold, although it has since been started up again.
Recently, President Trump criticized Ukraine for insisting that Crimea be considered part of Ukrainian territory, instead of simply surrendering the peninsula to their enemy, to facilitate a quick peace. In Ukraine, locals impacted by the ongoing war have been shocked at the abrupt about-face of their most important supporter.
It’s not just Ukraine either. America’s Western partners are also concerned about where Trump’s allegiances lie. He has questioned American participation in the NATO military alliance. He has even said that he might not defend NATO countries who he thinks don’t spend enough on their own defense, should Russia attack them. He did take that back eventually, but it has become abundantly clear to European nations that they can no longer rely on the US the way they used to.
Trump: ‘Kick out bloodthirsty criminals’
Immigration policy was one of Trump’s favorite campaign issues. At an event in New York in October 2024, he promised that if elected, he would launch the largest deportation program in US history. Trump said he would “put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail, then kick them the hell out of our country as fast as possible.”
In fact, so far at least, Trump’s deportation program has not been particularly quick. In February, Trump’s first full month in office, the US government deported around 11,000 migrants. In February 2021, the first month of Joe Biden’s administration, that number was around 12,000. However, NBC News has reported that fewer people are crossing the southern border with Mexico into the US under Trump.
Trump has definitely made immigration more difficult, says Malone. “Some would consider that a success, some would consider that not consistent with American values.”
Economy: ‘America is back’
Trump campaigned on the promise that the US economy would boom under his leadership. One of his slogans was “make America affordable again” — prices would fall on the first day of his presidency, he promised — much like he said he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of coming into office.
This has happened for some products, such as gasoline. Prices for flights and hotel stays also decreased, as did overall inflation. Meanwhile, the average prices for goods excluding the highly volatile costs of gasoline and food were 2.8% higher in March than a year earlier, the lowest increase in almost four years, according to the AP news agency.
“President Trump’s policies are working at keeping inflation at bay, keeping inflation down,” Stephen Miran, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, the White House’s economic advisory team, said in an interview with CNBC. “Between that and what’s going on with trade — America is back.”
However, for many Americans, shopping at the supermarket remains as expensive as it was at the beginning of Trump’s term. Weekly shopping for a two-person household can cost more than $150 (€130), even in less expensive areas outside of major cities.
Trump’s tariffs: Promise kept, cause for concern?
After his election, Trump announced that he would end the policy of “ridiculously open borders” and the US trade deficit. In April, the Trump administration introduced a series of protective tariffs on almost all goods imported to the US. So: promise kept.
However, this makes some products more expensive for US consumers and jeopardizes established trade relations. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, Americans now view their country’s economic situation and future more critically than they did in February, shortly after Trump took office, and before he announced his tariffs.
At that time, 40% of respondents said they expected the US economy to be in better shape next February, while 37% believed conditions would deteriorate. In April, only 36% thought economic conditions in the US would be better in a year’s time. In contrast, 45% believed the US economic situation would deteriorate.
‘We don’t have stability in government’
A certain amount of uncertainty may stem from the fact that the Trump administration suspends or scraps tariffs just as quickly as it introduces them. Such flip-flopping, said Malone, is bad for the central pillar of any well-functioning government: stability.
“This first 100 days, it’s a whirlwind, but it’s not like it’s only progress,” the political scientist told DW. The Trump administration introduced many things, then withdrew them again. This was evident in the tariffs, but also in the layoffs in many branches of government. Initially, thousands of people were laid off, though some of these employees, for example, in the areas of aviation and nuclear safety, were rehired.
“That’s a very hard way to run a government,” said Malone. “All governments want consistency and they want predictability and they want to move slowly… You need stability in government, and this is not stability right now.”