Since his inauguration in January, Donald Trump, the president of the United States of America, has been quite active in his role. Here is a recap of what he has done thus far in his second term as president:

Inaugural Address

On the first day of President Trump’s second term in office, he outlined many of his plans for the near future. Some of these plans came as no surprise, while others shocked many.

He began his inaugural speech with a declaration: “I will, very simply, put America first.”

As part of his plans, he detailed his commitment to avert “the inflation crisis…caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices in America,” by bringing back manufacturing to the United States and utilizing the large oil reservoir under American soil.

President Trump has continually expressed his desire to use international tariffs as a means of promoting economic growth within the United States: “Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.” Many of these tariffs have since been put into effect, but have provoked mixed reactions. Some critics applauded the initiative, while others questioned its potential economic drawbacks, exemplified by the decline of recent stock trends.

In addition, President Trump mentioned that he would increase military strength, reclaim the Panama Canal from China, and “grow” the nation via territorial expansion. He also declared that the United States Government would only recognize “two genders: male and female.”

Executive Orders

During his first weeks in office, Donald Trump signed a handful of executive orders.

TikTok, the video-sharing platform that was set to be banned on the Sunday before President Trump’s inauguration, went offline for only a couple of hours before Trump made an open statement that he would extend the deadline into April, and further if necessary. He has since extended the deadline to June, as a sale of the company to American owners has not been finalized.

On February 9th, the president then signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on United States maps. This day, termed “Gulf of America Day” by President Trump, was the product of efforts to “restore American pride”. You can see the new name for the Gulf listed on your phone if you open up your Google Maps or Apple Maps application.

Some of President Trump’s more consequential actions as president include new regulations surrounding illegal immigration. He signed an executive order that would limit birthright citizenship for those with parents who are either here illegally or temporarily. Since this action was challenged by state courts, it has made its way to the Supreme Court.

Another movement under the new Trump administration calls for the removal of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. He has signed a series of executive orders against these policies, which were designed to remove racial prejudice from the workplace and help those being mistreated by employers due to race, ethnicity, or gender. These efforts intend to restore “dignity, hard work, and excellence” to jobs by encouraging merit-based hiring and to rid the government of “wasteful” programs.

Social Media

As always, President Trump has remained very active on social media. Although famous for his X (formerly Twitter) banter, he has since expanded his range.

In 2022, President Trump launched a new social media platform, Truth Social, which, as its name suggests, aims to provide free and open speech in accordance with the First Amendment. He has used this platform extensively to communicate with his supporters since.

President Trump has sparked controversy with some of his recent posts through both his personal accounts and, notably, the official White House Instagram page.

On February 19th, the page posted a false TIME magazine cover depicting President Trump with a crown on his head, and a caption exclaiming “LONG LIVE THE KING!” The page also has other content commenting on deportation and political events, in formats that appeal to the younger generation.

Meeting with Zelenskyy

The situation in Ukraine remains at the forefront of this year’s politics. In order to address this, President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. In the meeting, they talked about the plans for the US to help broker peace agreements between Russia and Ukraine, as well as mineral deals that the US would gain by lending its support.

The conversation started out respectfully, with reporters and politicians listening to each other; however, the conversation began to break down as one reporter asked Zelenskyy why he was not wearing a suit while inside the Oval Office.

Later, Zelenskyy criticized the United States’ lack of help in the war, and Vice President JD Vance called Ukraine ungrateful for the help it had received.

By the end, it became a back-and-forth between Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vance, with both countries criticizing the other side’s actions.

Final Thoughts

Current events govern our everyday lives. The political decisions made today ultimately impact us, and it is our job to stay informed about what is happening around us. 

Next time you see something online, do a little research and find credible information to draw your own conclusions. No matter who you are or what you believe in, it never hurts to look around once in a while at what is happening in the world.