Feb. 18 marked President Donald J. Trump’s 30th day as President of the United States for his second term, and a variety of different policies, executive orders and large scale changes have followed his arrival. According to a poll from the New York Times, 42% of voters think the country is “back on track” with Trump in power, marking a 14-point increase in support since former President Joe Biden’s tenure in January and one of the highest levels of presidential approval since 2021. However, despite the heightened approval ratings, many critics and legal experts argue that Trump’s extensive use of executive orders and outreach overextends presidential powers.
Since taking office in 2025, Trump has signed over 70 executive orders, including mandating federal employees back into office, reducing U.S. Agency for International Development funding and imposing tariffs on various trading partners. He aimed many of his directives on border security and immigration, including declaring a national emergency at the southern border, reinstating his earlier travel bans and deploying U.S. troops to the southern border.
According to NPR, following Biden’s announcement that “by the year 2030, 50% of new vehicles sold in the U.S. would be battery-powered,” Trump issued an executive order that supported ideas from his inaugural address where he said “we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American auto workers … in other words, you’ll be able to buy the car of your choice.” His rollback of electric vehicle policies points to the increased infrastructure project and fossil fuel production. Trump has lifted numerous restrictions on oil and gas production and increased investments in U.S. manufacturing.
Through several orders, Trump ended what he called “radical and wasteful government diversity, equity and inclusion programs and preferencing,” and issued a mandate that federal agencies recognize only male-female gender binary, rolling back protections for transgender individuals. Trump signed multiple executive orders that eliminated discriminatory DEI practices, ensuring merit-based hiring.
Regarding domestic affairs, immigration was the primary concern. The White House reported a large decline in unauthorized border crossings, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested hundreds of undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Trump also signed an executive order designating the cartels as terrorist organizations. Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law on Jan. 29, which “mandates the federal detention of illegal immigrants who are accused of theft, burglary, assaulting a law enforcement officer and any crime that causes death or serious bodily injury.”
Meanwhile, Trump continues efforts to fulfill his economic promises made previously, imposing tariffs of 25% on all imports from Mexico and Canada and 10% from Chinese goods, following his “America First” trading mentality. While Mexico and Canada retaliated a few days after, leading Trump to pause the new tariffs, just recently on Feb. 24, Trump decided tariffs on Canada and Mexico “will go forward.”
In foreign affairs, Trump continually reinforces the “America First” ideology. His actions include withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change and the World Health Organization on the first day in office and revoking Biden’s sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Regarding the Ukraine-Russia issue, Trump attended a talk that had no representatives from Ukraine and criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming that Ukraine started the war with Russia. According to CNN, Zelensky said Ukraine will not “give in to Russia’s ultimatums” and added he would refuse to sign any agreement negotiated without Kyiv’s involvement.
Along with his new administrative department, Trump made moves to restructure the executive branch. On Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order creating the Department of Government Efficiency to “implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity,” with billionaire Elon Musk, a “special government employee,” advising.
With desires for increased efficiency in government, the White House and DOGE are aiming for a large-scale reduction in force, pausing trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans as Trump’s administration begins a review of its spending. This reduction has cut more than 1,000 employees from the Department of Veterans Affairs, 2,000 seasonal workers from the National Park Service and on Feb. 21, the Defense Secretary Hegseth announced plans to reduce the Department of Defense workforce by 5-8%, expecting approximately 5,400 probationary workers to be fired.
Trump’s first 30 days back in the White House has already led to drastic reshaping of U.S. policy, both present and abroad. He began to fulfill his campaign promises through continued government appointments, executive orders and legislative plans. Leaving the first month in office with large changes, Trump has set the stage for his second term as the POTUS.
