Overview
TLDR:
- President Trump enacted 26 executive orders on his Inauguration Day and saw over 200,000 federal employees leave during his initial year in office.
- Despite the rapid pace of actions, a former Republican official notes that significant policy changes have been minimal: “Spending remains the same. Taxes remain the same.”
- Trump’s job approval rating has dropped from 47% at inauguration to 36% by November, approaching his lowest point of 34%.
- The president addressed the border crisis where “illegal immigration has ceased,” yet his extensive activities have not led to broader achievements.
President Trump’s return to the White House initiated a period of unprecedented activity, but the results have been mixed as his approval rating declines despite this whirlwind of actions.
On Inauguration Day, Mr. Trump signed 26 executive orders and oversaw the exit of more than 200,000 federal employees within his first year. He closed agencies, negotiated a peace deal in Gaza, and authorized military strikes against Iran’s nuclear program.
However, according to a Republican official who served in Mr. Trump’s administration, the outcomes have not matched the level of noise generated by these actions.
“The pace of actual changes hasn’t been that torrid. The amount of noise has been deafening,” he stated. “Spending remains unchanged. Taxes remain unchanged. The regulatory framework is still intact.”
The border situation stands out as Mr. Trump’s most notable success, with illegal immigration reportedly coming to a halt.
Yet public sentiment appears unimpressed; Gallup polling indicates that Mr. Trump’s job approval has decreased from 47% at inauguration to just 36% in November, nearing his all-time low of 34% recorded when he left office in January 2021.
Andrew Busch from the University of Tennessee’s Baker School remarked that Mr. Trump’s frenetic pace means that “bad news for Mr. Trump disappears quickly” while “good news also doesn’t linger very long.”
