A year in office: How Trump’s policies continue to shape America

President Donald Trump completed a full year of his second term at the White House on Tuesday, and it has been a whirlwind of tariffs, immigration crackdowns, tech and climate deregulation, and “America First” diplomacy.

By comparison, former President Joe Biden signed 77 in his first year, and President Barack Obama signed 40 in his first term. 

Here is a look at President Trump’s impactful actions in the past year.

Executive orders
Trump issued 229 executive orders in 2025, the highest number in a single year since Franklin D. Roosevelt, who issued 381 during the first year of his third term in World War II.

The orders focused on shifting decision-making power away from Congress. They were targeted at immigration, federal employees, tariffs, and more.

Trump eliminated 300,000 federal jobs and shuttered agencies like the USAID. He enacted sweeping tariffs on rival superpowers, such as China and Canada, aiming to boost domestic manufacturing.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported over 622,000 deportations last year, with a 75% increase in people in immigration jails.

Businesses warned that imposing tariffs and deporting immigrant laborers would increase the cost of goods for Americans.

Energy economy
Trump declared a “National Energy Emergency” to bypass environmental regulations, withdrawing the US from global climate agreements to greenlight fossil fuel and rare earth projects.

AI sector boom
The tech sector emerged as the primary beneficiary. AI-focused stocks soared over 50%, according to Morningstar.

The boom was fueled by Stargate, a massive $500 billion federal infrastructure project involving OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank.

The Trump administration also took a 10% government equity stake in Intel and negotiated conditional AI chip sales to China.

Looking ahead
Despite Trump’s claims that the economy is the “strongest” ever in US history, persistent inflation, high prices, and cost of living remain the top concerns for voters.

A recent Wall Street Journal poll reveals that 57% of Americans view the economy as “poor” or “not so good.” Over 60% disapproved of Trump’s performance this past year.

The recent military raid on Venezuela, threats of strikes against Iran, and an aggressive federal crackdown on immigration are worrying the public and investors.

Trump’s approval rating is at 41%, which is low. He acknowledged that Republicans fear they could lose control of Congress in the November 2026 midterms.