What did Trump mainly do in his first month in office?
Unknowingly, it has already been a month since Trump returned to the White House. During this time, the White House has issued a flurry of executive orders, with astonishing moves following one after another, catching both the United States and the international community off guard. The White House website has been heavily promoting Trump's "great achievements" in his first month in office, claiming that under his leadership, "America is ushering in one new victory after another." On the one-month anniversary of Trump's return to power, let's take a look at what he has mainly accomplished.
The White House official website published an article titled "Victories Keep Coming Under President Trump's Leadership."
Domestically, he aggressively pushed for reforms. Upon taking office, Trump began "governing by executive order." Within thirty days, he signed numerous executive orders, ranging from "recognizing only two genders" to "renaming Mount McKinley," and from "abolishing birthright citizenship" to "deporting illegal immigrants," leaving the public dazzled by the rapid succession of actions.
Implement sweeping reforms in the government. Trump believes that America's greatest enemy is not external, but internal. He appointed "First Brother" Musk to lead the "Department of Government Efficiency," shutting down federal agencies, cutting government employees, drastically reducing expenditures, and targeting the "deep state." The "Department of Government Efficiency" operates at full throttle, having already reviewed or intervened in over a dozen key departments, including the Treasury, Commerce, Defense, Education, and Labor, with daily updates on review results that have left each department in a state of unease. Wherever the "Department of Government Efficiency" goes, the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies championed by Democrats are completely overturned, and related employees are prioritized for layoffs. The U.S. Agency for International Development, long regarded as a Democratic stronghold, was directly "shut down for good."
Trump also signed an executive order directing various departments and the "Office of Government Efficiency" to collaborate in advancing a federal employee buyout program, aiming to cut between % and % of the federal workforce. Even powerful agencies like [specific agency names] were not spared. By mid-[month], approximately [number] thousand employees had voluntarily left in exchange for compensation, while over [number] thousand civil servants were directly laid off.
Comprehensive Deportation of Illegal Immigrants. Trump viewed illegal immigrants as a major concern and, on his first day in office, declared a "national emergency" at the southern border, launching the "largest deportation operation in history" and vowing to "deport millions of illegal immigrants." Not only did he announce plans to use defense funds to accelerate the construction of the border wall, but he also directed the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to aggressively hunt down and detain illegal immigrants. Many prisons quickly became overcrowded, with some illegal immigrants even being sent to Guantanamo Bay. Additionally, he signed an executive order to abolish "birthright citizenship," which not only sparked public outcry but also led to multiple lawsuits in the U.S.
Completely overturn the Green New Deal. Trump has entirely abandoned Biden's Green New Deal, declaring a "national energy emergency" in the United States, establishing a National Energy Council, revoking the electric vehicle mandate, and abolishing clean energy subsidies—launching a comprehensive set of measures for an "energy revolution." Chanting the retro slogan "Drill, baby, drill!", he has, on one hand, rolled back regulatory policies on traditional energy to reward the support of fossil fuel giants. On the other hand, he is pushing for massive oil and gas extraction, aiming to lower energy costs, stimulate economic growth, and curb domestic inflation.
Accelerating the Advancement of the Technology Agenda. On his second day in office, Trump announced the launch of an AI infrastructure initiative called "Stargate." The "Stargate" plan involves building a series of data centers in the United States to support the country's industrial development. Initially, hundreds of millions of dollars will be invested to construct data centers and physical campuses, with funding gradually increasing to billions of dollars in the coming years. Trump described the initiative as "the largest AI infrastructure project in history, set to create millions of jobs for America." On [specific date], Trump signed an executive order to establish a cryptocurrency task force, led by David Sacks, his appointed "AI and Cryptocurrency Commissioner," with members including heads of the U.S. Treasury, Justice Department, Commerce Department, SEC, and other agencies. The primary purpose of this task force is to fulfill Trump's campaign promise to relax cryptocurrency regulations and explore the establishment of a U.S. cryptocurrency reserve.
On the external front, he launched offensives on all sides. In his first month in office, Trump took aggressive actions on multiple fronts, displaying a highly expansionist and offensive foreign policy approach that underscored his determination to seize wealth and resources from nations around the world to revive and grow the U.S. economy.
Resuming the "Tariff Stick." Trump firmly believes that "tariffs can solve all problems," hoping to use high tariffs to pressure other countries into making concessions on critical issues while also driving manufacturing back to the United States. On [specific date], citing issues like fentanyl, Trump announced the imposition of a [X]% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico and a [X]% tariff on Chinese goods. On [specific date], he declared a blanket [X]% tariff on all imported steel and aluminum products, regardless of their country of origin. On [specific date], he announced the decision to impose "reciprocal tariffs," ensuring equal tariff rates between the U.S. and its trade partners, and mentioned considering additional tariffs on countries using a value-added tax (VAT) system. On [specific date], he proposed a [X]% tariff on imported automobiles and similar rates for imported pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. These relentless swings of the "tariff stick" have sharply heightened anxiety among many nations, including U.S. allies, instantly casting a dark cloud of a tariff war over the globe. *(Note: The original text contains placeholders like [X]% and [specific date] for numerical values and dates, which were not provided. In a complete translation, these would be filled with the accurate figures and dates as per the source material.)*
Threatening to Expand Territory. After taking office, Trump repeatedly made astonishing statements about expanding U.S. territory. In his inaugural address, he openly declared his intention to "expand territory" and "plant the American flag on new and beautiful horizons." From claiming he would "make Canada the next state of the U.S." to advocating for "taking back the Panama Canal," from threatening to "control Greenland" to renaming the Gulf of Mexico—Trump's words and actions, which violate the basic norms of international relations and disregard the territorial sovereignty of other nations, have provoked strong dissatisfaction among the affected countries and shocked the international community. On [specific date], after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Trump proposed the "Empty Gaza Plan," stating that the U.S. intended to "take over the Gaza Strip" and transform it into the "Riviera of the Middle East," once again leaving the world stunned.
Another Wave of "Quitting International Groups". Trump continued his first-term style of "tearing up agreements and quitting groups," announcing withdrawals from multilateral frameworks such as the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Human Rights Council shortly after taking office. He also called for reviews of U.S. participation in organizations like UNESCO. In Trump's view, these "rules and restrictions" only limit America's freedom of action. For him, there are two criteria for a "good group": whether it can "bring money to America" and whether it can "strengthen America's international standing." If it doesn’t align with the "America First" principle, it’s better to just quit.
Engaging in "Over-the-Top Diplomacy." During his election campaign, Trump repeatedly boasted that he could "resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict within hours." Now, eager to fulfill his promise, he has chosen to place Europe and Ukraine on the negotiating table. On [specific date], Trump directly spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, breaking the three-year diplomatic deadlock between the U.S. and Russia. Subsequently, the two countries bypassed Ukraine and European nations, holding high-level official talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where they reached a four-point consensus. Such "over-the-top diplomacy" has sparked strong dissatisfaction and unease in Ukraine and EU countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced repeated criticisms, while major European nations hastily convened emergency summits. For a time, a sense of panic and anxiety over security and defense loomed over the European continent...
In his first month in office, Trump made major headlines and astonishing moves almost every day. The intensity was so overwhelming that both White House staff and journalists felt exhausted, with some American media outlets even openly pleading: "President Trump, could you take a day off..." Whether in the United States or around the world, what caused shockwaves was not just the frequency of Trump's actions but also his "unconventional" proposals that defied traditional norms.
Next, we will wait and see whether Trump will continue the "high-energy mode" of his first month in office and what effects his policy proposals will have.