Fasten the buckle.
President Donald Trump is back in the White House and moving at breakneck speed.
In his inaugural address, the new president vowed that the situation across the country “will change starting today, and it will change soon.”
And soon after, White House Chief of Staff Taylor Budowicz teased on social media: “Now comes the shock and awe.”
It wasn’t a joke.
Trump unplugged: What the new president is doing that Biden rarely did
President Donald Trump holds an executive order and document granting pardons for the January 6 defendants in the Oval Office of the White House on January 20, 2025. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)
Mr. Trump signed an avalanche of executive orders and actions in his first eight hours in office, not only fulfilling a major campaign promise, but demonstrating the power of the executive branch of the returning president. It also made it possible to resolve long-standing complaints.
The president immediately cracked down on immigration, moved toward trade wars with key allies and adversaries, and repealed many of the previous administration’s federal diversity initiatives and energy and climate provisions, including those enacted by Biden. Many policies were reversed.
Read the latest from FOX News on President Trump’s first 100 days in the White House here
He also pardoned or commuted the sentences of about 1,500 supporters who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt to overturn Congress’ certification of Biden’s 2020 election victory. This caused a huge controversy. Among those whose sentences were commuted were those who assaulted police officers during America’s darkest days.
President Trump also fired several senior government officials, announced a $5 trillion high-tech investment and, in his first two days back in the White House, hired a wide range of unscripted, unofficial and impromptu reporters. He held a press conference and even changed the name of the Gulf region. Gulf of America, Mexico.
President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demarie Nikinson) (AP Photo/Julia Demarie Nikinson)
“I think it’s great that they’re responding to this moment with immediate action, which is exactly what he should have done and exactly what the people voted for,” veteran Republican strategist Kristin Davison told Fox News. ” he said.
“The American people vote for decisiveness, quick action, and real leadership. And President Trump understands that better than anyone. He and his team are committed to listening to the people’s needs and providing leadership. “I think they knew from the beginning how important it was to show that they had an answer,” Davison insisted.
Watch: President Trump sits in the Oval Office with FOX News’ Hannity
Alex Castellanos, a longtime Republican consultant, agrees.
“He’s rushing to the zone. He’s calling for action, he’s showing action. He’s rallying a wave of American support for major changes in government,” said a number of Republican presidents. Castellanos, a campaign veteran, told Fox News.
Veteran Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo did not dispute Mr. Trump’s enthusiastic actions.
“This pace shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Mr. Trump is going to move quickly, he’s going to act boldly, he’s going to do exactly what he told voters he would do, and he has given voters plenty of confidence that he’s going to do exactly what he said he would do.” clarified,” Caiazzo said. .
However, she said, “What he is doing will have a direct negative impact on working families around the world. It also shows that he has no respect for the rule of law.”
President Trump’s avalanche of executive orders
Asked if President Trump’s actions were what Americans voted for this fall, Caiazzo said: “Of course not. What Americans voted for was cheaper food. It’s a series of policies that are working to undermine our institutions, enriching the wealthy and entrenching their place in this country’s oligarchy.”
There is another reason for President Trump’s fast pace. Although he is a new president, he is also a lame duck president with limited terms. By Labor Day, much of the political world will be moving toward the 2026 midterm elections.
“This is his second term, he has to act quickly,” Davison emphasized.
President Donald Trump reviews troops during the inauguration ceremony in Emancipation Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Greg Nash/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump’s display of power at the beginning of his second administration also stands in stark contrast to when he first entered the White House eight years ago.
The president and his team are even more experienced the second time around, and the supporting cast is also very loyal to President Trump.
“In the previous administration, there would have been gridlock and roadblocks because there were people who disagreed with him,” a senior White House official told Fox News. “Now we have an entire infrastructure and staff built around him and supporting him. When he says something, it gets done. That’s a testament to him and the team he built. .”
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White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who kept the train on the tracks as co-campaign manager for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, also received credit.
“What Susie did was look at the big picture of President Trump and find the best players and put them in the best positions to support the president. There’s a lot of loyalty around President Trump. But you also have President Trump’s people who have proven over the years that they are loyal ‘very capable operators,’ added the adviser, who requested anonymity to speak more freely.
Paul Steinhauser is a political reporter based in New Hampshire.
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