Donald Trump achievements

Official presidential photo of President Donald Trump

President Trump speaking to Congress, February 28, 2017.

This article is a non-exhaustive list of political achievements (and failures) of United States President Donald Trump, his administration, and Congress during his administration in passing conservative legislation, advancing conservative ideals, and "Making America Great Again".

When adding additional examples, please add at least one reliable source for each example for future reference.

2016 election and transition

See: Donald Trump achievements: 2016 election and transition

As U.S. President

Trump being sworn in, January 20, 2017.

Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2017, giving one of the strongest inauguration addresses in American history. His first bill signed as president was to allow retired general and Defense Secretary nominee James Mattis to be confirmed. Trump had a very busy and productive first week, undoing Obama's legacy and instituting conservative executive orders. He had already made a reasonably large impact by his 50th day in office.

President Trump accomplished many of his campaign promises by his 100th day in office and he had already made significant progress by then, most notably by reducing regulations, enforcing American immigration laws, and appointing and having the Senate confirm his Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. In his 100 days as president, Trump signed the most pieces of legislation of any president since Harry Truman and more executive orders than any previous president. By his 100th day, it was clear that Trump had disrupted the liberal political establishment consensus. Additionally, a poll taken shortly before the 100th day of Trump's presidency indicated that 96% of his supporters would have voted for him again had an election been held that day. A May 2017 poll showed Trump with 98% support among Republican military veterans and 54% overall. Similar polls taken mainly around the same time gave the same results. Additionally, a Pew Research poll indicated that over three-fourths of "white evangelical Protestants" approved of Trump's performance. These people, as well as members of the Tea Party Movement, did not believe the media and left-wingers in their war against President Trump.

It was reported on June 10, 2017, that President Trump had signed 37 bills into law, more than each of the previous four presidents, and the U.S. House had passed 158 bills, "making it the most productive in the modern-era," according to GOP House leaders.

Despite opposition to Trump from the Left, Congressional Republicans were more united during Trump's presidency than in any other time in recent U.S. political history.

Social policy

Legislation signed

• March 27, 2017—One of the four Congressional Review bills that Trump signed into law that day repealed Obama's Blacklisting Rule, which would have required firms contracted by federal agencies to disclose every claim of unfair labor practices concerning them – something which would have given unionized contractors an upper-hand. On the same day, President Trump signed an executive order repealing the contracting rule.

Executive actions

• January 20, 2017—On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order that would lessen Obamacare's burden while Republicans work to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
• February 22, 2017—President Trump rescinded former President Obama's pro-transgender guidelines for schools receiving federal aid that are subject to Title IX. A day earlier, the Trump Administration announced it would discontinue Obama's pro-transgender policies.
• March 27, 2017—President Trump signed an executive order repealing Obama-era labor law compliance requirements for federal contractors, along with signing a resolution of disapproval that day on the same topic.
• April 14, 2017—President Trump appointed Roger Severino, a strong defender of religious liberty, to the HHS Office for Civil Rights.
• April 14, 2017—The Justice Department dropped its discrimination lawsuit against North Carolina for its "bathroom bill" (filed under the Obama Administration) after North Carolina passed a compromise bill. Homosexual activists still opposed the new bill.
• May 1, 2017—The Agriculture Department took steps to give schools more flexibility in their school meal plans.
• May 4, 2017—On the annual National Day of Prayer, President Trump signed an executive order on religious liberty. Among its provisions, it loosened IRS restrictions against political activities by tax-exempt religious organizations, effectively weakening the Johnson Amendment; and it attempted to make it easier for employers not to provide contraceptives if they had religious objections. The order gave conservative Attorney General Jeff Sessions greater authority regarding religious liberty policy. Although well received by some Christians and conservatives, others criticized it for being ineffective and easy to repeal. Other members of the Trump Administration have shown strong support for religious liberty.
• In May 2017, the Trump Administration began to undo Section 1557 of ObamaCare, which would have helped liberals gain transexual "rights" through the courts.
• June 6, 2017—The Trump Administration appointed Valerie Huber, an abstinence education advocate, to the position of chief of staff to the assistant secretary for health at the HHS.

Veterans

Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin stated on June 7, 2017 that improving the Department of Veterans Affairs was a "top priority" for the Trump Administration. Shulkin, a holdover from the Obama Administration, admitted that the Trump Administration was "quicker" and "more decisive" than the previous one.

Legislation signed

• April 19, 2017—President Trump signed an extension of the Veterans Choice Act of 2014, which allowed veterans to seek medical care outside the VA system due to serious VA problems.
• June 2, 2017—President Trump signed a bill into law giving preference in federal grants to "federal and state law enforcement agencies that hire and train veterans".
• June 23, 2017—President Trump signed the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act into law (Trump described the law as "one of the largest reforms to the VA in its history"), which expanded protections for VA whistleblowers, gave the VA the authority to end bonuses to convicted employees, made quicker and easier the process for firing, suspending, and demoting employees.

Executive actions

• April 27, 2017—President Trump signed an executive order creating an office in the Department of Veterans Affairs to investigate obstacles preventing the VA from firing incompetent employees, and to protect those who reveal cases of incompetence in the department.
• June 5, 2017—The Department of Veterans Affairs announced it would adopt the same medical records system as the Defense Department in order to bring better care for veterans.

Criminal justice, law enforcement, and other matters pertaining to the DOJ

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a strong conservative, completely reformed the Justice Department, reorienting it in a strongly conservative direction and with conservative policies, in stark contrast with the Obama Administration. The appointment of new DOJ officials continued through June 2017.

Legislation signed

• June 2, 2017—President Trump signed a bill into law to reduce the backlog of families of fallen police officers waiting to receive benefits due to their status.

Executive actions

• February 2017—Attorney General Sessions rescinded an Obama Administration memo that directed the Bureau of Prisons to begin phasing out private prisons.
• February 9, 2017—President Trump signed three executive orders pertaining to law enforcement. The first cracked down and strengthens the law against international crime organizations, the second deals with anti-law enforcement crimes, and third with finding a strategy for reducing crime in general, "including, in particular, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and violent crime."
• March 10, 2017—Attorney General Sessions asked the 46 remaining U.S. attorneys appointed by Obama, arguably the most left-wing president in U.S. history, to resign. One of those U.S. attorneys was the failed Zachary Fardon, who was lax in his prosecution of gun crimes (Sessions directed the Justice Department to increase prosecutions on gun-law violations and to reinforce harsh sentences for such). When one of those attorneys, Preet Bharara, refused to resign (likely for political gain), he was fired. Later, in May 2017, more Obama holdovers left the Justice Department.
• April 3, 2017—Attorney General Sessions ordered the Department of Justice to review Obama's agreements with local police departments. Sessions made this order to give back local control to police departments.
• April 13, 2017—The Justice Department prosecuted two doctors and one other for practicing female genital mutilation – the first such prosecutions under a federal law passed by Congress in 1996 prohibiting the practice.
• May 9, 2017—Although he previously stated he was not planning on asking him to resign, President Trump, at the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, fired Obama-appointed FBI director James Comey for being unfit to serve in the position. Democrats and liberals were dismayed at the decision, but it showed that Trump was serious about shaking up D.C. and "draining the swamp."
• May 11, 2017—Attorney General Sessions ended Obama and Eric Holder's policy of pursuing light sentences for criminals when he ordered federal prosecutors to pursue "the most serious and readily provable offense" committed by those under prosecution.
• June 7, 2017—Attorney General Sessions ended a policy begun by Eric Holder where the Justice Department would reach settlements with companies that required them to pay third-party groups, many of which were left-wing organizations.
• June 20, 2017—Attorney General Sessions launched the National Public Safety Partnership as part of a wider DOJ effort at countering violent crime.

Abortion

President Trump kept his pro-life promises during his first 100 days of his presidency and made several considerable achievements during that time.

Legislation signed

• April 13, 2017—President Trump signed a Congressional Review bill into law annulling a recent Obama Administration regulation that would have prohibited states from discriminating in awarding Title X family planning funds based on whether the local clinic also performs abortions (some states adopted rules which distribute federal family planning funds on the condition that the organizations do not perform abortions). The Act was "the first major national pro-life bill in more than a decade."

Executive actions

• January 23, 2017—President Trump signed an order reinstating the Mexico City Policy, which defunded International Planned Parenthood and other organizations that promote foreign abortions. However, unlike previous administrations, the Trump Administration expanded the policy to include all global health assistance funding.
• April 4, 2017—The Trump Administration halted U.S. funding of the United Nations Population Fund, which has links to inhumane abortion programs such as China's one-child policy. Instead, the $32.5 million was shifted to the U.S. Agency for International Development.
• President Trump appointed several pro-life advocates to Department of Health and Human Services positions. On April 28, 2017, in an apparent victory for the pro-life movement, President Trump appointed Dr. Charmaine Yoest, a strong pro-life advocate and the former president of Americans United for Life, to the position of assistant secretary of public affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services, replacing a strong Planned Parenthood supporter. The position did not require Senate confirmation. In late May, Trump appointed Shannon Royce, who formerly served in the Family Research Council and the Southern Baptists' Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, to the HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Around May 1, 2017, President Trump appointed Teresa Manning, a pro-life advocate who worked for the Family Research Council and the National Right to Life, to be the HHS deputy assistant secretary for population affairs.
• May 15, 2017—The Trump Administration massively broadened the scope of the Mexico City Policy to include any international health organization that performs or gives information about abortions, expanding the amount of money affected from $600,000 to nearly $9 billion.

Gun politics

Legislation signed

• February 28, 2017—President Trump signed a bill into law (Public Law 115-8) repealing a Social Security Administration rule adding mental disability determinations to the background check registry, subject to a person applying to be removed from the list. Congress had passed a law requiring federal agencies to search their records for people who were "mentally defective", and the Social Security Administration had published their method of gathering names on December 16, 2016. The regulation would have added the names of disability beneficiaries who have a mental illness or are not competent to manage their own finances, potentially leading to the removal of Second Amendment rights to many perfectly competent, mentally healthy citizens. By signing the resolution of disapproval, as with other CRA acts, the Social Security Administration cannot come up with different criteria for supplying names to the background check registry for 10 years.

Executive actions

• Starting early in his presidency, the Trump Administration has undone Obama-era executive branch gun regulations.

Immigration, illegal immigration, and border security

There was a large change in the Trump Administration, particularly in the Justice Department, concerning immigration policy, compared to the Obama Administration. It was reported early in Trump's presidency that immigration hardliners had become influential in the Trump Administration.

Illegal immigration declined dramatically after Trump took office. According to data released early in Trump's presidency, illegal border crossings decreased by 40% in the first month of Trump's presidency – a remarkable achievement, considering that illegal immigration usually increases by 10 to 20% in January and February. In March, illegal immigration had fallen by over 60%. By Trump's 100th day in office, levels were reported to have fallen by 73%. The declining trend of border apprehensions (an indicator of the level of illegal immigration) continued through May. It was reported in April that illegal immigration levels had fallen to the lowest point in 17 years.

It was reported in May that the number of child illegal immigrants entering the nation monthly had fallen below 1,000, the first time in several years, and that total illegal immigration levels had fallen by 76%. In six months, the illegal immigration of Haitians, specifically, into the U.S. declined by 97%. Although not solely due to President Trump, illegal immigration from Cuba dropped dramatically in the beginning of Trump's presidency. Illegal immigration dropped so much that U.S. Customs and Border Protection was able to close one of their temporary holding facilities. As another illustration, a non-profit shelter organization for illegal immigrants, Southwest Key Programs, was forced to lay off nearly 1,000 of its employees due to the drop. This drop was probably due to the Trump effect and tougher illegal immigration and deportation policies by the Homeland Security Department.

Regarding refugees, it was reported in May 2017 that the number of refugees entering the U.S. had sharply fallen from the peak during the Obama Administration. According to DHS numbers released in June 2017, the number of refugees admitted in the first three months of Trump's presidency was half of that of the last three months of Obama's presidency (even though refugee admissions increased at the end of Obama's presidency). Although the number of refugees admitted in May increased, the proportion of Muslim refugees declined from 34 to 28 percent compared to April.

Legislation signed

• H.R. 244, which was signed into law by President Trump on May 5, 2017, and funded the government through September 30, 2017, did not include funding for several of President Trump's priorities, such as defunding sanctuary cities and building new sections of the border wall. However, it did include an additional $1.5 billion in border security funding, including money to repair existing border barrier sections and to increase funding for ICE and CBP, among other conservative achievements.

Executive actions

Trump signing his Jan. 27, 2017 order regarding refugees and travel from high-risk countries.

Countries affected by Trump's Jan. 27, 2017 travel ban.

• January 25, 2017—Trump signed two executive orders. The first one included ordering the "immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border," the hiring of 5,000 additional border control agents, and ending "catch-and-release" policies for illegal immigrants. The second order called for hiring an additional 10,000 federal immigration officers, re-establishing the Secure Communities Program and other local partnerships, making the deportation of criminal illegal immigrants a priority, directing the State Department to use leverage to ensure countries-of-origin take back illegal immigrants, and stripping federal grant money from sanctuary cities and states.
• January 27, 2017—Trump signed an executive order indefinitely banning the admission of Syrian refugees, suspending the overall refugee program for 120 days, suspending entry and the issuing of visas from seven failed Middle Eastern countries for at least 90 days, and reducing the number of refugees allowed into the nation during the fiscal year from 110,000 to 50,000. Additionally, Trump made clear that he would help Christian refugees, a reversal from the Obama Administration. Despite criticism from leftists and non-conservatives, 49 percent of the American public supported the decision compared to 41 percent opposed, according to the "mainstream" Reuters, and 57% percent of likely American voters supported the ban according to Rasmussen. Additionally, while the leftist establishment European leaders opposed the ban, a strong majority – 55% average – of Europeans supported the ban, according to a poll in 10 European Union nations.
• January 30, 2017—President Trump appointed Thomas Homan, someone with a reputation for enforcing immigration laws, as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He took a strong stance on illegal immigration as the head of ICE. On January 31, President Trump appointed Ronald Vitiello, who was endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council which also endorsed Trump in the 2016 election, to lead U.S. Border Patrol.
• March 6, 2017—President Trump signed a second executive order regarding the temporary suspension of refugees and others from certain high-risk countries after the first one was blocked by the courts. The second order made some clarifications and minor improvements over the first, such as exempting green card holders from the ban and excluding Iraq from it as it had developed an acceptable vetting process. (after being blocked in federal courts, the Supreme Court on June 26, 2017, partially reinstated the ban and allowed key portions of it to continue pending a hearing on the ban's constitutionality in October)
• On March 31, 2017, after talking tough against "sanctuary cities" and illegal immigration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a plan to speed up the deportation of imprisoned illegals. On April 11, 2017, Sessions issued a memorandum to U.S. attorneys, instructing them to enforce much stricter guidelines against immigration crimes, and he announced the Justice Department would hire 125 immigration judges in the next two years.
• In late March/early April 2017, the Trump Administration cracked down on H-1B visas in a series of actions, making it much more difficult for entry-level programmers to enter the U.S., combating corruption in the program, and making sure that Americans were not discriminated against. On April 18, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order restricting the H-1B visa to give the hiring preference to American workers and enacting stronger enforcement of laws requiring the use of American-made materials in federal projects. Experts on the H-1B visa supported his order.
• April 14, 2017—President Trump appointed two conservatives on immigration issues to senior positions in the Department of Homeland Security. Like Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly (with the full support of President Trump) also adopted a strong position against illegal immigration.
• April 26, 2017—The Department of Homeland Security established the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE), created to help support victims of illegal immigrant crime, and it established the DHS-Victim Information and Notification Exchange, which was created to help those victims track the custody status of the illegal criminals.
• It was reported in May 2017 that the Trump Administration, due to his previous executive orders, had ended Obama's "home free magnet" policy, where illegal immigrants who did not commit a serious crime (other than crossing the border illegally) did not need to fear deportation because ICE needed to gain permission from the Field Office Director before deporting them; and the Trump Administration expanded the use of expedited removal proceedings, which is the deportation of illegals without a hearing unless they request one. Thus, illegal immigrants "without violent criminal histories" could be arrested and deported.
• May 5, 2017—ICE established a policy that would give illegal immigrants stays of removal only if the chairs the House and Senate Judiciary Committees or the relevant subcommittees requested them, as opposed to the earlier policy of issuing stays of removal whenever a private bill to legalize illegals was introduced in Congress. This would allow ICE to deport illegals without having members of Congress obstruct deportations.
• May 9, 2017—The Department of Homeland Security reported that it had implemented tougher vetting policies at U.S. border crossings.
• Early in Trump's presidency, it was clear the U.S. government was cracking down on criminal illegal immigrants and gangs. For example, between March 26 and May 6, 2017, ICE conducted a crackdown on gangs, including MS-13 and other illegal immigrant gangs, that arrested nearly 1,400 people – the largest such operation conducted up to that point.
• May 2017—In order to avoid misreporting and distortions by the media, ICE established a Spanish media presence.
• Despite the large drop in illegal immigrant apprehensions, the amount of illegal drugs seized by Customs and Border Protection saw large increases in the beginning of Trump's presidency. In addition, the number of immigration arrests increased, with a 38% increase in Trump's first 100 days. By May 2017, the Trump Administration also was able to reduce the number of countries "that habitually refuse to take back immigrants whom the U.S. is trying to deport" from 20 to 12. In one widely-reported incident on June 15, U.S. Border Patrol agents had to obtain a warrant and raided an Arizona desert camp to arrest four illegal immigrants.
• President Trump worked to eliminate Obama's legacy of giving privileges to illegal immigrants in detention centers. At the same time, the Trump Administration expanded immigration enforcement efforts, such as through building additional detention centers. (The inspector general reported on June 7, 2017, but based on July 2016 inspections, that the facilities used by the DHS to detain illegal families were overall in good shape and met federal standards)
• Late May 2017—The State Department introduced new and much stricter rules for vetting all people seeking a visa to enter the U.S., with the introduction of social media vetting being among the changes.
• It was reported in June 2017 that the Trump Administration began repatriating illegal immigrants given "administrative closure" by the Obama Administration, a form of "quasi-amnesty."
• June 2017—The Department of Homeland Security ended a program where 21 officials cooperated with anti-deportation and pro-amnesty organizations, and reassigned those officials to the new VOICE office which helps victims of illegal immigrant crimes.
• June 15, 2017—The DHS canceled the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program created by the Obama Administration in November 2014 that would have given amnesty to about 4 million illegal immigrants but was blocked by federal courts before its full implementation.
• June 23, 2017—The DOJ threw its support behind Texas's sanctuary city ban that was challenged in court.

Education

In general, as a candidate, Donald Trump promised to transfer more education decisions to the state and local level and to eliminate the "common core".

Executive actions

• April 7, 2017—A Presidential proclamation celebrated this day as "Education and Sharing Day USA" recognizing the conservative principles of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, to use values-based education to drive our Nation's children toward the American Dream.
• April 26, 2017—President Trump signed an executive order ordering Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to review Department of Education regulations, with the intention of returning power to the states and local governments.
• May 22, 2017—Although Education Secretary Betsy DeVos supported school choice and stated the Administration would create a school choice plan, she stated she would not force the states to expand school choice and would let them decide their own policies – this showed the Trump Administration's respect for state sovereignty. It was a wise decision, considering the ability of liberal and Democrats to hijack such a federal program.
• Adam Kissel, a noted critic of the 2011 Title IX "Dear colleague letter" was hired as deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs, and the staff of the Title IX enforcement office was reduced in the 2018 budget.

Energy and environmental policy

By early June 2017, the Trump Administration had taken numerous steps to undo the Obama Administration's environmental policies and regulations. The shift in the Trump Administration regarding energy and the environment could be illustrated with the changes made to the website of the Environmental Protection Agency a few months after President Trump took office and the organization's dismissal of global warmist scientific advisers from the EPA and Interior Department with the intention to replace them with individuals who better understand the effects of regulations.

The coal industry experienced a rebound at the beginning of Trump's presidency, after "the historic lows reached during the Obama era." Although the rebound could also be seen in India and China, it was more dramatic in the United States.

Despite President Trump's achievements, he was strongly opposed by the deep state.

Legislation signed

• February 14, 2017—Trump signed H.J.Res.41 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of a rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to "Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers" (see "Size of Government" section below).

Executive actions

• January 24, 2017—Trump signed two orders reviving consideration for the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects, which Obama halted due to supposed environmental concerns. On March 24, 2017, the Trump Administration approved the Keystone XL Pipeline. The Dakota Access Pipeline went into service by June 1, 2017.
• January 24, 2017—In addition to the above, Trump signed three other orders, one requiring the United States Secretary of Commerce make a plan within six months mandating all new or improved pipelines be made with American steel, another order requiring every federal agency to streamline manufacturing regulations, and the third allowing fast-track approval for important infrastructure projects.
• March 18, 2017—The Trump Administration forced the G-20 to remove any mention of climate change from its joint statement. (See "Foreign policy" section below)
• March 28, 2017—President Trump signed a major executive order repealing several Obama-era environmental regulations unfavorable to coal. In addition to this, the order started an immediate review of Obama's Clean Power Plan, help create American energy jobs, bring American energy independence by stimulating domestic energy production, and giving authority back to the states.
• April 28, 2017—President Trump signed an executive order repealing a ban on offshore drilling signed by President Obama and directing the Interior Secretary to review U.S. drilling policy and regulations. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke began the process of expanding offshore drilling on May 1.
• May 2017—The Trump Administration signed agreements as a member of the Arctic Council, and it was later revealed that it successfully weakened the language regarding climate change and environmental policy.
• May 31, 2017—Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed an order to open up more land in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska to energy production.
• June 1, 2017—To the dismay of world leaders, the media, and other liberals, and in a major blow to Obama's legacy, President Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and immediately stop its implementation, including by ending payments to the U.N. Green Climate Fund. In his announcement speech, Trump made clear that "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris," and that "our withdrawal from the agreement represents a reassertion of America’s sovereignty." (even with U.S. withdrawal, it was still well on its way to deeply reducing admissions)
• June 12, 2017—The Trump Administration formally rejected a G7 pledge to adhere to the Paris climate agreement.
• June 12, 2017—The Trump Administration rejected, on the grounds of being unnecessary and with costs greater than any benefits, a proposed regulation to put a limit on the number of certain endangered marine aminals allowed to be killed on injured in fishing nets.
• June 15, 2017—The Department of Energy closed its Office of International Climate and Technology in order to improve its organizational structure.

Economic policy and labor

By June 2017, the economy was clearly improving and growing, and Americans' confidence in the economy rose.

Executive actions

• February 3, 2017—President Trump signed an order directing Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, upon his confirmation, to plan changes to the Dodd-Frank bank regulatory law in order to cut much of it.
• April 21, 2017—President Trump signed one executive order and two memorandums. The order directed the Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to look at the U.S. tax code and recommend the removal of unnecessary regulations and the two memorandums directing the Treasury Secretary to conduct a review of portions of the Dodd-Frank law.
• June 15, 2017—President Trump signed executive orders to loosen federal regulations on job-training programs and to encourage apprenticeships and vocational learning.
• June 16, 2017—The Justice Department under Jeff Sessions officially changed its position on the Supreme Court case NLRB v. Murphy Oil – it is not common for the Justice Department to change its position in court cases.

Trade

Executive actions

• January 23, 2017—Trump signed an order which withdrew the United States from the globalist Trans-Pacific Partnership.
• March 18, 2017—The Trump Administration forced the G-20 to remove its opposition to protectionism and its support for free trade from its joint statement. (See "Foreign policy" section below)
• March 31, 2017—President Trump signed two orders. The first order instituted a crackdown on violations of anti-dumping laws and help to officials to collect penalties already owed to the U.S. The second order ordered a report by the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative on the causes of the U.S. trade deficit due within 90 days.
• April 20, 2017—President Trump signed a memorandum directing the Department of Commerce to investigate whether steel imports pose a threat to U.S. national security.
• April 25, 2017—After Canada changed its milk pricing policy, putting U.S. farmers at a severe disadvantage, the Trump Administration imposed tariffs at rates up to 24% on Canadian lumber imports.
• April 27, 2017—President Trump signed a memorandum opening a Department of Commerce investigation into whether the high level of aluminum imports constitutes a threat to U.S. national security.
• April 29, 2017—President Trump signed two executive orders, one ordering the U.S. to review all of its free trade agreements including NAFTA, and the other establishing a White House trade policy office.
• May 11, 2017—President Trump approved a trade deal with China which would increase American exports.
• May 18, 2017—President Trump began the process of renegotiating NAFTA.
• June 12, 2017—The U.S. and China made an agreement that would allow American beef products to be exported to China.

Foreign policy

President Trump being briefed on April 6, 2017 concerning a military strike on Syria.

President Trump was observed early in his presidency to have adopted a strong foreign policy and was described as having made a "consequential impact" on foreign policy early on. This was as opposed to Barack Obama's foreign policy. As the North Korean vice-foreign minister stated, Trump's foreign policy was "more vicious and more aggressive" than that of Barack Obama. Fox News reported that the Trump Administration has adopted a more critical stance toward the United Nations than the Obama Administration. According to Vice President Mike Pence, President Trump implemented his America First philosophy into his foreign policy.

By May 2017, Trump had "hit most, if not all, of the notes he wanted to on a broad range of issues" and was more ambitious than Obama had been at the same point in his presidency.

Legislation signed

• March and April, 2017—President Trump and the U.S. Senate approved Montenegro's accession into NATO, over Russia's objections. (Montenegro officially joined NATO on June 5, 2017)

Executive actions

• February 3, 2017—After Iran tested a ballistic missile in apparent violation of a UN Security Council resolution, the Trump Administration instituted unilateral economic sanctions against 13 Iranian individuals and 12 companies. Later, on May 17, 2017, the Trump Administration imposed additional sanctions on an Iranian national, an Iranian company, a Chinese national, and three Chinese companies (because of Chinese dealings related to Iran's nuclear program).
• March 2017—After the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia authored a destructive and anti-Semitic report against Israel, the report and agency were strongly criticized by the United States and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, and the executive director of the commission resigned in response.
• On March 18, 2017, the Trump Administration successfully forced the G-20 to remove its opposition to protectionism and temper its support for free trade, and any mention of climate change from its joint statement. Later, in April 2017, the Trump Administration refused to sign the G7 joint statement because the other nations could not agree to include support for nuclear and fossil fuels without support for the Paris climate agreement. The G7, thus, went without a joint statement.
• April 6, 2017—After the Syrian government used chemical weapons on its people, President Trump ordered a one-time airstrike against a Syrian air base, firing 60 cruise missiles at it. The U.S. destroyed about 20 Syrian jet planes and caused extremely heavy damage on the base. Defense Secretary James Mattis stated the attacks destroyed 20% of Syria's operational aircraft. As even the New York Times reported, Trump's action was a show of U.S. strength, and it was in stark contrast to Obama, as Trump used surprise and speed in the attacks. World leaders supported the strong action. This was the first direct military action the U.S. took against the Assad regime. On April 23, 2017, in response to the chemical attacks, the Trump Administration put sanctions on 271 employees of Syria’s Scientific Studies and Research Center, which supported the nation's chemical weapons program. On June 18, 2017, the United States shot down a Syrian aircraft for the first time, and in response to Russia's warnings, stated that it would do whatever in its national and military interests.

MOAB, the "Mother Of All bombs"

• April 13, 2017—Under the increased autonomy President Trump gave the Defense Department, the U.S. dropped a GBU-43B (also known as MOAB or the "Mother Of All bombs"), the largest non-nuclear bomb in existence at 21,000 pounds on a complex of Islamic State tunnels in Afghanistan. Although tested in 2003, the bomb had never been used in combat before. It caused much damage, being estimated to have killed at least 94 ISIS fighters, including four commanders – no civilians were killed. It also destroyed several of the tunnels as well as weapon stockpiles. The attack was reported as having dealt a heavy blow to ISIS's Afghanistan branch.
• April 21, 2017—The Trump Administration refused to issue waivers to any companies which wanted to do business with Russia, which was under economic sanctions, including ExxonMobil, which had applied for a waiver. The day earlier, the Trump Administration announced, in strong language, it was implementing the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which blacklisted certain Russian citizens.
• Early in Trump's presidency, he and his administration took a much tougher tone against North Korea than his predecessors. While the deployment was first announced during the Obama Administration, the Trump Administration confirmed it would continue the plans to – and subsequently did – deploy the THAAD missile defense system to South Korea despite China's strong objections. THAAD was first used on May 14, 2017.
• Unlike former President Obama, the State Department under President Trump described the Afghanistan Taliban as a terrorist organization without hesitation.
• May 2017—President Trump embarked on an ambitious foreign trip, where he, among other accomplishments, visited the heartlands of the three Abrahamic religions, challenging the Muslim world to get serious about defeating Islamic terrorism, challenging the European leaders to contribute more to NATO, and isolating Iran. While in the Middle East, Trump, unlike Obama, took a strong stance against Iran and strengthened the United States's traditional alliances with Israel and the Arab nations, bringing them closer together. His trip was described as one that "flipped traditional U.S. foreign policy upside down." Here are some highlights and additional achievements of the trip:
  • May 20–21, 2017—President Trump visited Saudi Arabia, the first country he visited abroad as U.S. President. His trip to the country was a major event that clearly broke from foreign policy set by Barack Obama. He received a very warm welcome – much warmer than what Obama (under whom relations became estranged) received – with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud greeting Trump at the tarmac, something Obama did not receive. Unlike Obama, Trump did not bow to the Saudi king, and he did not embark on an "apology tour" like Obama. Trump signed a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, with another $350 billion of arms for the following 10 years. American and Saudi businesses signed similar agreements on the same day, with billions of dollars to be invested in the U.S. President Trump also gave a major speech to leaders of 50 Islamic world leaders challenging them to fight Islamic terror. Trump gave a blunt speech, stronger than Obama's, and he did not mention democracy or human rights, rather speaking about "good vs. evil," something his Islamic audience was more receptive to. (despite this, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates agreed to donate $100 million to a women entrepreneurs fund proposed by Ivanka Trump). The U.S. and Saudi Arabia strengthened counterterrorism ties by enacting joint sanctions on two "global terrorists," and Saudi Arabia opened a center to combat Islamic terrorism. (according to President Trump, the commitment to combating Islamic terrorism was already being seen when several Arab nations cut ties with Qatar due to its support of Islamic terrorism and Iran; later, Saudi Arabia changed its royal succession plan, possibly in an attempt to please President Trump).
  • May 22–23, 2017—The second country President Trump visited was Israel, and his trip marked the first time a U.S. president visited the country on their first foreign trip. He visited the country on the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War and Israel's capture of Jerusalem. His flight from Saudi Arabia to Israel was one of the rare flights taken between the two countries and the first of a U.S. president to fly from the former to the latter. A major suicide bombing occurred in the United Kingdom during the visit, and Trump denied recognition to the attacker and other Islamic terrorists by calling them "losers." Although not moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem as hoped, President Trump became the first sitting U.S. President to visit the Western Wall, and the Administration stated that the Trump was in "Jerusalem, Israel." President Trump did not mention anything about a Palestinian state, a two-state solution, or about Israeli settlements. It was also reported that the U.S. increased defense funding for Israel by $75 million.
  • May 25, 2017—At the 2017 NATO summit, President Trump strongly stated his position that the other NATO member states should meet their expected contributions to the organization.
  • May 26–27, 2017—At the 2017 G7 conference, President Trump focused on terrorism rather than climate change, as the other European leaders wished. Much to the consternation of the G7 world leaders, who lobbied for President Trump to accept the Paris climate agreement, Trump stood firm and refused to pledge commitment to the accords so he could still deliberate over whether to stay in it. (Trump ultimately announced, on June 1, 2017, that the U.S. would leave the agreement and cease implementing it). President Trump was also reported as having refused to sign a declaration that stated the benefits as well as "pitfalls" of immigration.
  • May 27, 2017—President Trump concluded his trip by speaking to U.S. soldiers, as opposed to holding a press conference.
• June 16, 2017—During a speech attended by opponents of Cuba's Communist regime, President Trump partially reversed Obama's pro-Cuba policies by restricting U.S. travel to Cuba and prohibit financial transactions that benefit the Cuban military. Additionally, Trump visibly took a much stronger position on Cuba to repatriate American criminal fugitives than Obama had done.
• June 20, 2017—On the same day President Trump met with Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 38 Russian individuals and entities involved in the conflict with Ukraine.
• The Trump Administration successfully secured the release of several American prisoners held in foreign countries that the Obama Administration did not or could not release. It played a large role in successfully helping prevent CIA officer Sabrina de Sousa from being extradited to Italy, with the decision coming on March 1, 2017. On April 21, 2017, Egypt released an Egyptian-American who had been detained for three years. Additionally, according to the father of Otto Warmbier, who was held hostage in North Korea and then released in June 2017, the Obama Administration did not do enough to secure his release while the Trump Administration did secure his release.
• The Trump Administration gave wider powers to the Department of Defense than it had under Obama. In April 2017, President Trump gave Mattis authority to set troop levels in Iraq and Syria for the fight against ISIS, and it gave military commanders authority to perform military actions without approval from Washington. In June 2017, the Trump Administration authorized the Defense Department to set troop levels in Afghanistan.

Size of Government

The Trump Administration's rollback of regulations was described in May 2017 as its "biggest untold success." President Trump and Congress spent much time rolling back regulations, particularly those created by Obama, and the federal agencies under Trump shifted their focus on cutting regulations rather than writing them. In the first six weeks of Trump's presidency, over 90 regulations were repealed, whether through executive orders, Acts of Congress, or other means — clearly keeping his promises. Additionally, by late May 2017, the Trump Administration approved a record low amount of new regulations – $33 million in new regulatory costs by May 23 as opposed to $26 billion in the same period in previous administrations, and releasing 8% the average amount of rules released by the past three administrations during the same period of time.

It was reported in June 2017 that President Trump's deregulation actions had increased confidence and hiring in the manufacturing sector.

Legislation signed

• President Trump successfully made use of Congressional Review to roll back Obama-era regulations—even more than expected. Prior to Trump's presidency, the Congressional Review Act had been used only once successfully, sixteen years prior. When the window to use the CRA for the 115th Congress ended, Congress had passed and Trump had signed 14 CRA resolutions repealing Obama regulations – significantly more than expected. These actions were estimated to have saved $3.7 billion in regulatory costs and up to $36.2 billion in compliance costs. Some examples of CRA legislation signed by President Trump follow (other examples can be found elsewhere in the article):
  • February 14, 2017—President Trump signed a bill into law repealing an Obama Era relation requiring energy companies to disclose financial transactions with foreign governments.
  • February 16, 2017—President Trump signed a bill into law blocking the "Stream Protection Rule," an environmental regulation.
  • March 27, 2017—President Trump signed four bills undoing Obama-era regulations. Two of those bills rolled back federal education regulations.
  • March 31, 2017—President Trump signed another bill undoing an Obama-era regulation, giving the power back to the states to expand drug testing for unemployment benefit applicants.
  • April 3, 2017—President Trump signed a bill reversing an Obama-era FCC privacy regulation applicable to internet service providers. The FCC had adopted the rule to fill a gap created by a court case which ruled that the FTC did not have jurisdiction to extend its privacy rule over internet service providers because they were regulated by the FCC. The new law repealed the FCC rule and prohibits the FCC from enacting a replacement for 10 years without giving the FTC jurisdiction to regulate internet service providers' privacy practices. Part of yet another series of bills undoing other Obama regulations.
• May 12, 2017—President Trump signed Public Law 115-33 (S. 496), which repealed a rule by the Department of Transportation that would have taken power away from local governments on infrastructure planning. The bill did not invoke the CRA.

Executive actions

• January 20, 2017—On its first day in office, the Trump Administration ordered a regulatory freeze on all federal governmental agencies.
• On Inauguration Day, 2017, the Trump administration instituted a federal hiring freeze. On January 23, 2017, Trump signed an executive order instituting the hiring freeze, from which the military was exempted. On April 12, 2017, the hiring freeze was replaced with a plan to restructure and shrink the executive branch.
• January 30, 2017—Trump signed an executive order that requires two federal regulations must be eliminated for every regulation created.
• February 3, 2017—President Trump signed a memorandum directing the United States Department of Labor to review a regulation signed by Obama set to go into effect.
• February 24, 2017—President Trump signed an executive order requiring every federal agency to create a "regulatory reform task force" to find unnecessary, burdensome regulations to repeal. This order was called "the most far reaching effort to pare back U.S. red tape in recent decades."
• February 28, 2017—President Trump announced that he did not plan on filling numerous government positions he considered unnecessary. According to one source, about 2,000 positions were vacant, and most of them were likely included in this list. As of April 4, 2017, President Trump did not make a nomination for nearly 500 positions requiring Senate confirmation.
• March 13, 2017—President Trump signed an executive order to perform an audit on every executive branch agency in order to reduce spending and waste and improve services.
• April 25, 2017—President Trump signed an executive order ordering the Department of Agriculture to find and eliminate unnecessary regulations, in an effort to help farmers, particularly in the light of NAFTA and the trade imbalance with Canada.
• April 26, 2017—President Trump signed an executive order ordering the Interior Department to review designations of national monuments from as far back as 20 years prior, with the intention of reversing federal overreach in land acquisition and returning power to the states.
• June 19, 2017—The Environmental Protection Agency ended a $1 million program where it gave gym memberships to its employees, ending the program due to an abuse of taxpayer money.

Military, national security, and terrorism

It was observed relatively early in his presidency that President Trump had developed a strong position on fighting terrorism, making good on his campaign promises. It was reported in June 2017 that public trust in the Trump Administration in protecting the nation from terrorism increased to 70%, up from 55% in 2015.

Legislation signed

• H.R. 244, which was signed into law by President Trump on May 5, 2017 and funded the government through September 30, 2017, expanded military spending by about $21 billion without an identical increase in domestic spending and fulfilled several of the military's requests.

Executive actions

• January 27, 2017—President Trump signed a memorandum to begin the expansion and rebuilding of the U.S. military.
• February 3, 2017—The Trump Administration and Lockheed Martin reached a tentative deal that would purchase 90 F-35 jets at the lowest price in the program's history. The first 90 planes were about $725 million below budget, with billions of more dollars of savings expected, and it saved at least one U.S. ally, Japan, $100 million.
• May 11, 2017—President Trump signed an executive order to review U.S. cyber security and hold the various federal departments accountable for ensuring the protection of valuable information.
• May 11, 2017—President Trump signed an executive order creating a commission, chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and vice-chaired by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, to review the extent of voter fraud and suppression in the United States.
• May 26, 2017—President Trump made clear his stance against terrorism in a statement wishing Muslims a joyful Ramadan. President Trump did not hold a Ramadan dinner, breaking the annual tradition held since Bill Clinton's presidency, and instead issued a statement greeting Muslims for Eid al-Fitr on June 24, 2017.
• June 25, 2017—It was reported that the DHS defunded several Islamic organizations supported by the Obama Administration and that were set to be funded under it.

Proclamations

• January 20, 2017—The day he was inaugurated, President Trump instituted a national day of patriotism for the country, and a few days later Trump officially designated his inauguration day the National Day of Patriotic Devotion.
• January 22–28, 2017—National School Choice Week, as proclaimed by President Trump
• May 1, 2017—President Trump proclaimed that day as Loyalty Day, to "recognize and reaffirm our allegiance" to American values, such as "individual liberties, to limited government, and to the inherent dignity of every human being."

Other

• On January 5, 2017, the U.S. House passed a motion condemning Obama's allowing a leftist anti-Israel resolution to pass in the UN. Additionally, Trump voiced his strong support for Israel during his transition. On April 27, 2017, all 100 members of the U.S. Senate sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres demanding an end to the anti-Israel bias in the UN. After that, the U.S. condemned the UN after the organization ignored the letter from the Senate. On June 5, 2017, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution observing the 50th anniversary of the unification of Jerusalem and called for President Trump to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and Congress commemorated the event.
• January 20, 2017—On the day he took office, Trump returned the bust of UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the Oval Office that Obama removed when he took office. He also accepted the United Kingdom's offer to re-loan the second identical bust of Churchill, which Obama removed and returned after the first loan expired.
• January 28, 2017—Trump signed an executive order banning administration officials from lobbying their federal agencies for five years, as well as banning them for life from lobbying foreign nations and political parties.
• January 30, 2017—Trump showed he would not tolerate incompetent leftist administration officials when he fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates (a left-wing Obama holdover) when she refused to defend his refugee and immigration ban executive order. Trump emulated Ronald Reagan's firing of the striking PATCO workers in 1981 by doing so, contrary to the mainstream media spin. That same night, Trump replaced the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (another Obama holdover) with a more competent official who had a reputation for enforcing immigration laws.
• March 21, 2017—President Trump signed a bill into law not only funding NASA, but setting a goal of having humans visit Mars "in the 2030s" and potentially colonizing another planet. The bill also funded the agency, the first time such a bill was signed into law in seven years.
• April 21, 2017—President Trump replaced Obama-appointed Vivek Murthy, who was opposed by gun rights groups, as Surgeon General of the United States. During the same month, the Trump Administration reassigned two career government officials who had been strongly criticized by conservative organizations.
• May 5, 2017—President Trump attached a signing statement to a five-month spending bill he signed, ignoring several liberal provisions, such as a statement ordering the administration not to enforce federal marijuana laws in states with medical marijuana.

Non-legislative or policy achievements

• January 20, 2017—Trump became the first president to say "radical Islamic terrorism" in his inaugural address.
• January 20, 2017—On the same day as his inauguration, Trump filed for re-election in 2020, breaking the political norm, giving him a head start on campaigning, and giving him additional legal freedoms and flexibility.
• January 27, 2017—Vice President Mike Pence became the first vice president in United States history to speak at the annual March for Life march in Washington D.C. Additionally, Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway also spoke at the event, and Trump himself strongly expressed his support for the march.
• President Trump and his administration have not been afraid to criticize the left-wing Obama Administration for its failures. This could be seen regarding Syria and Obama's failed and broken "red line" promise concerning the Syrian Civil War, as well as Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly criticizing the Obama Administration's failure regarding illegal immigration and national security.
• April 28, 2017—President Trump became the first president since Ronald Reagan in 1983 to speak at the National Rifle Association's annual convention.
• It was reported in late April 2017 that nine Trump Administration cabinet members, including Vice President Mike Pence, were participating in a weekly Bible study, and members of the House and Senate were also conducting their own Bible studies. This suggested that the Trump Administration is, at least in part, striving to be under God.
• The national debt decreased after President Trump assumed office, unlike Obama. In Trump's first 100 days in office, the U.S. national debt decreased by $100 billion, as opposed to Obama, where the debt grew by $560 billion by the same point in his presidency.
• While newly-inaugurated U.S. Presidents generally give their first commencement addresses at the University of Notre Dame, President Trump gave his at the conservative Christian Liberty University. One of his lines was, "In America we don’t worship government, we worship God."
• President Trump has shown strong support for the police and against the anti-police "Black Lives Matter" movement.
• June 8, 2017—President Trump showed his support for coal by sending a surprise video message for the opening of a new coal mine, saying that "I want you to know each and every day, I'm fighting for you and all the forgotten men and women of America."
• June 8, 2017—President Trump spoke to the Faith and Freedom Coalition, showing strong support for evangelical Christians and religious liberty. He repeated the statement he made at Liberty University: "in America, we don't worship government. We worship God."
• June 18, 2017—In celebrating Father's Day, President Trump stated that "fathers have the ability and responsibility to instill in us core values we carry into adulthood. The examples they set and the lessons they impart about hard work, dedication to family, faith in God, and believing in ourselves establish the moral foundation for success that allows us to live up to our full potential." The Department of Education invited members of the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family to a Father's Day event.
• The Republican Party did not lose any of the special congressional elections held in early 2017 that were vacated by Republicans – the elections were framed as being referendums on Trump's presidency – despite attempts by Democrats to flip the seats. The most notable example was the special election held in Georgia's 6th congressional district on June 20, 2017, where Republican Karen Handel defeated her Democrat opponent in a highly-watched election, despite Hollywood celebrities actively campaigning for the Democrat, and despite the Democrat's spending advantage (the House race was the most expensive U.S. House race in history). The election was a clear win for President Trump and his agenda and showed the weakness and poor messaging of the Democrat Party.

The courts

Supreme Court

President Trump announcing his nomination of Gorsuch, January 31, 2017.

President Trump looks on as Gorsuch is sworn-in.

On January 31, 2017, Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. The nomination was well received by many conservatives. Others, however, such as Andrew Schlafly, disagreed with the nomination due to concerns about Gorsuch's position on abortion. The Senate ultimately confirmed Gorsuch on a vote of 54–45, even though the GOP was forced to initiate the nuclear option and lowering the vote threshold to overturn a filibuster for Supreme Court nominees due to Democrat obstructionism. Gorsuch assumed office on April 10, 2017. The appointment and confirmation of Gorsuch within Trump's first 100 days in office was considered a major achievement for Trump.

Notable court cases

Several Supreme Court cases in 2017 advanced conservative ideals. These cases included a ruling that a government ban on offensive trademarks was unconstitutional, that states could not exclude churches from public aid for secular purposes and affirmed that naturalized citizens could lose their citizenship if they gained it through lying. The Court partially reinstated President Trump's travel ban pending hearings to be held in October. The Court also rejected hearing an appellate court case regarding Second Amendment rights, meaning that the court's ruling that people convicted of non-serious misdemeanors would not lose their rights to bear weapons.

However, the Court made several decisions going against conservative ideals. The Court continued its expansion of the homosexual agenda by striking down an Arkansas law requiring biological parents to be names on birth cirtificates. Additionally, the Court refused to hear a case on whether the Second Amendment applies to carrying guns outside the home, thus keeping in place a California law requiring a "good reason" to obtain a concealed carry permit.

Trump and the stock market

Despite expectations that Trump's election victory would cause the markets to plunge, the Dow Jones Industrial Average actually performed very strongly, closing at the highest level it had ever reached in history after the second day. It is rare for the stock market to rise immediately after a U.S. presidential election regardless of the winner. The stock market had its best week in five years due to the optimism of a Trump presidency.

Trump was very busy in his first week and showed he was serious about his campaign promises. This caused the stock market to increase, and the Dow Jones passed 20,000 points for the first time in its history. It had been only 42 days since the Dow Jones passed 19,000 points, making it the second-fastest 1,000 point move of the Dow in its history. On March 1, 2017, the day after Trump made his first address to a joint-session of Congress, the stock market rose dramatically again, with the Dow Jones passing the 21,000 mark for the first time in history. The stock market had one of the best performances in the first 100 days of Trump's presidency compared to the first 100 days of previous presidents in U.S. history.

On June 1, 2017, the same day President Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, and the day after, the stock market rose strongly, mainly due to news of increased economic growth.

Of course, the stock market did not see only growth during the Trump Administration; on May 17, 2017, for example, the Dow Jones fell 372 points (1.78%) due to the fallout from the James Comey controversy.

Trump's victories over the liberal media establishment

See also: Fake news and Liberal media

• Donald Trump helped further discredit the mainstream media due to his repeatedly challenging their honesty and by demonstrating that their predictions regarding his candidacy were repeatedly false. Americans who trust the media is at 32%, an all-time low, according to the Gallup organization. Additionally, between the 2016 election and late January, trust in the media fell from 21 to 15 percent among Trump voters, and even among Clinton voters it fell from 57 to 51 percent.
• Donald Trump's humor has cut down leading media figures to size. He told Wolf Blitzer of CNN that if Megyn Kelly didn't repeatedly attack him, her audience would be even smaller than Blitzer's. When asked by George Stephanopoulos what his biggest mistakes were on the campaign trail, he pointed that Stephanopoulos has regrets too and pointed out his donation to the Clinton Foundation.
• At an hour-long press conference on February 16, 2017, Trump repeatedly criticized the press as biased and "so dishonest ... out of control."
• On February 17, 2017, Trump tweeted: "The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!"
• On February 24, 2017, President Trump excluded several liberal media organizations from attending a press briefing.
• Rather than spend his 100th day in office attending the White House Correspondents Dinner with its left-wing anti-Trump journalists and media figures, Trump went to Pennsylvania to hold a Trump Rally for his supporters. Trump became the first president since Reagan in 1981 to skip the dinner.
• On May 17, 2017, under heavy fire from liberals and the mainstream media for controversies regarding James Comey and Russia, Trump, in a commencement speech at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, criticized the media and made clear that he would stand his ground and not give up. He stated that "I didn’t get elected to serve the Washington media—I got elected to serve the forgotten men and women and that’s exactly what I’m doing."
• Rather than holding a press conference after his first foreign trip, President Trump gave a speech to U.S. soldiers.
• June 9, 2017—When President Trump held a press conference with the Romanian prime minister, CNN and The New York Times were assigned seats in the back of the Rose Garden.

Trump's establishment of a massive direct line to the public via social media

Via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, Trump established a massive direct link to the American public unfiltered by the mainstream media. His social media audience was about 45 million people at the time of his inauguration in January 2017. Trump has used his social media platform for, among other things, criticizing political correctness and gun control.

President Trump himself noted that he could "get the honest and unfiltered message out" through Twitter, and he wrote on the social media site that "if I would have relied on the Fake News of CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, washpost or nytimes, I would have had ZERO chance winning WH." Although opposed by the establishment, President Trump's use of Twitter was supported by his base.

Trump's association with conservative media

Rather than associate with the leftist mainstream media, Trump has associated himself with the conservative media, particularly Fox News. In April 2017, President Trump hosted a media briefing exclusively for conservative media outlets. He met with libertarian-conservative commentator and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in December 2015, becoming the first president to have ever met with Jones according to Jones's website.

Much to the consternation of liberals and the mainstream media, the Trump Administration was much more friendly towards and, during press briefings, called more often upon conservative and smaller media outlets compared to previous administrations. For example, the first three journalists Press Secretary Sean Spicer ever called upon during his tenure as secretary were "conservative-leaning" (the Associated Press traditionally received the first question). This did not stop the conservative media from asking tough questions to the Trump Administration.

Trump's victory over political correctness

Trump has strongly and successfully challenged political correctness, particularly during his 2016 presidential campaign. He insisted on using the term "anchor baby" despite a reporter saying the term was offensive. He uses the term "Islamic terrorism". He says he will use the words "Merry Christmas".

In June 2017, after an Islamic terrorist attack in the United Kingdom, President Trump used his social media platform to call for the end of political correctness.

Failures and possible failures

• January 31, 2017—President Donald Trump announced he would keep a 2014 executive order signed by former President Obama that gave protected status to homosexual employees of the government and federal contractors. Additionally, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner reportedly derailed a proposed executive order protecting religious liberty at the same time. However, supporters of homosexual privileges claimed that a March 27, 2017 order, which repealed much of Obama's 2014 executive order, went against Trump's statement to keep the 2014 Obama order (which, if true, would annul this supposed failure).
• February 2017—Despite enacting a crackdown on illegal immigration, the Trump Administration took a softer stance of illegal immigration than many conservatives had hoped and as the Left had expected. President Trump announced he would keep Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program started in 2012 which basically allows illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to stay. DHS Secretary John Kelly confirmed this in early-June 2017. Through early June 2017, the Trump Administration approved 125,000 new or renewed DACA permits, to the strong dismay of conservatives. The DHS made this action (or lack of) official on June 15, 2017. Additionally, although giving de facto amnesty to less illegal immigrants than Obama did in his last three months in office, the Trump Administration put nearly 55,000 additional illegal immigrants under the Temporary Protected Status program.
• As of early April 2017, several Obama-holdovers still hold their positions in the Trump Administration with little to no indication of leaving. As of March 9, 2017, President Trump has not fired Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen, who targeted conservative groups under the Obama Administration. The holdovers in the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency engaged in undermining President Trump's agenda of securing the southern border. President Trump also appointed at least one NeverTrump individual to the White House.
• May 10, 2017—By one vote, the U.S. Senate failed to block an Obama-era regulation on drilling through the Congressional Review Act.
• It was reported in late-May and early-June 2017 that despite government and media statements to the contrary, the Trump Administration had not made any real change from the Obama Administration's "catch-and-release" policies when apprehending illegal immigrants.
• Due to confirmation delays in the Senate, many leaders of the agencies in charge of border security still had "acting" status well into Trump's presidency, something which prevented agencies from implementing stronger immigration enforcement policies.
• Although President Trump did not proclaim the month of June as "LGBT Pride month," the Pentagon continued its annual "LGBT pride celebration."
• June 2017—Jason Chaffetz, a Tea Party Republican who had just retired as the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, stated that the Trump Administration was not any more transparent than the Obama Administration.
• It was reported in June 2017 that the Trump Administration officials continued Obama's advancement of transgender ideology into public schools.

Opposition to Donald Trump's achievements

See also: Opposition to Donald Trump and American liberalism and 21st century political losses

Due to his promotion and support of conservative, America First policies, President Trump faced large opposition from the left and the establishment, including from within the government bureaucracy. (The fact that members of the Deep State have grown visibly scared of reports stating such confirms this view; in May 2017, it was reported that 60% of National Security Council employees were Obama-Administration holdovers). Left-wing federal courts also blocked some of President Trump's executive orders regarding sanctuary cities and immigration.

Even before being inaugurated, Democrats spoke about impeaching and removing Trump from the presidency. Even some local communities passed resolutions calling for the impeachment of President Trump. Some Democrats used profane language against Trump, such as the f-word and s-word. As a testament to the deep opposition and hatred towards him by the left-wing, at least 217 violent protestors were arrested in Washington D.C. on Inauguration Day. Left-wingers committed or advocated for many other acts of violence against President Trump or his supporters. It was reported in early February 2017 that 12,000 tweets already had called for Trump's assassination. The mainstream media helped promote such violence.

In addition to the above, Senate Democrats unduly delayed Trump's cabinet nominees at historic and unprecedented proportions – by February 8, 2017, only George Washington had fewer cabinet nominees confirmed by this length of time into his presidency. Trump's last cabinet secretary was confirmed on April 27, 2017, and Trump's last cabinet-level member assumed office on May 15, 2017. In addition to the confirmation delays, congressional Democrats had already (unsuccessfully) filibustered Trump's supreme court nomination and initiated an investigation into Trump's alleged ties to Russia.

As in the 2016 presidential election, the mainstream media strongly opposed Trump and wrote him off as a failure early in his presidency, despite his numerous accomplishments by that time. They consistently misrepresented him and his accomplishments, As evidence of this intense MSM opposition, a study published close to the 100th-day mark of Trump's presidency found that 89% of media coverage regarding Trump was negative. A similar study conducted by the Harvard Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy released in May 2017 found that 80% of the mainstream media coverage over Trump (including outlets such as Fox News Channel and The Wall Street Journal) was negative. Additionally, Trump was on track to become the most mocked president on late-night comedy TV in at least 25 years. The American public had the same perception of media bias against the president – a June 2017 Rasmussen poll found that 50% of Americans believed the media was biased against President Trump and that 4% believed the opposite. The mainstream media promoted fake news against President Trump, with notable examples including an unverified dossier by BuzzFeed, two stories by the The New York Times and CNN, respectively, debunked by former FBI Director James Comey, and an eventually-retracted CNN article that attacked Trump and his allies over a Russia fund that was motivated by ratings and caused three CNN employees to resign.

According to a poll taken around the 100th day of Trump's presidency, only 11% of Democrats believed that their party's opposition to Trump had yielded successful results for them. The Democrats' poor performance in the special congressional elections held in the first half of 2017 illustrated their weakness and unsuccess in challenging President Trump.

President Trump was still able to implement new policies and roll back Obama's policies despite the opposition against him, which served as a distraction from the changes being made.

See also

• Trump effect

Concerning Trump's presidency

• Trump Administration
• Trump Supreme Court
• Cabinet of Donald Trump

Concerning leftists and Trump

• Liberal denialism and Donald Trump
• Mainstream media and Donald Trump

External links

• Official list of Presidential actions
• The First 100 Days of Trump: Breitbart Special Report, by Breitbart News (eBook)[1]
• List of Trump's executive orders on Fox News