200 Days of Trump

Donald Trump’s riveting second term has issued a complete reset of the federal government, challenging multiple long-standing precedents. In his first months, he had more executive orders signed than any other standing president to date. To be exact, he signed 143 executive orders in the first 100 days.

Classifying Cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO)

On January 20, 2025, Trump issued Executive Order (E.O.) 14157, which initiated the Department of State to begin considering certain cartels in Mexico as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).

Delaying the Government’s Ban of TikTok

Trump issued the first extension on January 20th, then once more in April, and again on September 16th — pushing the ban to December 16th, 2025. When Trump first signed the extension, he received a lot of love on TikTok for “saving” the platform from being banned in the United States.

Emergency on the Southern Border

Declaring the situation on the southern border an emergency, Trump ordered the deployment of around 8,500 U.S. troops to help with logistics, engineering, and to increase security along the border. This action has decreased illegal border crossings from 1.14 million confirmed crossings to just 7,000, a 95% decrease.

Foreign Policy on China

Trump has also taken a harsher approach to foreign policy toward China than when Biden was in office. China had begun tightening its grasp on Taiwan, and it seemed as if a Chinese invasion was imminent. The United States relies heavily on Taiwan’s microprocessors for both military and civilian use. Taiwan distributes the most microprocessors to the U.S., something China also wants — along with the island it claims as its own. The United States imposes tariffs on China as a strategic tool to pressure Beijing into negotiating and agreeing to terms that align with U.S. interests, including potential agreements involving Taiwan.

Trump has since set up multiple trade deals with China following the extremely large tariffs imposed throughout the year.

Department of Homeland Security (ICE)

ICE has also received major backlash leading to major protests across the United States especially in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, Denver Colorado, which has led to ICE spending more to ensure the safety of their officers, to the point where it is now receiving $150 billion in spending for over a year, which is larger than Uzbekistan’s entire economy. Throughout the year, ICE raids have become a daily occurrence across the United States, mainly targeting major metropolitan areas, especially in Texas, Florida, and California, where illegal immigrants are more present.

Dismantling the Department of Education

In 1979, Jimmy Carter founded the Department of Education, which enforced civil rights laws, allowed for federal student aid and grants, and established federal education policies.

Donald Trump stated, “I will close the Department of Education and move education back to the states where it belongs,” which he said during his campaign for presidency the second time. Then, on March 20th, Trump started the shutdown of the Department of Education. Which handed the power back to the state of Colorado on Public schools curriculums. 

The Bombings of Iran

During the month of June and earlier, Iran began ramping up its nuclear program to assert dominance within the Middle East. During the early hours of Saturday, June 21st, seven B-2 stealth bombers took off heading to Guam as a disguise. As the world watched the B-2 bombers, they diverted west, while EA-18s and F-35 fighter jets were deployed from the USS Carl Vinson, and the F-35s were likely deployed from Qatar.

The EA-18s were used for electronic warfare and radar suppression, while the F-35s provided defensive escort and launched air-to-surface missiles. Before the strikes occurred, Tomahawk missiles from the USS Georgia, a submarine, hit targets of importance, allowing the safe travel of the B-2s.

After that, the B-2s dropped bunker-busting ordnance on Fordow and Natanz, along with the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, which was also targeted by the Tomahawk missiles. Shortly after, Trump declared the operation a major success for delaying Iran’s nuclear program — with the operation being named “Operation Midnight Hammer.”

Uncertainty in Venezuela

In recent months, Donald Trump has positioned over 4,500 Marines off the coast of Venezuela and deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, along with the USS Jason Dunham, USS Stockdale, USS Gravely, and USS Sampson. He has also sent several amphibious assault ships, including the USS Iwo Jima and the USS San Antonio, which could be used if a ground invasion of Venezuela were launched.

In response, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Moros has ordered the arming of 4.5 million militia members, claiming they are “trained and ready” to fight U.S. forces if an invasion takes place.

Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago, just 6.8 miles from Venezuela, has seen a buildup of U.S. warships and the establishment of ammunition storage sites on the island. Maduro has publicly pleaded for calm, asking the American people and Trump, “No crazy war, please!” during a speech where he partly spoke in English.

All of this comes as the United States has increased strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats throughout the Caribbean.