President Donald Trump’s first 100 days back in the White House are viewed as either high-achieving or highly damaging – but there’s no debate that they have been consequential to both the US and the world.
Tuesday, April 29, marks the 100th day in office for the Republican who made the greatest political comeback in American history by winning the 2024 election.
Largely loved by the GOP and hated by Democrats, Trump has delivered or is working to see through the implementation of various polices he pledged on the campaign trail, from being tough on immigration to imposing tariffs. He continues to work on some promises including negotiating the end of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Trump claims he has accomplished more at the start of this term than any other American former president.
But five polls released on Sunday by ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, The New York Times and the Washington Post show a dramatic dip in his approval rating since he announced reciprocal tariffs on the US’s trading partners.
Trump blasted the polls on Monday morning, calling them ‘SICK’.
‘They suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, and there is nothing that anyone, or anything, can do about it,’ he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
On the eve of his 100th day on Monday night, Trump wrote: ‘The Polls from the Fake News are, like the News itself, FAKE! We are doing GREAT, better than ever before.’
Below are some of the most impactful and bizarre moments from his whirlwind of a second term.
April 28: Trump signs order cracking down on ‘sanctuary cities‘
Trump on Monday evening signed an executive order targeting sanctuary cities that have acted like havens for undocumented immigrants and refused to cooperate with the federal government’s moves to arrest them.
The order directs the attorney general and homeland security secretary to publish a list of cities and states that have not complied with federal laws around immigration.
Jurisdictions that fail to comply will be warned that about possibly losing federal funding.
‘STRENGTHENING AND UNLEASHING AMERICA’S LAW ENFORCEMENT TO PURSUE CRIMINALS AND PROTECT INNOCENT CITIZENS,’ wrote Trump on Truth Social.
April 22: Trump’s head of DOGE said he’ll step back
Elon Musk, whom Trump appointed as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced he would step back beginning in May following a controversial run in the West Wing.
Trump went from bestowing high praise on Musk cost-cutting and position-eliminating recommendations, to earlier this month reportedly personally stopping Musk from attending a highly classified meeting on China.
The world’s richest man’s influence on federal government has been a concern among administration officials from day one of Trump’s second term.
It wasn’t until the past month or so that the two billionaires’ honeymoon phase started to end, though Trump reportedly remains grateful for Musk’s contributions and planned to still have him around to a lesser degree.
April 4: Trump ordered to bring back man mistakenly deported to El Salvador
Trump has delivered on his campaign promise of taking a hardline stance on immigration.
On Monday, Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said that the US has deported roughly 139,000 illegal immigrants since Trump returned to the White House 98 days ago.
The deportations have included Kilmar Abrego Garcia in March. The Trump administration stated in court papers that Abrego Garcia was deported to a notorious Salvadoran prison due to an ‘administrative error’.
But Homan on Monday insisted that Abrego Garcia’s deportation was not a mistake.
April 2: Trump announce tariffs on all imports into the US
On a day he declared ‘Liberation Day’, Trump unveiled reciprocal tariffs on all US imports.
Trump insisted that trading partners are taking advantage of America, and said the US would charge ‘approximately half’ of what other nations are charging for.
The tariffs have led to an escalation in tensions between the US and foreign countries, and China has engaged in a full-on trade war.
In response, the US stock market tumbled and continues to be up and down as uncertainty around Trump’s unpredictable actions looms.
March 30: Trump says he is ‘not joking’ about possibly pursuing a third term
Trump made clear he is serious about looking into seeking an unprecedented third term as president.
The US Constitution’s 22nd Amendment states ‘no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice’.
But Trump supporters have claimed there is a loophole that does not address ‘succession’ and that Trump could be a vice presidential running mate to a candidate who could win the 2028 election and resign, allowing him to take over.
The clearest indication yet that Trump is entertaining the idea came on Thursday when the Trump Store put Trump 2028 hats and shirts on sale.
March 20: Trump signs order to dismantle the Department of Education
Trump kept another campaign promise to do away with the Department of Education, by signing an executive order directing his education secretary to start shrinking it.
The president had long called the department wasteful and pledged to send education work to the states.
Here are significant moments in Trump’s first 50 days in office, from his order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, to his plans to annex Greenland, to his fiery Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump is holding a ‘historic first 100 days in office rally’ in Warren, Michigan, at 6pm on Tuesday to celebrate the ‘legendary start to his presidency’, according to the event page.
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