Trump’s First Year in Office: Recap
Photo courtesy of History in HD via Unsplash
Within his first few months in office, President Donald Trump signed more than 143 executive orders that mainly dealt with issues regarding immigration laws, foreign policy and the implementation of new tariffs on other countries.
These new tariffs that have been implemented within the past year have risen about 17%, according to The New York Times. Essentially, what this means for us is that the price of consumer goods that are based outside of this country is going to increase. Additionally, the lack of competition will drive up prices. Thus, in 2026, you may notice an increase in your spending.
One of the biggest movements within Trump’s campaign was the crackdown on illegal immigration. On Jan. 20, 2025, the day he was inaugurated, Trump actually signed a plethora of enactments, including declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexican border, and Executive Order 14160, which directly challenges the 14th Amendment in our U.S. Constitution, which was adopted over 100 years ago.
Only a few days later, Trump announced that ICE would be deployed to sanctuary cities, areas that don’t comply with/enforce immigration laws.
It is also worth mentioning that ICE now has the power to not only infiltrate houses, but also schools and workplaces as well. It’s no secret that there have been mass detentions and deportations within the past year. It is also worth mentioning that this is occurring with little to no due process.
“The way he’s handling this is just awful,” Ava Spahr ‘28 said when asked about the recent controversy surrounding ICE.
CBS News reported that, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s data, “47% of ICE’s detainees have criminal charges or convictions.” It’s not directly stated the severity of these charges either, meaning that they range from felonies to simple misdemeanors. It is also extremely important to note that over half of the people being detained have no criminal record at all.
Within the past month alone, two individuals have been murdered by ICE. Not only have the situations themselves been extremely shocking and horrific, but the White House’s response to them has also been just as startling. A press conference was held following the death of Renẻe Good, where JD Vance announced that there would be 10,000 more ICE agents deployed to carry out Trump’s agenda.
It’s outrageous to see these constant atrocities. Many people, much like myself, have been keeping up with the administration and their next steps.
So far, we’ve seen that some efforts have been made. Gregory Bovino, U.S. Border Control Official, was also demoted following the tragic incident that took place in Minneapolis.
In terms of global issues, Trump has pulled out of the World Health Organization (WHO) and completed the withdrawal of the Paris Agreement, which is an international agreement to cut the emission of greenhouse gases, with restrictions and policies that are reviewed every few years.
Trump’s first year has really focused on reinforcing this idea of nationalism and centralizing federal power. This is also shown in his interest in Greenland. Not only does Greenland have an abundance of minerals, but there is an overall competitive nature that comes with the land. Having access to Greenland gives the U.S. an advantage when dealing with foreign powers such as China and Russia.
We are only in our first year with Trump, and even though it has been an extremely eventful term already, it is important that we, as students, use our voices to speak against policies and actions that we don’t agree with in order to make significant change in this country.