President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House. Photo / Getty Images
As the sun set on Donald Trump’s first term in office – at least before the surreal days of Covid-19 – to the casual observer, America appeared in a similar position to when he first stepped into the White House.
Policy had, of course, shifted since the 45th President took over from Barack Obama in January 2017 and the United States economy continued to grow, until the tumult of the pandemic.
But historians in 50 or 100 years are unlikely to mark the administrative actions of Trump’s first term as a significant shift in the direction of the US.
Less than a week into his second presidency, things feel different this time around. Trump 2.0 is moving at a frenetic pace.
In his first seven days in office in 2017, Trump signed six executive orders. In 2025, he has signed more than 50 so far.
In one of the latest, independent inspectors general of at least 12 federal agencies were notified of their immediate dismissals in a late-night purge.
Inspectors general have an oversight role to detect and deter fraud, waste and abuse by government employees.
They are responsible for investigating violations of laws, regulations and ethical standards by employees, and conducting audits of contracts, finances and staff performance.
On top of this, some of the other changes pushed through by Trump include:
- Declaring an emergency on the southern border, deploying the military there.
- Removing federal protections for transgender people.
- Officially pardoning more than 1500 people charged after the riots and storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
- Moves to remove citizenship rights for the children of undocumented immigrants.
- Immediately stopping the hiring of new federal workers and establishing the Elon Musk-headed Department of Government Efficiency.
For those who support Trump, the speed of this execution will be a breath of fresh air. Voters the world over get frustrated at the sluggish strides of government bureaucracy.
For many Democrats, on the other hand, the scores of edicts from the 47th President this week will feel like an out-of-control freight train – and one without an appropriate legislative handbrake.
The scale and pace of change is foreign to New Zealanders – we’re used to having decisions made by a Cabinet as opposed to a single head of government (even if our Prime Ministers in practice hold the power to direct change).
Americans should buckle up for the ride – if the next four years mirror the last seven days, then it’s likely Trump’s second term will lead to far more lasting change across the US than his first.
– with AFP