On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump announced that the United States would enter a new “Golden Age” during his second term as president.
One year has passed since I took that oath from the podium at the inauguration ceremony. And just as his speech foretold, the “tide of change” has indeed swept through the country.
Since returning to office, Trump has signed 228 executive orders, issued more than 1,740 amnesty laws and authorized attacks in seven foreign countries, including Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Venezuela.
The Trump administration has also touted at least 317,000 federal workers retiring over the past year as the president seeks to create a “smaller, more efficient federal government.”
Presidential historians warn that the effects of so many dramatic changes made at lightning speed may not be felt for years.
Nor does it necessarily guarantee the excellence that President Trump promises with his slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
“This will be considered one of the most consequential presidencies in our nation’s history,” said historian Mark Updegrove, president of the LBJ Foundation.
“But there’s a big caveat: Just because a presidency is consequential doesn’t mean the president will accomplish historic feats. In this case, the two can be polar opposites.”
Russell Riley, another historian at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, warned of “collateral damage” from too much change.
“When you deploy a wrecking ball this quickly and over such a large area, it’s always difficult to know if you’re going to hit a load-bearing wall,” Riley said.
“These include concerns about the fundamental stability of a political system that has withstood many threats over 200 years, but few as serious as this.”
Here’s an overview of how President Trump has changed the United States over the past year in words and photos.
