Buckle up.
President Donald Trump is back in the White House and moving at warp speed.
In his inauguration speech, the new president promised that things would change across the country “starting today, and that will happen very quickly.”
And a little later, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich teased on social media: “Now comes SHOCK AND AWE.”
They weren’t kidding.
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President Donald Trump holds a document as he issues executive orders and pardons for the January 6 defendants in the Oval Office of the White House on January 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
Trump signed an avalanche of executive orders and actions in his country first eight hours at the officewhich not only fulfilled key campaign promises but also allowed the returning president to exercise his executive power and resolve some long-standing grievances.
The president immediately cracked down on immigration, moved toward a trade war with key allies and adversaries, reversed many policies implemented by former President Bidenincluding eliminating many of the previous administration’s federal diversity actions and energy and climate provisions.
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He also sparked major controversy by pardoning or commuting the sentences of approximately 1,500 supporters who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol in a failed effort to undermine congressional certification of Biden’s 2020 election victory . Those whose sentences were commuted included some who violently attacked police officers on one of America’s darkest days.
Trump also fired several top government officials, made a high-profile announcement of a half-trillion dollar technology investment, held unscripted and elaborate, informal and impromptu press conferences during his first two days back in the White House, and even named the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America.
President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
“I think it’s brilliant how they’ve handled it, to take immediate action. It’s exactly what he needs to do and it’s exactly what the people voted for,” veteran Republican strategist Kristin Davison told Fox News.
“Americans are voting for decisive, swift action and real leadership. And Trump understands that better than anyone. I think he and his team knew how important it was to show out of the gate that they heard what the people wanted and were responding with leadership. Davison argued.
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Longtime Republican consultant Alex Castellanos agreed
“He floods the area. He calls for action. He demonstrates action. He is rallying a wave of American support for a massive government transformation,” Castellanos, a veteran of numerous Republican Party presidential campaigns, told Fox News.
Veteran Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo did not dispute Trump’s frantic actions.
“The pace of this should not be surprising to anyone. Trump made it abundantly clear that he would act quickly, he would act boldly, and he would do exactly what he told voters he would do,” Caiazzo said. .
But he argued that “the things he does will have a direct negative impact on working families from coast to coast. It is also a signal that he has no respect for the rule of law.”
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Asked whether Trump’s actions were what Americans voted for last fall, Caiazzo said “of course not.” What Americans voted for were cheaper groceries. What Donald Trump is going to give us is a litany of policies that deteriorate our institutions, that work. to enrich the rich and consolidate his position among the oligarchy in this country.”
There’s another reason for Trump’s rapid pace: Even though he’s the new president, he’s also a term-limited president. And by Labor Day, much of the political world will be looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections.
“This is his second term. He must act quickly,” Davison stressed.
President Donald Trump discusses the troops during his inauguration ceremony in the Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Greg Nash/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump’s show of force in the early days of his second administration also stands in contrast to eight years ago, when he first entered the White House.
The president and his team are much more seasoned the second time around, and the supporting cast is intensely loyal to Trump.
“There were problems and sticking points in the previous administration because there were people who disagreed with him,” a senior White House source told Fox News. “Now we have a whole infrastructure and staff built around him, supporting him. When he says something, it gets done. It’s a testament to him and the team he built.”
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Credit is also given to the White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who kept the trains on the tracks as co-campaign manager of Trump’s 2024 presidential bid.
“What Susie has done is look at the whole of Trump and find the best players and put them in the best positions to support the president. Trump is surrounded by Trump people who have all proven themselves over the years not only as loyal, but also as ultra-competent operators,” added the adviser, who requested anonymity to speak more freely.
