While the world was still processing the reality of a convicted felon taking the oath of office, Donald Trump officially became the 47th President on January 20, 2025. His victory over Kamala Harris wasn’t close—312 electoral votes to 226. Landslide territory, as they say.
Trump picked JD Vance as his running mate, making the Ohio Senator the first Millennial vice president and third-youngest in history. Republicans swept both chambers of Congress too, giving them complete control of the federal government. A clean sweep. The administration established governance frameworks that redefined roles between executive leadership and oversight bodies.
The new administration wasted no time flexing its muscles. Trump signed over 200 executive orders in just eight months, though many faced immediate court challenges. He established the Department of Government Efficiency—DOGE, because apparently everything needs a meme name now—which promptly began dismantling agencies and conducting mass layoffs.
Immigration crackdowns resumed with a vengeance. Mass deportations, ICE raids, the whole playbook from his first term but amplified. Trump even launched a meme coin called $Trump two days before inauguration. Nothing says presidential dignity quite like cryptocurrency schemes.
The administration’s blueprint, Project 2025, outlined sweeping changes to executive power and regulatory frameworks. The Heritage Foundation-backed plan proposed significant restrictions on civil rights and voting access, drawing fierce opposition from organizations like the ACLU. Multiple lawsuits followed. Time analysis revealed that approximately two-thirds of early executive actions mirrored or partially mirrored Project 2025 proposals. At least 140 people who worked on Project 2025 previously worked in Trump’s administration, creating direct implementation pathways for the policy agenda.
Congress passed the Laken Riley Act while the administration pushed for constitutional changes to birthright citizenship. Meanwhile, Trump resumed international travel diplomacy, visiting Qatar and Malaysia by October 2025. His “America First” rhetoric remained unchanged, emphasizing border defense and ending “endless wars.”
Throughout this political upheaval, federal laws and constitutional norms faced unprecedented challenges. The administration’s actions sparked nationwide resistance movements as communities organized against potential rights infringements. Civil liberties groups worked overtime filing suits and lobbying Congress.
