Trump's First 100 Days in the White House: What He's Done and Not Done

The weeks since President Donald Trump returned to office have been a whirlwind of activity to show Americans that his administration is relentlessly pursuing his promises. As he hits his 100th day in office on Tuesday, his imprint everywhere. Here is what he has done and what he has not done. Inflation has been falling since a peak of 9.1% in 2022. It was at 3% in January, the month Trump was inaugurated, and 2.4% in March. In the campaign, Trump gave voters a pledge that they'll be able to judge for themselves simply by looking at their utility bills. He promised to reduce their energy costs by half to three quarters in 12 to 18 months. Fuel prices did dip slightly after Trump came to the White House. However, it's far from what he promised. Trump has clearly made progress on a signature promise to control the border. The number of people trying to cross illegally into the U.S. from Mexico dropped steeply from 47,324 in December 2023, to only 8,346 in February and 7,181 in March. Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is arresting large numbers of people across the country. Some deportees have been deported without due process. Trump made no secret of his fondness for tariffs or his conviction that other countries were ripping off the United States in international trade. I will impose across-the-board tariffs on most foreign-made goods, he said in the campaign. The Trump administration had imposed a 10% universal tariff on almost all trade partners, 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico because of the fentanyl inflow, and a 25% tariff on all car imports. He also singled out China, with a 145% tariff. At rally after rally last summer, Trump promised peace between Russia and Ukraine merely by winning the election. Before I even arrive at the Oval Office shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled, he told a National Guard Association conference in Detroit in August. By then, he'd been making the same vow at least since May. It did not happen. At times, he framed the promise differently, saying it's former President Joe Biden's war, not his war. Israel also resumed its war in Gaza after a brief ceasefire. Trump made progress in phasing out woke policies and DEI programs in the federal government and education institutions. He also rolled back pro-transgender rules in the military, sports. Funding cuts and layoffs at federal agencies led by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency have had mixed outcomes. Trump and Musk succeeded in sending shockwaves through the bureaucracy and pushing out tens of thousands of employees, with more changes to come. However, significant savings haven't materialized. Musk lowered his targeted savings in the cost of government to $150 billion after originally promising at least $1 trillion.