A consequential milestone in any American presidency is the first 100 days, and for President Donald J. Trump, it’s just around the corner. So far, in his 84-day presidency, President Trump has enacted 115 executive orders, which is more than most presidents have done in their entire terms. Executive Orders are bills signed into action by the sitting President and can only be revoked on the grounds of inadequate authority and unconstitutionality.
What were some of the Executive Orders that were signed into action?
Trump’s Mass Deportation Order directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to task their Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division (ICE) to deport and arrest any illegal immigrants in public spaces such as schools, parks, churches, hospitals, etc. ICE’s duty is aimed at stopping the constant flow of criminal migration along with cutting off the stream of illegal drugs such as Fentanyl coming into the US and killing citizens. These deportations are affecting millions of migrants through detentions, expulsions, and detainments. There has been much pushback against this executive order, saying that it “breached human rights, a duty the US is bound to under international law” (Amnesty International). After January 23, 2025, when this act was signed, Trump opened up Guantanamo Bay as a place to hold the status-pending migrants. While reports say that the US is home to over 11 million migrants, ICE has arrested 113K and deported over 100K migrants.
The Dissolution of the Department of Education was signed into action on March 20, 2025, by word of the president. This is a movement that has long been debated amongst the GOP, but this surprising dismantling of the ED is raising new questions for families across the country. Trump has long been a supporter of giving power back to the states, a policy that was central to his Presidential win in the 2024 Election While the complete termination of the department would need congressional approval, Trump has decided to turn over all the power within the ED to the states, effectively terminating the federal aspect of it. The outline for how this will happen, though, is a little fuzzy. The agency still has essential functions to the nation, like student loans and grants that will remain under the ED even after its transformation and minimized functions.
President Trump has dubbed the implementation of the tariffs as “Liberation Days” to focus on his agenda of keeping America’s interests at heart. However, the public has been calling this the instatement of tariffs on certain goods and countries with the view that it will strengthen the nation’s economy and protect domestic goods as the “Tariff War”. Tariffs are taxes on imported goods that usually account for the percentage of the good or service. This “war” consisting of instating tariffs, getting a retaliatory one back, and then withdrawing them has been the norm for most of Trump’s 84-day presidency. So far, Donald Trump has put a 145% Tariff on all goods and services coming from China, which, for example, would make a $10 good now cost about $24. Along with China, Mexico and Canada have also been charged with 25% tariffs, a stark contrast to the NAFTA agreement. While Trump is using tariffs to encourage protectionism within the country, there is much worry about the prices of domestic goods and how aggravating other nations will harm our economy.
On April 9th, Donald Trump signed an executive order to Freeze Funding to Top Universities. $790 million was frozen from Northwestern University in Chicago and $1 billion from Cornell University in New York. Money was frozen in response to certain disagreements of misconduct regarding the University’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices or their management of the Israel-Palestine protests on campus. President Trump has tried to focus on giving attention to the schools in which Jewish students were faced with discrimination and anti semitic words or practices while on campus. These antisemitic practices followed by much federal attention, resulted in the federal funding freeze. While this freeze of money was publicly stated, both universities say that they have not received federal word yet. The public, alongside the universities, are concerned about the continuation of their critical work, like Northwestern’s research on Alzheimer’s and Cornell’s work on sustainable development, and if this work will be able to continue. Other institutions like Harvard, Princeton, Brown, and Columbia have also been under financial pressure from the government due to their controversial campus practices.
What will this mean for the future?
While we are only 84 days into Donald Trump’s historic second presidency, there is still much time ahead in the 4-year term. Like any other President, the first 100 days is a momentous milestone, and Donald Trump has made many new changes to the nation’s practices, allocations, and economic ties, and time will tell how those changes will impact the citizens of the United States of America.
