On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump announced that, during his second term as president, the United States would enter a new “Golden Age”.
It has been a year since he made this pledge on the podium of his inauguration ceremony. And, as predicted in his speech, a “wave of change” has indeed swept the country.
Since returning to office, Trump has signed 228 executive orders, issued more than 1,740 pardons, and authorized attacks in seven foreign countries, including Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, and Venezuela.
His administration has claimed the departure of at least 317,000 federal employees over the past year, as Trump seeks to create a “smaller, more efficient federal government.”
Presidential historians warn that there are many such consequences Dramatic changeTaken at lightning speed, years can’t be felt.
Nor will they guarantee the leadership that Trump promised with his “Make America Great Again” slogan.
“This will go down as one of the most impactful presidencies in our nation’s history,” said historian Mark Updegrove, president of the LBJ Foundation.
“But there is one major caveat, and that is: just because a presidency is effective does not mean that a president will achieve greatness in history. In this case, the two may be at opposite ends.”
Another historian, Russell Riley of the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, warned of the “collateral damage” of many of the changes.
“It’s always difficult to know when you’re deploying a wrecking ball this quickly and massively whether you’re going to hit load-bearing walls,” Riley said.
“This includes concerns about the fundamental stability of a political system that has endured many threats for 200 years, but these are acute.”
Read an overview of how Trump has transformed the US in words and pictures over the past year.