Trump’s first 200 days
Even the doubters have been surprised by Trump’s energy and actions and achievements early in his presidency. He has racked up myriad wins thus far in his administration during his first 200 days since he was once again sworn in as president, through executive orders, key legislation, trade deals, and peace deals, six wins stand out in particular.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed into law on July 4th, is his legacy legislation, delivering on a range of campaign promises from tax cuts to the border. The bill grants significant tax deductions for tipped and overtime workers as well as seniors, delivers sweeping tax cuts, and allows for tax deductions on auto loans for American-made cars. The bill also directs the completion of Trump’s U.S. southern border wall and funds a mass deportation operation that will enable as many as a million deportations annually.
While the One Big Beautiful Bill is Trump’s top accomplishment since returning to the White House, his trade deal with the European Union (EU) is a very close second. Through his tariff and trade policies, Trump came to an agreement with EU President Ursula von der Leyen in which Europe will purchase $750 billion in American energy, invest $600 billion in U.S.-based companies, and nix tariffs on U.S.-imported goods for member countries. Meanwhile, goods out of the EU, including automobiles, will face 15% duties in the U.S. In 2024, exchanges of goods and services between the EU and the U.S. totaled $1.8 billion, marking 30% of all global trade, while the EU and the U.S. account for 43% of the global GDP. This is Trump’s biggest trade deal yet and demonstrates the effectiveness of the tariff policies he advocated for beginning decades ago, long before he launched his 2016 presidential bid and in the name of fairness and not being taken advantage of. Experts claimed that Trump’s tariff policies would have negative effects on the economy and pass inflation on to the consumer, but months of empirical evidence have proven otherwise as wages continue to outpace inflation. Trump now has a trading bloc of the EU, the UK, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, and Vietnam and more to come. It is not about warfare or leverage, it is about fairness.
At the heart of Trump’s campaign in both 2016 and 2020, along with the economy and trade, was his commitment to stop illegal immigration at southern border. Trump made dramatic progress on this front in his first term before Biden reversed key Trump policies, including Trump’s end of catch of release. Trump has taken sweeping action through executive action since day one, as well as through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, to fulfill his promise of putting an end to the massive surge of illegal immigration. July marked the third consecutive month that border patrol released zero migrants who illegally entered the U.S.
Trump has ended a number of global conflicts since returning to office. The most recent deal Trump brokered was in late July between Cambodia and Thailand, both of whom were facing August 1 tariff deadlines when Trump declared to leaders of both countries that he would not make trade deals with them if fighting continued. The two countries have endured border tensions for nearly 120 years as a result of Thailand disputing border maps drawn up while Cambodia was still a French colony. Two days after Trump’s warning to both leaders, they reached a ceasefire agreement.
Trump has also mediated ceasefires between Israel and Iran, India and Pakistan, and brokered a major peace agreement between the Republic of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo after three decades of bloodshed. There is still hope that Trump will help facilitate a peace between Russia and Ukraine and Trump is clearly getting impatient regarding the lack of progress in negotiations.
Since taking office, Trump has attracted substantial investment into the U.S., in part thanks to his tariff policies, as foreign and domestic companies that set up manufacturing plants in America will not pay duties to sell in the American market the goods they produce. The White House’s running list of foreign and domestic investments shows that companies and countries have committed $8.16 trillion in investments into the U.S. Top investments include the United Arab Emirates’ $1.4 trillion investment, Qatar’s $1.2 trillion investment, and Japan’s $1 trillion investment. Apple recently became the business with the largest commitment, adding $100 billion on top of its previous $500 billion pledged over the next four years.
Another major win that Trump has delivered for Americans is protecting women and children from trans ideology. Why the democrats are so keen on this policy makes no sense at all. Trump signed an executive order banning men from competing in women’s sports, which was becoming normalized under the Biden administration. Trump also signed an executive order banning sex change surgeries for minors.
In just 200 days, Trump has restored American exceptionalism and changed the global world order. It has been a furious pace and it seems that this energetic and aggressive way of handling challenges and change will continue.