Why Trump’s two days in the White House already feel like a full term

CNN
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It already feels like he’s been back for months.

Donald Trump is setting a frenetic pace in his second term, fulfilling campaign promises, imposing undiluted power and deciding outcomes.

After the quiet Joe Biden years, the return of a presidency that is a relentless assault on the senses is a reminder of why so many millions of Americans see Trump as a compelling, historic figure — and why millions more fear him.

Trump has cracked down on immigration, delivered a $500 billion tech investment announcement, renamed the Gulf of Mexico, banned much of federal government diversity policy, shopped around on TikTok, fired people posts on social mediatouted territorial expansion, threatened a trade war, talked to reporters more than Biden did in months, and danced with a sword.

He has also mocked the rule of law by freeing the 6 January 2021 rioters; lied about the 2020 election; exacted revenge on critics, including by withdrawing security from an ex-aid threatened by Iran; criticized a bishop; threatened ethics in government; stigmatized trans Americans and paved the way for ICE arrests in schools and churches.

And only two days have passed.

Trump’s speed is deliberate. There is so much going on that there is rarely time to reflect on the seriousness of one event. Trivia and world-changing new policies get caught up in the vortex. Trump is in the middle of it all, directing the cacophony and turning up the noise when he wants more attention.

For Trump’s fans, all the activity creates the impression of an endless series of victories and honored promises. Most people don’t follow politics 24/7, but the stories and images Trump creates filter down through social media, talk radio and local news, replenishing his political capital. Even when Trump only trolls the media or the Democrats, that’s fine: his base voters, who distrust the establishment, sent him back to Washington to outrage and obfuscate.

For Trump’s enemies, it’s hard to know what to be most outraged about. The resistance is dispersed and he escapes responsibility. Nightly gatherings of liberals discombobulated by his latest outbursts, meanwhile, fill raunchy conservative news shows.

Most new presidencies begin in a flurry of activity, although most emphasize the first 100 days rather than the first 100 hours.

But Trump has only done the easy part, successfully orchestrating an early rollout. Domestic and international crises await a president who has previously been found wanting in such situations. It’s one thing to sign hundreds of executive orders—some of which are already facing court challenges—but real change can only be cemented by passing laws.

The treacherous task Trump faces in passing, real, lasting change came into focus Tuesday at his meeting with top Republican congressional leaders. There still doesn’t seem to be agreement on whether to proceed with a massive bill to push his agenda or two smaller vehicles. Regardless, nothing is guaranteed given the minimal GOP majority in the House of Representatives.

However, the first two days have revealed some important trends in the new Trump presidency.

The shock and awe of countless executive actions suggests a far more professional White House operation than his chaotic first term. New White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was credited with adding structure to the Trump campaign while unable to curb her wild, sometimes self-destructive improvisational instincts. Maybe she can do the same in the west wing.

And unlike the first few days in office last time, Trump knows what he wants to do and how to do it. His good spirits after the adoration of his second inauguration – so far undiminished by inevitable political backlash – must have helped too.

Trump said something very revealing Monday in a speech to supporters about last year’s election.

“They all said inflation was the main problem. I said I disagreed. I think people coming to our country from prisons and from mental institutions (are the problem) for the people I know. And I made it my number one, Trump said. (There is no evidence to support his claims about prisons and institutions, but his political point still stands.) Trump continued: “I also talked about inflation. But you know how many times you can say an apple has doubled in price? I would say that and I would hit it hard, but then I go back to we don’t want criminals coming into our country.”

Trump is acting on that belief again with an aggressive set of executive actions that lay the foundation for his mass deportation program. He has declared a national emergency that could result in the military going to the border. In a stunning move Tuesday, he stripped churches and schools of protections from possible ICE arrests. He has also made it harder for migrants to enter the US legally by shutting down a border app.

If one goal of Trump’s policies is to create a climate of fear, it may be working. “ICE officers are back doing their jobs,” the president’s border czar Tom Homan told CNN’s Dana Bash on Tuesday, revealing how the deportation operation could quickly expand if cities don’t help track down fugitive criminals. “We will find him, but when we find him, he may be with others. Others who do not have a criminal conviction are in the country illegally. They will also be arrested because we are not going to strike.”

Immigration is an issue that is palatable to his base, but Trump is taking a risk by prioritizing it, as the cost of groceries and housing was one he promised to fix during the campaign and particularly resonated with swing voters. Trump doesn’t have to run again, but he needs to maintain his coalition to avoid heavy losses for the GOP in next year’s midterm elections.

One of the big fears among Trump’s opponents was that if he won back power, especially after claiming to have been the victim of persecution, he would take the law into his own hands.

It is already happening as Trump makes lavish use of his pardon power.

The president vehemently justified pardoning more than 1,000 rioters on January 6 and was completely adamant about pardoning or commuting the sentences even of those found guilty of assaulting police officers.

“Murderers today are not even charged. You have murderers who are not charged at all, he said Tuesday as a way to deflect from questions about the pardons.

Trump also criticized Biden for offering preemptive pardons to family members out of fear they would be targeted by the new Justice Department. This confirmed fears among many Democrats that Trump will use Biden’s precedent-shattering move as an excuse to expand his own power. Unlike Biden, however, Trump at least faced the press to explain his position.

Later on Tuesday, Trump announced that he had granted another pardon — to Ross William Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road dark web e-commerce site, which the Justice Department had described as “the most sophisticated and comprehensive criminal marketplace on the Internet today.” Pardoning Ulbricht, who had served a life sentence, was a favor to the liberal movement that supported Trump in the election, the president suggested on Truth Social.

Trump’s use of the pardon power just two days into office will raise concerns that he is now effectively acting above the law and that anyone who helps him politically can expect legal benefits.

One of the most notable developments since Trump’s return has been the repeated public messages he has sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin to convince him to strike a deal to end the war in Ukraine. After noting on Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was ready to speak, Trump was asked on Tuesday whether he would impose new sanctions on the Russian leader if he didn’t play ball. “That sounds likely,” he said. There is no guarantee that Putin is ready to end the conflict, but Trump’s attempt to create leverage comes ahead of a likely call between the leaders soon.

Trump has so far also held off on promised tariffs against China and suggested on Monday that he was using the threat as leverage before a possible trip to Beijing. And he issued a new threat to the EU on Tuesday, raising the prospect of another trade war, which could be real or a negotiating tactic. “They treat us very, very badly. So they’re going to have tariffs,” said.

And at the end of another grueling day in the new Trump White House, the president – who is seeking to persuade China to sell TikTok – was asked if he would like to see tech billionaire Elon Musk, who already has massive conflicts of interest with government, buy the app.

“I would be if he wanted to buy it,” Trump said.