Trump’s ‘shock and awe’: Forget first 100 days, new president shows frenetic pace in first 100 hours

Buckle up.

President Donald Trump is back in the White House and moving at warp speed.

In his inaugural address, the new president promised that things across the country would “change from today, and it will change very quickly.”

And moments later, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich took to social media to tease: “Now comes SHOCK AND AWE.”

They weren’t kidding.

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Trump signed an avalanche of executive orders and actions in his first eight hours in office that not only fulfilled major campaign promises but also allowed the returning president to flex his executive muscles as well as settle some long-standing grievances.

The president immediately cracked down on immigration, moved toward a trade war with top allies and opponents, reversed many policies implemented by former President Biden, including scrapping much of the previous administration’s federal diversity actions and energy and climate regulations.

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He also sparked a major controversy by pardoning or commuting the sentences of about 1,500 supporters who participated in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol in a failed attempt to overturn congressional certification of Biden’s 2020 election victory. Among those whose sentences were changed, were some who violently assaulted police officers on one of America’s darkest days.

Trump also fired some top officials, made a high-profile announcement of a half-trillion dollar technology investment, held unscripted and wide-ranging, informal and impromptu news conferences during his first two days back in the White House and even renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America .

“I think it’s brilliant how they’ve handled it, to immediately meet the moment with action. That’s exactly what he needs to do and that’s exactly what the people voted for,” veteran Republican strategist Kristin Davison told Fox News.

“Americans vote for decisive, swift action and real leadership. And Trump understands that more than anyone. I think he and his team knew how important it was out of the gate to show that they heard what the people wanted , and respond with leadership,” Davison argued.

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Longtime Republican consultant Alex Castellanos agreed

“He’s flooding the zone. He’s making the case for action. He’s demonstrating action. He’s rallying a wave of American support for a massive transformation of government,” Castellanos, a veteran of several GOP presidential campaigns, told Fox News.

Seasoned Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo did not dispute Trump’s frenetic actions.

“The pace of this shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody. Trump made it abundantly clear that he was going to act quickly, he was going to act boldly, and he was going to do exactly what he told voters he was going to do,” Caiazzo said. .

But he argued that “the things he’s doing will directly negatively affect working families from coast to coast. It’s also a signal that he has no respect for the rule of law.”

TRUMP’S AVALANCHE OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS

Asked if Trump’s actions were what Americans voted for in the fall, Caiazzo said “of course not. What Americans voted for was cheaper groceries. What Donald Trump will give us is a litany of policies that work to degrade our institutions , which works to enrich the wealthy and strengthen his position among the oligarchy of this country.”

There is another reason for Trump’s fast pace – even though he is the new president, he is also a term-limited and limping president. And on Labor Day, much of the political world will begin to look ahead to the 2026 midterm elections.

“This is his second term. He has to move quickly,” stressed Davison.

Trump’s show of force at the start of his second administration is also in contrast to eight years ago, when he first entered the White House.

The president and his team are much more seasoned the second time around, and the supporting cast is fiercely loyal to Trump.

“In the previous administration, there would be bottlenecks and bottlenecks because there were people who didn’t agree with him,” a senior White House source told Fox News. “Now we have a whole infrastructure and staff built around him to support him. When he says something, it gets done. It’s a testament to him and the team he built.”

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The honor is also given to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who as co-campaign manager for Trump’s presidential election in 2024 kept the trains on the rails.

“What Susie has done is look at the totality of Trump and find the best players and put them in the best positions to support the president. Trump is surrounded by Trump people who have all proven over the years that they are not just loyal but ultra-competent operators,” added the adviser, who requested anonymity to speak more freely.