Trump’s First Year Back: 11 Key Moves & Actions
During his first term, President Trump was both praised and condemned for being wildly unpredictable, pushing boundaries and disregarding long-standing norms in Washington.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, then-Vice President Kamala Harris – Trump’s opponent – spoke directly to his volatile leadership style in her final pitch to voters, saying their choice would determine “whether we have a country rooted in freedom for every American or ruled by chaos and division.”
Of course, Americans returned Trump to the White House. And in the year since, they have watched Trump once again take stunning and unprecedented action – sometimes in line with his campaign promises, other times in direct conflict with them.
## Deploying immigration forces, troops
Demolishing the East Wing
Table of Contents
Architect Shalom Baranes shows a site plan for a new $400-million White House ballroom during a meeting this month of the National Capital Planning Commission.
(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
In October, Trump surprised historic preservationists and other political leaders by demolishing the East wing of the White House, which was built in 1902 under President Theodore Roosevelt and rebuilt in the 1940s under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Trump argued the historic building – which housed the first lady’s offices for half a century – needed to be cleared to make way for a $300-million ballroom for state dinners and other large events, which in the past have been hosted in tents on the White House lawn. Some defended the choice, saying a larger hosting space was long overdue.
Still,the demolition of the iconic site riled many,not least as Trump carried it out without adhering to established processes for altering historic federal buildings - including by failing to submit his ballroom plans to the National Capital Planning Commission,which oversees renovations and additions to federal buildings in washington.
Deposing Maduro of Venezuela
President Trump and Vice President JD Vance meet with ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the oval Office on Feb. 28. Vance said Zelensky was being “disrespectful” and had failed to thank Trump for his support, even though zelensky had thanked him.
(Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)
In February, Trump and Vice President JD Vance raised diplomatic eyebrows around the globe when they publicly berated ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in an unprecedented exchange in the Oval office, accusing the U.S. ally of being ungrateful for American help in combating Russian attacks.
vance said Zelensky was being “disrespectful” and had failed to thank Trump for his support, even though Zelensky had thanked him.
Then, after Zelensky said Ukraine would require security guarantees as part of any deal to end the war, and that a ceasefire was untenable because Russia would use it to regroup, Trump laid into him, saying, “The problem is, I’ve empowered you to be a tough guy. And I don’t think you’d be a tough guy without the United States.”
He said Zelensky would make a deal with Russia or the U.S. would “be out,” which he said wouldn’t be “pretty” for Ukraine. “You don’t have the cards,” Trump said, before accusing Zelensky of “gambling with World War III.”
investigating political opponents
Atty. Gen.Pam Bondi departs after testifying before the Senate Judiciary committee in October.
(Alex Wong / Getty Images)
One after another, Trump’s political opponents have been targeted with investigations led by political appointees in the Justice Department, often despite career prosecutors raising concerns.
Several have been pursuedI am sorry, but the provided text appears to be image source code (specifically, `` tags with `srcset` and `sizes` attributes) and not an article body. It contains URLs pointing to images hosted on `ca-times.brightspotcdn.com` and `gettyimages.com`.There is no discernible article text within this code snippet.
Therefore, I cannot fulfill your request to return the final HTML article body. I can only provide the image data contained within the tags.
During his first term, Trump repeatedly threatened military action against Iran, especially after the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement. In 2019, he came close to ordering airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities in retaliation for the downing of an American drone, but called them off at the last minute.
“They’re killing our people,” Trump said at the time, referring to Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. “They’re killing our people. This was a big mistake.”
Former national security officials have said Trump often didn’t understand the potential consequences of military action and was easily swayed by advisors. He reportedly fixated on the idea of a “quick” strike, despite warnings that it coudl escalate into a wider conflict.
Trump also frequently disparaged U.S. allies,questioning their commitment to shared security goals. He accused European nations of not spending enough on defense and repeatedly threatened to withdraw the U.S. from NATO. He said the latter, a close U.S. ally, is seen as “pleasant,” but “they rip us off.”
experts immediately questioned the methodology Trump used for calculating the figures, said the tariffs were not reciprocal and raised concerns they would destabilize markets and increase costs for American consumers – which they did.
The tariffs have also raised billions of dollars for the U.S. Treasury, but harmed some of the poorest nations in the world and sparked tensions with the nation’s largest trading partners, including China, Canada and Mexico.
Bombing Iran’s nuclear sites
President Trump addresses the nation in June following the announcement that the U.S. had bombed nuclear sites in Iran.
(Carlos Barria / AFP via getty Images)
in June, the U.S. joined Israel in attacking Iran, sending American stealth bombers to drop “bunker-buster” bombs on three sites associated with Tehran’s nuclear program. The attack followed Israeli strikes to destroy Iran’s air defenses and offensive missile capabilities.
in an address to the nation,Trump said Iran’s key nuclear facilities were “completely and fully obliterated.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the attacks, saying the bombings “showed that the United States is the primary instigator of the Zionist regime’s hostile actions.”
Many worried the attack would be the precursor to a larger conflict, but Tehran’s response was muted.
Waffling on the epstein files
A powerful atmospheric river is slamming California, bringing torrential rain and fierce winds to much of the state. The storm, arriving Monday, triggered flash flood warnings across Southern California and prompted widespread evacuations as residents braced for mudslides and debris flows.
The National Weather Service warned of life-threatening flooding, particularly in areas recently burned by wildfires. Rainfall rates peaked at over an inch per hour in some locations, quickly overwhelming drainage systems. Mountain areas are facing heavy snowfall,with blizzard conditions expected at higher elevations.
Here’s a breakdown of the impacts:
- Southern California: Flash flood warnings are in effect for Los Angeles,orange,and San Diego counties.Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in several burn scar areas.
- Central California: Heavy rain and strong winds are impacting the San Joaquin Valley and coastal regions.
- Northern California: Snowfall is the primary concern in the Sierra Nevada, with travel disruptions expected.
California Governor gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the weekend, mobilizing state resources to support local response efforts. Crews are working to clear storm drains and prepare for potential landslides. Residents are urged to heed evacuation orders and avoid unneeded travel.
The storm is expected to move eastward Tuesday, but lingering showers and continued flood risks are forecast for the coming days. Officials are closely monitoring river levels and urging residents to stay informed about changing conditions.
(Getty Images)