Over the weekend, a photo emerged of President Donald Trump sitting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a grand hall in St. Peter’s Basilica, a hastily organized meeting at the Vatican ahead of the funeral for Pope Francis.
The dramatic photo was emblematic of the Trump presidency, which hits its hundredth day on Tuesday. Trump’s flair for scene-setting moments and for his shoot-from-the-hip style of governance was all on display as the administration continues to try to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
A consequential moment like this one could be pivotal for any other White House, but for the frenetic, muscular Trump administration, it was just one more example among many in these world-changing 100 days.
In these first few months, Trump has made major changes to the nation’s immigration system, the military and education. He’s banned biological males from competing in women’s sports, taken on higher education, eliminated thousands of federal jobs and is remaking the world order on trade and conflict.
These are all changes he promised American voters he would make during his campaign and in the opening days of his presidency. And while he’s largely sticking to his announced blueprint, the policies aren’t all living up to some of his more grandiose promises — like that he would end inflation on Day 1, end the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and boost the economy.
He’s also angered some voters by pushing the boundaries on issues like due process for migrants in the country and for withholding money from universities like Harvard and Columbia over their diversity initiatives and response to antisemitism.
It’s early days, and the outcomes of Trump’s policies are still to be determined. But the chaotic pace and occasionally haphazard approach to policy by the Trump administration have left American voters frustrated, according to recent polls.
In a recent New York Times/Sienna College poll, 66% of voters said the word “chaotic” describes Trump’s second term well; another 59% chose “scary” and 42% said “exciting.” The poll, similar to recent polls from NBC and Fox News, showed an increasing number of Americans are unhappy with Trump. His approval rating has steadily fallen and now sits in the low 40s, a historic low compared to other presidents at the 100-day mark.
His across-the-board tariffs were particularly unpopular, despite being one of his signature policies that he regularly discussed on the campaign trail. Polls show that voters think he went too far, too fast, as they worry about their jobs, their savings and inflation.
The Fox News poll shows top issues for Trump are border security and immigration, but only 40% of voters approve of his handling of foreign policy, while on the economy (38%), tariffs (33%) and inflation (33%) he’s similarly underwater.
Another unpopular early move was his decision to pardon all who were arrested for rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Meanwhile, Trump is touting his “promises made, promises kept,” on immigration issues. He promised to close the border, and the number of people coming across has dropped precipitously. His base is happy — they like it when he takes on institutions like universities and the press, and they appreciate his focus on public safety.
But Trump’s big gamble on tariffs could still hurt the economy, and if they lead to a recession, he may see his Republican allies abandoning ship ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Here are some of the promises Trump made, and what he’s done since his inauguration.
Tariffs and the economy
Trump: “On Day 1, I will sign an executive order directing every federal agency to immediately remove every single burdensome regulation driving up the cost of goods.” (Oct. 21, 2024; campaign rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Trump has signed several executive orders to reduce regulations, which will likely lower energy costs and the cost of many goods. But Trump’s tariffs could be a counterweight by driving costs up on goods coming across the border, many of which end up in American-made products. Global markets have been turbulent in response to the economic uncertainty and to Trump’s changing position on tariffs.
According to the Consumer Price Index Summary by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the annual inflation rate for March was 2.4%, a drop from 2.8% in February. It’s the lowest rate since last October.
Trump defended his administration’s work on the economy and pointed fingers at the Biden administration for lingering economic problems. He has also said he believes that eventually his tariff policies will pay dividends by forcing open markets in other countries to American goods and by unleashing an American “manufacturing renaissance.”
“I’ve been here now for three months. And three months, we are taking in billions and billions of dollars from other countries that we never took in before. And that’s just the start,” he told Time.
Trump: “On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders.” (Nov. 24, 2024; Truth Social)
After some back and forth, the Trump administration went ahead with 25% tariffs on many Canadian and Mexican imports on March 4. Those tariffs were rolled back on items covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
He also introduced 25% tariffs on steel in late March. Then, on April 2, “Liberation Day,” he unveiled a 10% import tax on imports from many of the U.S.’s trading partners in addition to reciprocal tax rates on nations that enjoy a trade surplus with the U.S.
These reciprocal taxes were suspended for most countries, except for China, as the White House encouraged global world leaders to negotiate with Washington, D.C.
Trump boasted striking 200 deals with other nations in his latest interview with Time magazine.
Foreign policy
“They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours." (May 11, 2023; town hall with CNN)
In his most recent interview with Time magazine, Trump defended his efforts to stop the war in Ukraine.
“I said that figuratively, and I said that as an exaggeration,” he said. “Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest, but it was also said that it will be ended.”
Trump shifted blame to the Biden administration, asserting he has “nothing to do with” Russia invading Ukraine. Still, the president indicated he believes peace is possible.
“We’ve had very good talks, and we’re getting very close to a deal,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine next month. As the Deseret News reported, the Kremlin’s ceasefire announcement comes just days after Trump called out Putin on social media, telling him to “STOP!” bombarding Ukraine.
Trump: “I will stop the chaos in the Middle East. Would have never happened October 7th. And I will prevent World War III from happening.” (Nov. 1, 2024; campaign rally in Warren, Michigan)
While there was a brief ceasefire, the conflict between Israel and Hamas still rages. More than two weeks ago, the president said they are “getting closer” to striking another ceasefire deal and freeing the remaining hostages from Hamas.
Trump is set to visit the Middle East next month. He will likely try to fulfill several objectives during this trip, including negotiating with Iran to dismantle its nuclear program. The talks in May will also focus on ending the conflict in Gaza and strengthening U.S. relationships with Gulf Nations, as Axios reported.
Immigration
Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt: “We know he promised to sign an executive order to secure the southern border. We know that on day one he is going to launch the largest mass deportation of illegal immigrants in American history.” (Dec. 22, 2024; interview on Fox News)
Tom Homan, the border czar who promised the “biggest deportation operation” in the U.S., recently said the administration has deported 139,000 individuals.
“The numbers are good,” he said. “We’re down border crossings 96 percent, so we don’t have millions of people coming across the border.”
But, as Scripps News reported, the deportations don’t yet show up in federal data, with an estimated 11 million migrants still living in the country illegally.
Trump faces criticism over the way his administration is carrying out the deportations and for his response to courts that are trying to slow the administration down.
Trump adviser Stephen Miller: Trump “will issue a series of executive orders that seal the border shut and begin the largest deportation operation in American history.” (Dec. 8, 2024; interview on Fox News)
While President Joe Biden was in office, the border recorded a monthly average of 155,000 illegal crossings by migrants, as the Deseret News previously reported. Under Trump, the number hovered a little over 7,100 in March, 1,146 less than in February.
Arrests also dropped from the previous administration’s daily average encounter of 5,100 to about 230 per day.
Trump: “On Day 1 of my new term in office, I will sign an executive order making clear to federal agencies that under the correct interpretation of the law, going forward, the future children of illegal aliens will not receive automatic U.S. citizenship” (May 30, 2023; video statement)
Trump kept his promise to try to “end” birthright citizenship by signing an executive order on his first day, but the order was temporarily blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The court set a rare hearing for oral arguments on May 15 and will issue a decision over the summer.
Education
Trump: “One other thing I’ll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington D.C., and sending all education and education work and needs back to the states.” (Sept. 13, 2023; social media)
Late last month, Trump signed an order that advanced on another campaign promise: dismantling the Department of Education.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon is looking for ways to get rid of red tape and give states more power over education policy. So far, the DOE’s workforce has been slashed in half from more than 4,000 employees down to a little over 2,100.
Trump: “My first week back in the Oval Office, my administration will inform every college president that if you do not end anti-Semitic propaganda, they will lose their accreditation and federal tax support.” (Sept. 19, 2024; antisemitism event in Washington, D.C.)
Since entering office, the Trump White House has accused multiple universities, including Ivy League schools like Columbia and Harvard, of failing to protect Jewish students during campus protests.
The Trump White House continues to hold back $400 million in funding as leverage over Columbia University in exchange for a series of demands. Many of them have to do with taking a tougher approach to campus protests, after antisemitism was evident in many of the protests that took over U.S. college campuses nationwide after the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Trump’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is also threatening to freeze “$2.2 billion in multiyear grants and $60 million in multiyear contract value to Harvard University.”
Harvard leaders say the university will not bend to the Trump administration’s demands and the institution is, instead, suing multiple federal agencies for freezing federal funds.