12 Months Of Trump: What Really Changed

It’s been a year since Donald Trump walked back into the White House as the 47th President of the United States. Now, the US no longer feels the same. Trump had earlier claimed the country was entering a “golden age”, but the past twelve months have been full of sharp policy changes and political fights that have sparked nonstop debate. Let’s take a look at some of the big decisions Trump made that altered the course of the US and had an impact far beyond its borders.

In 2025, Trump made tariffs a major part of his approach, hitting friends, neighbours, and rivals alike. The move shook up global trade and strained international relations. The measures brought in around $287 billion for the US treasury, but the cost showed up at home, with estimates putting the extra burden on an average American household at about $1,500 for the year.

When Trump kicked off his second term, he promised to be a “president of peace” and end global conflicts. Yet over the next year, the US and its partners launched attacks in at least seven countries, with Venezuela being the latest. Data from conflict monitors show that between January 20, 2025, and early January 2026, there were at least 658 air and drone strikes. Despite Trump’s social media claims of having “ended eight wars”, many of those conflicts are still ongoing.

Also, Trump signed 228 executive orders during his first year back in office, surpassing the number he issued across his entire first term from 2017 to 2021. That pace was evident from the start. On January 20, 2025, his first day back in the White House, he signed 26 executive orders, the highest number ever signed by a president on day one.

By December, the Trump administration had deported over 600,000 people, while nearly 2 million more left voluntarily. In addition, around 1.6 million residents lost their legal immigrant status over the past year due to the end of temporary protections and changes to student and high-skilled visa programs. Over the past year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained more than 66,000 people, averaging about 821 arrests each day across the US, all under directives from the Trump administration.

In the days ahead, the world will be watching Trump’s next moves on Greenland, while other countries wonder if they might face his travel bans or the next round of tariffs.