It feels like a lifetime ago, but it’s only been a year since the world watched a freezing Inauguration Day. You probably remember the chatter about the move inside. Because of the "dangerous" cold and biting winds in D.C. on January 20, 2025, Donald Trump took the oath of office as the 47th president in the Capitol Rotunda. It was a weirdly intimate setting for such a massive historical pivot.
If you’re trying to keep track of the new president of USA 2024 and what’s actually happened since the election, you aren't alone. The news cycle has been moving at a breakneck speed that makes 2016 look like a slow-motion film.
Basically, Trump’s 2024 victory wasn't just a win; it was a total reconfiguration of the map. He grabbed 312 electoral votes and, for the first time in his career, won the popular vote. That’s a detail people often gloss over—he actually widened the tent this time.
The First 100 Days Was a Fever Dream
Most presidents ease into things. Not this time.
The moment the ink was dry on his oath, the executive orders started flying. Honestly, the sheer volume was staggering. On day one, he signed actions targeting immigration, energy, and even TikTok. Remember the drama about TikTok? He actually pivoted, saying he wanted to "save" the platform while protecting data, which was a huge flip from his earlier stance.
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His cabinet picks also sent shockwaves through the Senate. We saw some of the fastest—and most contentious—confirmations in modern history.
- Marco Rubio sailed through as Secretary of State with a 99-0 vote.
- Pete Hegseth had a much rougher ride, needing Vice President JD Vance to break a 50-50 tie to become Secretary of Defense.
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. taking over Health and Human Services (HHS) is still a massive talking point in every doctor’s office and school board meeting across the country.
What Most People Get Wrong About "Trump 2.0"
There’s this idea that this term is just a repeat of 2017. It isn't. The 2024 election gave him a Republican-controlled Senate and House, a "trifecta" that has allowed for a much more aggressive legislative push.
Take the Department of Education, for example. In March 2025, an executive order was signed to start dismantling it. People thought it was just campaign rhetoric. It wasn't. Linda McMahon was tasked with "returning authority to the states," which has sparked a wave of lawsuits that are still clogging up the courts today in 2026.
Then there’s the economy. The Brookings Institution recently noted that while the "Golden Age" Trump promised in his speech is what his supporters are looking for, the reality has been a mix of aggressive tariffs and a "cost of living" directive. He’s been obsessed with "reciprocal tariffs," especially with China. The Kuala Lumpur Joint Arrangement in late 2025 was a massive deal that basically traded lower tariffs on Chinese goods for better access to rare earth minerals. It's complicated, messy, and definitely not the isolationism some predicted.
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The Big Policy Shifts You Might Have Missed
While everyone was focused on the big headlines, some of the most impactful changes happened in the fine print.
- Space Exploration: There’s a new push to get Americans back to the moon by 2028. This isn't just for show; it’s a national security play to beat China to a permanent lunar outpost.
- Federal Work Life: If you're a federal employee, your life changed fast. A "return to work" order ended most remote work for government staff.
- AI Leadership: The administration established an AI Litigation Task Force. They want a "minimally burdensome" framework to make sure the US stays ahead of everyone else in tech.
The immigration front has been the most visible, though. The administration ended "sensitive location" protections, meaning arrests can now happen near hospitals and schools. They also moved to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants, a move that is currently the biggest legal fight in the Supreme Court.
Where We Stand Today in 2026
We are now deep into the second year of this term. The "realignment" people talked about after the election—where Republicans became a more multi-ethnic, working-class party—is being put to the test.
The economy is still the number one thing on everyone's mind. Inflation has cooled in some sectors but remained stubborn in others, and those 25% tariffs on Canadian imports (later bumped to 35% because of border drug flow concerns) have made things like lumber and certain grocery items a lot more expensive.
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Practical Steps to Stay Informed
If you're trying to navigate the noise of the new president of USA 2024 and the ongoing 2026 political landscape, here is what you should actually do:
- Watch the Courts: Don't just watch the White House. Most of the 2025 executive orders are being fought in court. The Supreme Court's docket for the 2026 term will basically decide if the Department of Education can actually be closed.
- Track Local Changes: Since the federal government is pushing more power to the states (especially in education and healthcare), your local state legislature matters more than ever.
- Follow the "MAHA" Commission: The "Make America Healthy Again" commission led by RFK Jr. is making huge moves in food safety and pediatric research. Whether you love it or hate it, their reports are going to change what’s on your grocery store shelves.
The reality of this presidency is that it’s far more organized than the first time around. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends entirely on who you ask, but one thing is certain: the "business as usual" version of Washington is gone for the foreseeable future.
To keep up with the specific legal statuses of these changes, you can monitor the official Federal Register for new rules or follow the Supreme Court's upcoming rulings on executive overreach. For economic impacts, checking the Bureau of Labor Statistics for regional price changes will give you a better idea of how tariffs are hitting your own wallet than any cable news pundit will.