If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve probably seen the chaos. Everyone has a theory about the second term. Some people think it’s going to be a total carbon copy of 2016, while others are convinced the world is basically ending. Honestly, the reality is a lot more technical and, frankly, faster than most people expected.
The question of what will Trump do in office isn't a "wait and see" situation anymore. We are already seeing it. It’s not just about the rallies or the tweets this time; it’s about a massive pile of executive orders that started hitting the desk the second the ink was dry on the inauguration papers.
He didn't come back to "ease into it."
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The Tariff War is Actually Happening
Back in April 2025, a day the White House literally called "Liberation Day," things got real for anyone who buys... well, anything. Trump signed an executive order slapping a 10% baseline tariff on basically all U.S. imports. That was the floor. For about 57 specific countries, those rates shot up to somewhere between 11% and 50%.
People argued about whether he was bluffing. He wasn't.
We saw this play out with Canada and Mexico right away. He threatened them with 25% tariffs over border security and fentanyl. Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, basically became a "Trump whisperer," managed to delay some of it, but the pressure never really let up. If you've noticed the price of a new truck or even certain grocery items creeping up, this is why. By late 2025, he did carve out some exceptions—things like coffee, cocoa, and bananas got a pass in November—but the broad "America First" trade wall is very much standing.
It’s a gamble. The Penn Wharton Budget Model guys say this could hike revenue by $5 trillion over a decade, which sounds great for the national debt. But the flip side? They’re also projecting a long-term GDP drop of about 6%. It’s a massive tug-of-war between "bringing jobs back" and "making life more expensive."
Dismantling the "Deep State" for Real This Time
Remember "Schedule F"? That's the boring-sounding bureaucratic term that actually changes everything. In 2025, the administration didn't just talk about the "deep state"—they started moving tens of thousands of federal employees into a category where they could be fired much more easily.
The Department of Education is the biggest target. Trump signed an order in March 2025 to start dismantling it and sending that power back to the states. Now, he can't just snap his fingers and make a cabinet department vanish—Congress has to weigh in on that—but he’s already redirecting the flow of money.
The DOGE Factor
Then there’s the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). It’s basically a task force designed to slash spending. They’ve been looking at everything from federal leases to DEI programs. In fact, by April 2025, most diversity and inclusion programs in the military were scrapped. He’s replaced them with a "merit-based" task force.
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A "Donroe Doctrine" in the Americas?
Foreign policy has taken a wild turn toward our own hemisphere. Some experts are calling it the "Donroe Doctrine"—a mix of the old Monroe Doctrine and Trump’s personal brand of hardball.
The biggest shocker? The capture of Nicolás Maduro. On January 3, 2026, U.S. Special Forces actually went into Caracas, grabbed Maduro and his wife, and flew them to New York to face drug charges. It was "Operation Absolute Resolve." Trump basically said American dominance in the Western Hemisphere is no longer up for debate.
He’s also been:
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- Threatening to take back the Panama Canal because of Chinese influence there.
- Bombing militant groups in Yemen and hitting Iranian nuclear facilities.
- Moving to annex or "acquire" Greenland (yes, that’s back on the table).
- Cutting off the "rules-based order" of the UN and NATO to focus on one-on-one deals.
It’s transactional. He isn't looking for "allies" in the traditional sense; he’s looking for partners who provide a clear benefit to the U.S.
The "Make America Healthy Again" Twist
One of the more surprising parts of what will Trump do in office involves your kitchen cabinet. Working with RFK Jr., the administration has been pushing a "MAHA" (Make America Healthy Again) agenda. Just this month, in January 2026, he signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act.
Basically, whole milk is back in school lunches.
They’re also going after food dyes and trying to simplify what goes into American groceries. It’s a weirdly populist move that’s actually getting some bipartisan nods, even if the "science" behind every single decision is still being debated in the medical community.
Your Next Steps: How to Navigate the Shift
Look, the 2026 landscape is nothing like 2019. The "wait and see" period is over. Here is what you actually need to do to stay ahead of these changes:
- Watch the Courts: A lot of these executive orders—especially the ones about the Department of Education and the big tariffs—are tied up in lawsuits. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on his tariff authority early this year. That decision will determine if prices stay high or drop.
- Hedge for Inflation: With the 10% baseline tariff on imports, supply chains are still messy. If you’re a business owner, look for domestic suppliers or "friend-shoring" options in countries that have won tariff exemptions, like the "Kuala Lumpur Joint Arrangement" countries.
- Monitor "Trump Accounts": Keep an eye on the new "Trump Accounts for Children" and the "Freedom 250" initiatives. These are new federal savings and investment programs that might offer tax-advantaged ways to save for your family's future.
- Localize Your Education: Since federal oversight is shrinking, your local school board and state government now have way more say in curriculum and funding than they did two years ago. Get involved there if you want a say in how the $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio transition affects you.
The second term is moving at a breakneck pace. It's less about the "swamp" and more about a complete architectural rebuild of how the federal government functions.