If you’ve been living under a rock or just took a very long nap, things in Washington D.C. look a lot different than they did a couple of years ago. Donald Trump is the current president of the USA, serving as the 47th person to hold the office. He's the guy. Again.
It’s a bit of a historical "deja vu" situation because he's only the second president in American history to serve non-consecutive terms. The first was Grover Cleveland back in the late 1800s. Trump officially took the oath of office for the second time on January 20, 2025, after a chaotic and high-stakes 2024 election cycle where he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris.
Who is Current President of USA? A Look at the 47th Term
Honestly, the 2024 election was wild. After President Joe Biden stepped aside following a rough debate performance in the summer of 2024, the Democratic party rallied behind Kamala Harris. She ran a fast-paced campaign, but Trump ended up securing 312 electoral votes. He won the "Blue Wall" states—Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin—which basically sealed the deal.
He isn't just the 47th president; he’s also the 45th. That makes for some confusing trivia, but the reality on the ground in early 2026 is that his administration is moving fast. He’s 79 years old now, making him the oldest person to ever hold the job. Alongside him is Vice President JD Vance, the Senator from Ohio who went from a "Never Trump" critic years ago to the President’s right-hand man.
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The Cabinet and the "Trifecta"
Right now, the Republican party holds what people call a "trifecta." They have the White House, a majority in the Senate, and control of the House of Representatives. This means the current president of the USA has a lot of runway to pass his agenda without the constant gridlock we saw in previous years.
Some of the big names in the room include Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Pete Hegseth, who is leading the Department of War—a name change from the Department of Defense that raised a lot of eyebrows. Even Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is in the mix as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. It’s a group that looks very different from his first term.
What has the President done so far?
Since we are now in January 2026, we can look back at the first year of this second term. It hasn't been quiet. Not even a little bit.
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- The Venezuela Operation: Just a few weeks ago, on January 3, 2026, the U.S. military conducted an operation in Caracas to capture Nicolás Maduro. The White House is calling it "Operation Absolute Resolve."
- Tariffs and Trade: If you've noticed prices acting weird, it might be the tariffs. Trump has imposed some of the highest tariffs since the Great Depression, targeting imports from China and even the EU to try and force manufacturing back to the States.
- The "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act: This was a massive legislative package focused on deregulation and tax changes that passed early in his term.
- Whole Milk in Schools: On January 14, 2026, Trump signed the "Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act." It sounds small, but it was a big campaign promise for the dairy industry.
Why this presidency is different
A lot of folks are still wrapping their heads around the fact that a president with a felony conviction is in the Oval Office. In May 2024, Trump was convicted on 34 counts in New York. Legally, that didn't stop him from running or winning. It’s a unique situation that constitutional scholars will be arguing about for decades.
Kinda like his first term, the current president of the USA relies heavily on "Executive Orders" to get things done quickly. He’s also been very vocal about wanting to overhaul the "deep state," which basically means he wants to make it easier to fire federal workers who don't align with his policies. This has led to a lot of tension in D.C. offices.
Public Perception and Polls
Does everyone love it? No. Does everyone hate it? No.
The country is still pretty split. Recent polls from groups like Gallup show a massive partisan divide. About 90% of Republicans think he's doing a great job, while only about 6% of Democrats agree. His overall approval rating has been hovering in the high 30s to mid 40s as he enters this second year. People are mostly worried about the economy and the cost of living, which are the same things that got him elected in the first place.
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Looking Ahead to the Rest of 2026
So, what’s next? The administration is currently pushing for a 10% cap on credit card interest rates, which is surprisingly popular across the board. They are also deep in negotiations over "critical minerals"—the stuff used to make phone batteries and electric cars—trying to make sure the U.S. isn't dependent on China for those resources.
If you are trying to keep up with the news, here are a few things to keep an eye on:
- The World Economic Forum: Trump is expected to head to Davos, Switzerland, later this month to give a special address.
- The Border: Mass deportations were a cornerstone of the 2024 campaign, and those operations are ongoing and highly controversial.
- The Supreme Court: With a conservative majority already in place, keep an eye on how they rule on the legality of some of these new tariffs.
Practical Steps for Staying Informed
If you want to track what the current president of the USA is doing without getting lost in the social media noise, your best bet is to look at official sources and a mix of news outlets.
- Check WhiteHouse.gov for the text of actual Executive Orders. Often, the media spin is different from what the paper actually says.
- Follow the Federal Register if you want to see how new regulations (or the removal of them) affect your specific industry or business.
- Watch the C-SPAN feeds of House and Senate hearings. It's boring, sure, but you see the raw debates before they get chopped into soundbites for the evening news.
The 47th presidency is proving to be just as disruptive as the 45th was. Whether you think that's a good thing or a bad thing, there's no denying that the landscape of American power has shifted significantly as we move deeper into 2026.
To stay ahead of how these policies might affect your wallet or your business, you should review the specific "Section 232" tariff actions recently announced, as these will likely impact the price of electronics and vehicles in the coming months. Setting up a Google Alert for "U.S. Department of Commerce trade negotiations" is a smart move for anyone in the manufacturing or tech sectors right now.