A tariff-ic century? 100 key decisions Trump took since coming back to the White House
President Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office this January has felt more like a seismic event than a simple transition of power. In just 100 days, he has dismantled core pillars of the New Deal and Great Society, upended decades of free-trade commitments, and sent shockwaves through alliances once deemed unbreakable. From emergency proclamations that rewrote the rules of global commerce to calling on Elon Musk himself to overhaul the federal workforce, this administration has moved with a speed and boldness rarely seen in modern Washington.
Rather than seeking gradual change, Trump has employed executive orders as his primary instrument, tearing down environmental safeguards, restoring the federal death penalty, and challenging the very definition of citizenship in bold, far-reaching strokes. His border strategy has shifted from political promise to military posture: troops now patrol newly fortified fences, migrants face expedited expulsions without court hearings, and centuries-old statutes have been revived to justify sweeping detentions.
On April 2, the US imposed a 145% tariff on most Chinese imports, calling it a “Liberation Day” action. This move eliminated the de minimis exemption for shipments from China and Hong Kong, raising standard duties to at least 145% for goods sent through private carriers. In response, China increased tariffs on US goods to 125% two weeks later, calling the US hikes a “joke” even as negotiations continued. Since then, tensions between the US and China have led importers to stockpile goods, caused a decline in factory activity in Asia, and pushed US tariffs to their highest levels in over a century.
Beyond policy, Trump has targeted the cultural institutions he deems out of step with his vision. Universities, museums, and media outlets carrying the “woke” label have been singled out for defunding or restructuring. In less than half a year, this presidency has challenged norms, tested legal limits, and redefined the scope of executive power in America. Here are 100 numbers that capture every facet of this whirlwind first stretch back in the White House.
Here are the 100 big decisions Trump took since he came back in power:
- 26 executive orders on Day 1
- 142 total executive orders by Day 100
- 39 presidential proclamations
- 42 presidential memoranda
- 5 bills signed into law
- 3 Congressional Review Act rollbacks
- 200+ lawsuits filed against administration policies
- 70+ court rulings blocking or delaying initiatives
- 19 rulings curtailing deportations or birthright-citizenship efforts
- 130,000 total deportations in first three months
- 39,000 deportations to Mexico
- 48,000 detainees in ICE custody (capacity 41,500)
- 1,500 to 7,000 US troops deployed to the southern border
- 1 new “National Defense Area” along the border
- 28 criminal charges filed against migrants in defense zone
- 3 executive orders targeting sanctuary jurisdictions
- 280,000 federal-workforce positions slated for cuts
- 345,000 net jobs created since inauguration
- 188,000 private-sector and adjacent jobs created
- 2,000 mining and logging jobs created
- 27,000 construction jobs created
- 9,000 manufacturing jobs created
- 15,000 federal jobs eliminated
- 0.7 % rise in labor-force participation for those without a high-school diploma
- Veteran unemployment down from 4.2 % in January to 3.8 % in March
- 228,000 jobs created in March alone
- 145 % tariff on Chinese imports
- 125 % retaliatory tariff by China on US goods
- 10 % broad tariff on all imports
- 25 % tariff on autos and auto parts
- Up to 245 % effective tariffs when stacked
- Consumer confidence down 12 points
- Small-business optimism down 8 points
- S&P 500 down 8 % in first 100 days
- Economic Policy Uncertainty Index doubled since January
- Prescription-drug prices down over 2 %
- Largest single-month drop in drug prices ever recorded
- Gasoline prices (CPI) down 7 %
- Energy prices down 2 %
- Wholesale egg prices down ~50 %
- Two consecutive CPI inflation prints below expectations
- Second monthly CPI decline in 2½ years
- Smallest annual core‐inflation increase since March 2021
- Airfare, used-vehicle, motor-insurance prices all fell in latest CPI
- Real average hourly earnings up 0.4 % for low- and middle-income workers
- Real average hourly earnings up 1 % in manufacturing sector
- Biggest month-over-year increase in auto sales in over a year (March)
- Mortgage rates down ~0.4 percentage points since inauguration
- Estimated $32,400 saved over 30-year mortgage by median homebuyer
- Industrial production at seventh-highest monthly level in March
- $5 trillion in new investment pledged in US
- 451,000 new jobs expected from investment pledges
- 20+ significant deregulatory presidential actions
- $180 billion in savings from blocking unfinalized Biden-era rules
- $667 billion savings from EPA tailpipe emission rollback
- $88 billion savings from DOT CAFE standards rollback
- $755 billion savings from these two rollbacks alone
- $935 billion total projected cost savings from regulatory rollbacks
- 10-to-1 deregulatory initiative across federal agencies
- Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) created
- 10 inspectors general purged
- ~14 DOJ/FBI officials fired
- 90-day pause on most foreign-aid disbursements
- Cuba reinstated as state sponsor of terror
- Mexico City policy reinstated on foreign aid
- Federal death penalty restored
- DEI programs eliminated across federal agencies
- Schedule F revived to reclassify civil-service roles
- 31 universities’ funding cut over alleged anti-Semitism
- Proposal to annex Greenland
- Proposal to retake the Panama Canal
- Proposal to make Canada the 51st state
- Dozens of public criticisms of NATO allies
- Alignment with Russia’s narrative on Ukraine
- Public attack on President Zelenskiy at summit
- Public challenge to Federal Reserve chair
- “Hostile” critique of Amazon tariff report
- Two phone calls to Jeff Bezos over tariff reporting
- Peace-talks focus announced on Middle East trips
- 28 golf outings in 100 days
- 12 of first 14 weekends at personal properties
- 18 rounds at West Palm Beach course
- Rally in Michigan marking 100 days
- Rapid-response social media feeds launched
- Lawsuit filed by AP over event access restrictions
- $430 billion in federal funds disrupted or frozen
- $9 billion rescissions package sent to Congress
- 500 Marines sent to Guantánamo for migrant housing
- $376 million spent on border militarization through April
- 210 lawsuits tracked by Just Security
- 258 litigation challenges tracked by Lawfare
- 39 % approval rating at Day 100
- –9.1 % net approval rating (Silver Bulletin)
- 37 % rating first 100 days “excellent” or “good”
- 1 million undocumented immigrants pledged for full-term deportation
- Measles outbreak worsened; two child deaths under new health policy
- 10,000 jobs cut at HHS; billions in research funding halted
- National Energy Dominance Council established
- Major rollbacks of coal-plant, auto- and manufacturing pollution rules
- Arts and cultural funding slashed by hundreds of millions
