Donald Trump first year: Approval plummets to 36% as frenetic pace brings limited policy changes

TLDR:

• President Trump signed 26 executive orders on Inauguration Day and oversaw the departure of 200,000+ federal employees in his first year back in office.
• Despite the frenetic pace, a former Republican White House official says actual policy changes have been limited: “Spending remains the same. Taxes remain the same.”
• Trump’s job approval has fallen from 47% at inauguration to 36% in November, nearing his all-time low of 34%.
• The president solved the border crisis where “illegal immigration has ceased,” but his flurry of activity hasn’t translated to broader accomplishments.

President Trump’s return to the White House brought record-breaking action but mixed results, as his approval rating plummets despite unprecedented activity.

Mr. Trump signed 26 executive orders on Inauguration Day and ushered more than 200,000 federal employees out the door during his first year. He shuttered agencies, brokered a Gaza peace deal and authorized military strikes on Iran’s nuclear program.

But the noise hasn’t matched the outcomes, according to a Republican official who worked in Mr. Trump’s first administration.

“The pace of actual changes hasn’t been that torrid. The amount of noise has been deafening,” he said. “Spending remains the same. Taxes remain the same. The regulatory structure remains the same.”

The border stands as Mr. Trump’s clearest victory, where illegal immigration has ceased.

Yet voters aren’t impressed. Gallup polling shows Mr. Trump’s job approval has fallen from 47% at inauguration to 36% in November, nearing his all-time low of 34% when he left office in January 2021.

Andrew Busch of the University of Tennessee’s Baker School said Mr. Trump’s frenetic pace means “bad news for Mr. Trump disappears quickly” but “good news also doesn’t linger very long.”

Read more:

• Rebel without a pause: Trump forged a frenetic first year