What Trump has said vs What Trump has done

The last president to sign as many executive orders as Donald Trump in his first 100 days was Harry Truman in 1945.

So what? This is only week four. But ‘flooding the zone’ doesn’t always shift the ground beneath it: not everything Trump says or does is surviving contact with reality.

Here is the picture so far:

Tariffs and trade. A cornerstone of Trump’s America First vision is promoting the domestic economy and reducing US trade deficits.

What he did. In his first three weeks Trump

– threatened Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent tariffs on imports, and China with 10 per cent tariffs.

What happened. Tariffs on Mexico and Canada were suspended for 30 days after Trump said he secured concessions on border and crime enforcement… and after a tumble in the US stock market.

Trump tariffs are now in place on China, which has retaliated with its own. Over the weekend Trump said he would put tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports.

– vowed to “take back” the Panama Canal, stating wrongly that China controlled it.

The canal still belongs to Panama, which last week denied making changes to allow US government vessels to cross for free. Panama’s president has said his country will leave China’s belt-and-road initiative.

Global security. Trump has declared the need for an America First foreign policy. In his first three weeks he

– doubled down on a demand to be allowed to buy Greenland.

Denmark’s prime minister noted Greenland wasn’t for sale and Anders Vistisen, a Danish MEP, told Trump to “fuck off”. But Greenland’s leading pro-independence party said Trump’s interest would give it a boost in elections next month.

– tabled a plan for the US to take over Gaza, turning the Palestinian territory into the “riviera of the Middle East”.

The Palestinian Authority and Arab states – and the UK – have rejected the idea out of hand, but Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu said it was “worth paying attention to”.

– sanctioned the International Criminal Court, which he accused of “abusing its power” in targeting the US and Israel.

The order gives Trump power to impose travel bans and asset freezes on ICC staff and their families. Officials are concerned it could shut down the court by jeopardising core services.

– called on Vladimir Putin to end his “ridiculous” war in Ukraine.

Putin’s spokesman said Russia was “waiting for signals that have not yet been received”.

Immigration. As a candidate Trump promised to carry out the “largest deportation operation” in US history. In his first three weeks he

– declared a national emergency on the southern border and signed an executive order aimed at shutting down asylum.

Troops were sent to the border and an app for asylum applications was scrapped, prompting a legal challenge.

– signed an executive order to remove immigrants from inside the country.

According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the average number of people arrested has been around 900 a day, a threefold increase on Biden’s last year in office. But even if all those arrested were subsequently deported, the current pace of deportation would fall well short of a million a year – a figure suggested by Vice President Vance. Some of those arrested have already been released for lack of prison space.

– signed an executive order revoking birthright citizenship, which guarantees citizenship to all people born in the US.

A Maryland district judge called the order “blatantly unconstitutional” and issued a nationwide block until the legal process plays out, which could take years.

Doge and the state. Trump has promised to dismantle what he calls the deep state. In his first three weeks he

– established a new Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) under Elon Musk, who said he would cut federal spending by $2 trillion.

That is implausible. It’s more than double the US defence budget. But Doge staffers are said to have gained access to a Treasury system responsible for processing trillions in government payments. The system includes sensitive personal information about millions of Americans.

Last week, in response to a privacy lawsuit from federal workers unions, the Treasury agreed to restrict access to payment systems to two special government employees.

– offered millions of full-time federal workers the chance to leave their jobs and receive eight months’ severance pay and benefits.

More than 40,000 people reportedly took the buyout offer before it was temporarily blocked by a federal judge.

– pushed to close down the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which Trump says is “run by a bunch of radical lunatics”.

A judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from putting more than a quarter of USAID employees on leave. This came after federal employee unions sued the administration for “unconstitutional and illegal actions” that have created a “global humanitarian crisis”.

The administration reportedly wants to keep only 294 USAID employees out of more than 100,000 around the world.

– ordered the firing of more than a dozen prosecutors who worked on two criminal cases against Trump.

FBI officials have given the Justice Department details of thousands of employees who worked on investigations relating to the January 6 attack.

Two groups of FBI agents have sued the Justice Department to block any public release of surveys requesting information about employees who worked on cases involving Trump or January 6.

Transgender rights and DEI. Trump has declared that there are only two genders and described diversity initiatives as “dangerous, demeaning and immoral”. In his first three weeks he

– signed executive orders restricting healthcare access to trans women, and banning them from women’s sports, women’s prisons and the military.

Trans minors, along with two advocacy groups, have sued the Trump administration to block executive orders targeting transgender care.

– signed executive orders demanding an end to government spending on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Higher education groups have sued the Trump administration over these executive orders, saying they violate the constitution.

What’s more… Trump’s job approval numbers are in the green and far above Biden’s when he left office. He may be generating shock and awe, but his scattergun approach has plenty of support.