Trump Report Card - Year 1
Segment #733
What have you done for me lately is an appropriate way to critique an administration’s follow through on their campaign promises. While the Dems have slandered and criticized while accomplishing nothing, Trump and his administration have already compiled an impressive record.
Trump's First Year Report Card (2025)Based on Donald Trump's 2024 campaign platform, which centered on the Republican National Committee's "Make America Great Again" agenda, I've compiled a report card evaluating his administration's performance in key areas during his first year back in office (January 20, 2025, to January 20, 2026).
This assessment draws from year-end reviews, official reports, and public discourse as of early 2026, noting that outcomes are often debated along partisan lines. Grades (A-F) reflect the degree to which promises were fulfilled, considering achievements, challenges, and measurable progress. I've aimed for a balanced, non-partisan view.
Immigration and Border Security
Seal the border, carry out the largest deportation operation in history, end catch-and-release, and restore law and order at the border. The administration prioritized mass deportations and border wall expansions, with DHS reporting over 1.5 million removals and $13.2 billion in savings from streamlined operations. Encounters at the southern border dropped significantly. Official DHS View: 70% of ICE arrests (over 595,000 total in 2025) involve individuals charged or convicted of U.S. crimes. This implies a similar proportion among deportees, as removals stem from arrests. Specific operations (e.g., Operation Criminal Return) targeted sex offenders and other criminals. 1.9 million illegal immigrants have self deported.
A+
Economy and Inflation
Cut taxes for workers, end inflation, prevent global economic depression, and make America the dominant manufacturing hub. Tax cuts were extended and new ones implemented for middle-class families, contributing to GDP growth of around 3% and stock market highs. Inflation cooled to under 2%, aided by energy policies, but tariffs sparked short-term price hikes in goods like electronics. Unemployment remained low, though critics pointed to increased national debt and uneven benefits favoring corporations. 137 pledhes and projects have been committed by investors totaling approximately 9.6 trillion dollars in new investments in the United States. Among these are Key Examples of Major Pledges
NVIDIA: $500 billion in U.S. AI infrastructure (multi-year).
Apple: $600 billion total U.S. commitment (includes ~$100–500 billion new/accelerated).
Meta: $600 billion in AI data centers and expansion.
Project Stargate (SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle): $500 billion in AI.
Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC): $100–165 billion in U.S. chip factories.
Foreign entities: UAE ($1.4 trillion framework), Qatar ($1.2 trillion economic exchange), Saudi Arabia ($600 billion–$1 trillion), Japan (up to $1 trillion cumulative boost).
B+
Energy Policy
Achieve energy independence through "drill baby drill," cancel the Green New Deal, and lower energy costs. Expanded drilling on federal lands led to record oil production, reducing gasoline prices by about 20% year-over-year. Renewable subsidies were cut, boosting fossil fuels. The U.S. became a net energy exporter again, aligning with dominance goals. The average national price of gasoline as of December 31, 2025 was $2.84
A-
Foreign Policy and National Security
End endless wars, strengthen alliances on "America First" terms, confront China and Russia, and restore U.S. leadership. The 2025 National Security Strategy focused on the Western Hemisphere and pressured adversaries, with tariffs on China and sanctions on Russia yielding mixed results—trade deals were renegotiated, but tensions escalated in Ukraine, Aid to allies was conditioned on burden-sharing, reducing U.S. commitments abroad. During his first years in office Trump was involved in ending eight regional dusputes. It is clear the world views Trump as the primary force in ending both the conflict in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.
B+
Government Reform and Efficiency
Drain the swamp, cut regulations, shrink the federal workforce, and increase transparency. Over 100,000 federal jobs were eliminated through attrition and reclassifications, saving billions, but reports highlighted reduced agency effectiveness in areas like disaster response. Collaboration with figures like Elon Musk accelerated tech integrations in government operations. DOGE's high-profile efforts—including public claims of uncovering billions in waste, contract terminations, workforce reductions, and a dedicated website tracking "savings"—elevated the issue of government inefficiency to a prominent political and media topic throughout 2025. The benefits of DOGE is ongoing and the ultimate total savings figure will no doubt be availabe priot to the midterms. As of late 2025, at least 26 states have initiated DOGE-like programs, often through executive orders, new legislative committees, or rebranded existing offices. These efforts typically emphasize auditing programs, reducing bureaucracy, targeting "wasteful" grants, and enhancing fraud detection in areas like welfare, procurement, and health services. DOGE and its focvus and created attention for waste in fraud in California, Illinois, Maine, Ohio, and Minneasota. Federal funds will be withheld until tehre is accoutability
B-
Trade and Manufacturing
Impose tariffs to protect American jobs, renegotiate unfair deals, and bring manufacturing back home. Tariffs on imports drove some reshoring, with new factories announced in key states, but retaliatory measures from trading partners increased costs for consumers. USMCA was strengthened, boosting exports in certain sectors. The tariffs undeniably drove a surge in global engagement with the U.S. on trade, resetting relationships for dozens of partners, though long-term enforcement and economic impacts remain debated.
B+
Rebuilding the Military
U.S. Military Recruiting Stats – FY2025 (After Trump Took Office)Fiscal Year 2025 (Oct 2024–Sep 2025) saw all active-duty branches exceed recruiting goals, marking the strongest performance in 15 years. Flag officers retired - The process began immediately after inauguration (e.g., early February wave of 6–7 top officers) and continued throughout the year, with an unprecedented scale compared to prior administrations. Many affected officers retired with full benefits rather than face formal relief. This included more than a dozen high level officers - Included Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. CQ Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan (first women in those roles), Air Force Chief Gen. David Allvin (early retirement), Vice Chief Gen. Jim Slife, multiple Judge Advocates General, and others. Many were four-star officers.
Army -Goal - 61,000 Actual ~62,050 - 101.7%
Navy - Goal 40,600 Actual - ~44,096 - 108.6%
Air Force - Goal ~30,000–32,500 Actual - ~31,000 - >100%
Marine Corps - Goal - 30,535 Actual 30,536 ~100%
Overall: Active-duty branches averaged 103% of goals. Reserves mostly met targets (Army Reserve ~75%).The rebound ended the prior recruiting crisis, with momentum continuing into FY2026.
A+
Healthcare
In 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. led a transformative overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) agenda. This focused on addressing chronic disease, reducing bureaucracy, reforming food and environmental policies, and scrutinizing vaccines—actions that drew praise from supporters for tackling "root causes" of health issues. The agency cut a number of employees at all levels and cut projects that were not deemed a priority. hese changes marked a rapid, disruptive shift, with HHS emphasizing transparency and chronic disease reversal while facing lawsuits, expert concerns, and debates over evidence-based policy. By year-end, MAHA became a national focus, influencing state reforms and public discourse. A primary mission of HHS is to provide more information for the public to make decisions. Aimed at "restoring trust" via new framework; terminated mRNA vaccine contracts; critics warned of reduced coverage and outbreak risks.
A-
Removing DEI
Executive Orders Targeting DEI
January 20, 2025: Signed "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," eliminating all federal DEI offices, positions, programs, equity grants, and identity-based preferencing.
February 2025: Additional orders dismantled DEI in public/private sectors, banned discriminatory funding, and required agencies to cancel DEI trainings/contracts.
March 2025: Removed DEI requirements from U.S. Foreign Service, enforcing merit-based hiring without diversity quotas.
Agency Implementations
Department of Education (January 2025): Canceled all DEI trainings, grants, and programs in K-12/higher education.
Government-Wide: Agencies audited and dissolved DEI offices, reassigning/terminating related personnel across sectors (e.g., defense, healthcare, civil service).
Broader Efforts
Legislative Push: Advocated congressional bills to restrict DEI in education, employment, and contracting.
Private Sector: Required federal contractors/grantees to abandon DEI to retain partnerships.
A-
Crime
Executive Orders and Policies
April 2025: Issued "Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement," empowering aggressive policing, providing best practices to local forces, and reducing federal oversight like consent decrees.
July 2025: Signed "Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets," addressing urban vagrancy, disorder, and substance abuse through civil commitments and redirecting resources from "harm reduction" programs.
Ongoing: Expanded federal death penalty enforcement and prioritized prosecutions for violent crimes, aligning with tougher sentencing.
Federal Interventions in Specific Cities
Washington, D.C.: Declared crime emergency; surged federal agents, National Guard troops, and took over local policing (2025). Claimed reductions in carjackings (75%), homicides, and overall crime, though trends predated interventions.
Memphis: Deployed National Guard and federal resources to target high-crime areas.
Chicago: Surged ICE/Border Patrol agents; attempted/threatened National Guard deployment (partially blocked by courts); focused on violent crime amid local declines.
Los Angeles, Portland, Oakland: Federal surges for immigration-related operations and crime crackdowns; threats of further intervention in Democratic-led cities.
Other Threats/Targets: Baltimore, New York, Boston mentioned for potential federal action if local efforts deemed insufficient.
Broader Efforts
Funding Cuts: Terminated grants for community violence intervention programs (e.g., ~$500M in 2025), shifting focus to traditional law enforcement over prevention.
Immigration Link: Tied crime reduction to mass deportations, using federal agents in cities for dual enforcement.
Legislative Support: Backed bills against cashless bail and for increased police funding/protections.
Outcomes: National violent crime continued declining in 2025 (homicides down ~19%), but administration credited interventions despite pre-existing trends.
B+
Projecting American Influence Internationally
The ability to engage effectively with all countries is directly impacted by the capability of a country to project power and influence. Trump has left no doubt that the U.S.will not be impeded anywhere. Europe, the UK and the Middle East have deferred to the U.S. on major decisions. Trump has left no doubt he will defend Taiwan. Trump has just arrested the de facto president of Venezuela and brought him to the U.S.
Taiwan - On December 18, 2025, the Trump administration announced a proposed $11.1 billion arms sales package to Taiwan, described as the largest single U.S. weapons deal for the island to date.
This package exceeds the total $8.4 billion in arms sales during the Biden administration and represents more than half of the $18.3 billion approved during Trump's first term.
Key Details of the Package
It includes eight separate sales agreements focused on asymmetric warfare capabilities to help Taiwan deter potential Chinese aggression:
HIMARS rocket systems (82 launchers and 420 ATACMS missiles) — worth over $4 billion
M109A7 self-propelled howitzers (60 systems) — worth over $4 billion
Loitering munition drones (e.g., Altius series) and military software — over $1 billion
Javelin and TOW anti-tank missiles — over $700 million
Helicopter spare parts and Harpoon missile refurbishment kits
These systems, proven effective in Ukraine (e.g., HIMARS against Russian forces), emphasize mobile, precise, and cost-effective defenses.
Status and Reactions
The deal requires U.S. Congressional approval (expected due to bipartisan support for Taiwan) and aligns with Taiwan's efforts to boost defense spending, including a $40 billion supplementary budget announced by President Lai Ching-te for 2026–2033.
Taiwan welcomed the package as enhancing self-defense and regional stability.
China strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of its sovereignty, a threat to Taiwan Strait peace, and a signal to "Taiwan independence" forces; Beijing imposed sanctions on 20 U.S. defense companies and 10 individuals in response.
The sale reflects Trump's push for allies to invest more in their own defense while signaling continued U.S. commitment to Taiwan amid ongoing tensions with Beijing. Deliveries would occur over several years if finalized.
A-