Second presidency of Donald Trump facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Second presidency of Donald Trump
January 20, 2025 – present
JD Vance
Cabinet	Full list
Party	Republican
Election	2024
Seat	White House
← Joe Biden •

Donald Trump began his second time as president of the United States on January 20, 2025. He is a member of the Republican Party. Trump had already been president from 2017 to 2021. He won the 2024 election against Kamala Harris, who was the Vice President at the time.

During his second presidency, the Republican Party also has the most members in the House of Representatives and the Senate. This means they have a lot of power to pass laws.

On his first day, President Trump pardoned about 1,500 people. These people had been found guilty of crimes related to the January 6 Capitol Riot. In his first month, he signed around 70 special orders called executive orders. This was more than any other president in their first month. Many of these orders are now being challenged in court.

For immigration, he signed orders to stop people seeking asylum from entering the U.S. He also brought back a special rule about the border with Mexico. He tried to end birthright citizenship, which means being a citizen because you were born in the U.S. His first law was the Laken Riley Act. He also created a new group called the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization (DOGE). This group is led by Elon Musk. Its job is to save money and make the government work better. It has also overseen many people losing their jobs in federal agencies.

In dealing with other countries, Trump again pulled the U.S. out of the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accords. These are big international agreements. He also started a trade war (which means putting high taxes on goods) with Canada and Mexico. He continued the ongoing trade war with China. He has also said he wants the U.S. to take over Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal.

About the Gaza War, he suggested the U.S. could take control of the Gaza Strip. He also suggested moving the Palestinian people to other Arab countries. He said Gaza could then be rebuilt as a tourist spot. Trump's government also stopped giving military help to Ukraine. He offered some things to Russia and asked for half of Ukraine's oil and minerals. He said Ukraine was partly to blame for the invasion. Many U.S. allies and international groups have criticized these actions.

Trump is the second U.S. president to serve one term, leave office, and then be elected for a second term. He is also the oldest person to become president. Because he won in 2016 and 2024, he cannot run for a third term. This is due to the Twenty-second Amendment.

Executive Orders: What They Are and How Many Trump Signed

President Donald Trump signed more executive orders on his first day than recent presidents.

An executive order is a special instruction from the President. It tells parts of the government how to do their jobs. On January 20, 2025, his first day, President Trump signed 26 executive orders. This was the most ever signed on a president's first day. For example, Joe Biden signed 9 orders on his first day in 2021.

Many people called Trump's quick signing of orders a "shock and awe" campaign. It showed he was testing how much power a president has. News organizations like Time and Bloomberg Government looked at his actions. They found that almost two-thirds of his orders were similar to ideas from a plan called Project 2025.

Many of Trump's executive orders are being challenged in court. This means people are suing to stop them. These orders affect things like government money, federal workers, immigration, and even what government information is available. Most lawsuits are about the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). They are also about actions taken by Elon Musk and the DOGE team to cut costs.

Domestic Policy: What's Happening at Home

Climate and Environment: Changes to Rules

At a private dinner in April 2024, Trump asked fossil fuel companies to give money to his campaign. He said he would reduce environmental rules if he won the election. Fossil fuels are things like oil and gas that create energy but can also cause pollution.

Trump's team for climate and environment includes people who used to work for oil and coal companies. They are getting ready to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement again. This agreement is about fighting climate change. They also plan to allow more drilling and mining on public lands. They want to get rid of offices that work to stop pollution.

After becoming president, Trump put people who used to work for oil, gas, and chemical companies in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency. This agency protects our environment. He told them to roll back rules about climate and pollution. Trump also stopped money from being given out for climate-related projects. These projects were funded by laws like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Economy: Money Matters

Trump took office when the U.S. economy was strong. There was more economic growth, low unemployment, and inflation was going down. Inflation means prices are going up. In January 2025, the unemployment rate was 4%. This means only 4% of people looking for jobs couldn't find one. Prices were expected to go up only a little bit. Experts said the economy was in better shape than for many new presidents. However, many Americans still felt the effects of price increases from 2021–2023. This partly helped Trump win the election.

In January 2025, Republicans started thinking about cutting money for social programs. They wanted to do this to pay for proposed tax cuts.

Trump and Elon Musk also started a plan to reduce the number of federal workers. They wanted to cut over 9,500 jobs to make the government work better. Some people are worried this could harm important services and workers' rights. There have been legal challenges and disagreements about this.

Experts estimate that if Trump's 2017 tax cuts are continued, it could add more than $4 trillion to the national debt over 10 years. This would happen if other spending is not cut. Trump's ideas to not tax Social Security benefits or tips would add even more to the debt.

Tariffs Policy: Taxes on Imports

Trump signing executive orders on January 20, 2025, his first day in office.

During his 2024 campaign, Trump promised to put higher tariffs on goods coming into the U.S. from other countries. Tariffs are like taxes on imported goods. He especially wanted to tax goods from China. After winning the election, Trump said he would sign an order to put 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. He also planned a 10% tariff on goods from China. He even threatened a 100% tariff on countries like Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS nations). This would happen if they tried to create a new currency to replace the U.S. dollar.

On February 1, 2025, Trump signed executive orders to put these tariffs into effect. This included a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada, and a 10% tariff on China. Energy exports from Canada, like electricity and oil, would have a lower 10% tariff. Trump's trade advisor said this lower rate was to avoid problems. In response, Mexico and Canada said they might put their own tariffs on U.S. goods. This could lead to even higher tariffs from Trump. On February 3, Trump paused the tariffs on Mexico and Canada for one month.

An expert named Kim Clausing said these tariffs would be the "largest tax increase" in the U.S. since the 1990s.

Education: Changes to Schools

During his first term, Trump cut money for the Department of Education. He also criticized it. In his 2024 campaign, Trump said he wanted to get rid of the Department of Education. He suggested that states should control education instead.

On January 21, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security said it would no longer avoid arresting undocumented immigrants in schools.

Federal Government and Executive Power: How the Government Works

Image shared by the White House on February 19, 2025, comparing Trump to a king.

Trump's second government has tried to use the President's power as much as possible. They have made big claims about what the President can do. They have also challenged some laws made by Congress and parts of the Constitution.

In February 2025, Trump wrote on social media that "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law." The White House later shared this message. On February 19, Trump compared himself to a king, saying "LONG LIVE THE KING!" He also told the Governor of Maine to follow his order banning transgender athletes from women's sports. He said he would cut federal funding if she didn't.

Also in February 2025, Elon Musk said that all federal employees would get an email asking what they did last week. He said not answering would be seen as quitting. Federal employees received this email shortly after.

DOGE: Making Government More Efficient

The Trump government created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This is a temporary group led by Elon Musk. Its goal is to find ways to cut costs and make the government work better. It also aims to improve government technology.

In late January 2025, Wired reported that many new hires in the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had worked for Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, or right-wing media. The OPM handles human resources for the government. Musk's allies also took control of the General Services Administration, which manages government property and purchasing.

On January 28, the OPM offered federal employees a "deferred resignation" plan. This meant they could resign by February 6 but still get paid until September 30, 2025. This offer was similar to what Elon Musk did when he took over Twitter. On January 31, Trump said he would cancel agreements with federal employee unions. Musk also gained access to the Treasury's payment system. This system controls how the U.S. government spends trillions of dollars. Some officials said Musk's allies used these systems without proper checks. This raised concerns about national security and privacy.

USAID: Helping Other Countries

U.S. Army and Air Force helped USAID transport medical supplies to Lebanon.

Trump and DOGE are trying to reduce the size of USAID. USAID is a large agency with 10,000 people. Its job is to carry out and watch over projects that help people in other countries. Some people who criticize USAID say that many projects are not truly humanitarian. They also say that a lot of money is not spent well.

The government issued a 90-day order to stop work on USAID projects around the world. This led to a lawsuit because vendors were not being paid. The stop work order affected about 30 medical studies. It also stopped projects like a camp for war refugees, emergency medical care for displaced people, and heating for Ukrainian refugees. It also affected HIV treatment in Africa.

A January 31 article from ProPublica said there was a debate about whether essential programs would get money again. For example, the Associated Press reported that waivers for PEPFAR were not in force. PEPFAR is a program that has saved millions of lives from AIDS. This was true even though a judge had lifted the funding freeze.

In February 2025, it was reported that USAID's security director and a deputy were put on leave. This happened after they stopped DOGE members from entering restricted areas to get sensitive information. The DOGE members eventually got the information. This reportedly included classified information they were not supposed to see. Elon Musk had earlier tweeted that "USAID is a criminal organization" and that it was "Time for it to die."

On February 3, Musk said, "We’re shutting it down," and that Trump "agreed." USAID staff were told to stay away from their headquarters. Hundreds of USAID staff also lost access to their computers.

On February 7, a federal judge ordered a delay in putting 2,200 employees on leave. He also ordered that their email accounts be restored. He later extended this pause. On February 21, the judge decided not to delay the layoffs any longer.

On February 13, another federal judge ordered the Trump government to continue contracts and grants that were in effect before January 19. He said the government had not explained why it stopped all foreign aid.

There have been some early reports that China has offered to take over development projects if the United States leaves permanently.

Federal Funding Freeze: Stopping Government Money

On January 27, 2025, Trump's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent out a memo. It told the federal government to temporarily stop all activities related to giving out federal money. This included money for foreign aid, non-profit groups, and other programs. The memo said this would allow the Trump government to decide how to best use the money. However, Medicare and Social Security benefits were not affected. About 2,600 federal programs were chosen for review. This memo caused a lot of confusion for government workers and non-profit groups.

On January 28, the Medicaid payment system shut down briefly. The Trump government said it was not related to the funding freeze. Non-profit groups reported they could not get federal funds. The OMB later said that some programs were exempt from the freeze. These included Medicaid, food assistance, small business funds, and student loans. After several groups sued, a judge blocked the OMB memo.

On January 29, the OMB withdrew the memo. However, the White House press secretary said this did not stop the funding freeze. On February 1, 22 states and Washington D.C. sued. A judge ordered the Trump government to temporarily stop the freeze in those states. The judge said no federal law allowed the President to do this alone. On February 10, the judge ordered the Trump government to "immediately restore frozen funding." This was because the states showed that the government was still improperly freezing funds.

Loyalty Tests and Firings: Changes in Government Jobs

When Trump's second presidency began, teams from the White House went to federal agencies. They checked job applicants to see if they were loyal to the president's plans. On his first day, Trump signed an order to bring back hiring based on merit and "dedication to our Constitution." The Trump government also asked federal workers to show "loyalty." The Justice Department sent out memos about "insubordination" and "abhorrent conduct." They said they would go after anyone who opposed Trump's cost-cutting efforts. This was seen by some as a way to scare workers who were not loyal enough.

People applying for top intelligence and law enforcement jobs were given loyalty tests. They were asked if January 6 was an "inside job" and if the 2020 election was "stolen." If they did not say yes to both, they were not hired.

Trump oversaw many federal workers being fired from different agencies. Many of these firings were seen as breaking past rules or federal law. The goal was to replace them with workers who supported Trump's plans.

On January 24, 2025, Trump fired 17 independent inspectors general at federal agencies. These are people who check for waste and fraud. This seemed to break a law that requires giving Congress 30 days' notice with reasons for dismissals. Trump also fired all Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. This stopped the board from being able to meet. He also fired members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board. Over 160 members of the National Security Council were fired for not agreeing with Trump's plans. Also, 56 senior officials at USAID were fired for supposedly trying to stop Trump's goals.

Healthcare: Health Policy Changes

On November 14, Trump said he would choose Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the health secretary. This choice caused some debate. In December, Trump said he was talking with RFK Jr. about ending childhood vaccination programs. He also promoted the idea that vaccines are linked to autism, which scientists have shown is not true.

After the election, the Trump government ordered a freeze on all communications and reports from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These now needed approval from a political appointee. On January 22, the Department of Homeland Security said that ICE would start arresting undocumented immigrants in hospitals if needed.

Immigration: Border and Entry Rules

Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Trump has said he wants to bring back and expand immigration policies from his first presidency. This includes a travel ban on people from some Muslim countries. It also includes sending away people seeking asylum by saying they carry diseases. He wants to allow police officers and soldiers to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement with large-scale deportations. He also plans to set up large detention camps. After his win, Trump said there was "no price tag" for these deportations.

On November 10, 2024, Trump announced that Tom Homan would join his new government as the "border czar." Trump wrote that Homan would be in charge of deporting undocumented immigrants.

Before Trump took office, the number of people crossing the border daily was at its lowest since summer 2020. This was partly because of an executive order by President Biden that limited asylum.

Soon after becoming president on January 20, the Trump government ended services for the CBP One app. This app helped people apply for asylum. He also declared a national emergency at the southern border. He ordered the armed forces to plan for deployment. He also took steps to label Mexican cartels as terrorist groups. Trump gave more power to agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to deport immigrants. He gave ICE the power to deport immigrants who came to the U.S. legally under Biden's programs. He also set daily deportation goals for ICE offices.

Trump removed rules from 2011 that stopped immigration arrests in sensitive places. These places included courthouses, schools, churches, hospitals, funerals, and weddings.

Trump also signed an executive order trying to end birthright citizenship. This means children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants or temporary legal visitors would not automatically be citizens. At least nine lawsuits have been filed against this order. As of February 2025, four federal judges have temporarily blocked it across the country.

On January 29, 2025, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law. This was the first law of his second term.

Some officials in cities, states, police departments, and schools have said they will not help with immigrant raids. They are worried about public safety, civil rights, and their ability to handle such actions.

On February 6, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks said that illegal border crossings were down almost 90% since Trump's inauguration. He also said that criminal prosecutions of those caught were up more than 50%.

Military: Armed Forces and Leadership

In November 2024, Trump's team was reportedly making a list of military officials involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan. They were looking into whether these officials could face military trials. They also thought about creating a group to investigate the withdrawal. During his campaign, Trump promised to use the military inside the U.S. to fight "the enemy from within." He described this as "radical left lunatics" and Democratic politicians. After taking office, Trump was seen as making the military more political.

Charles Q. Brown Jr. was the first African American to lead a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Trump had nominated him. However, Brown was suddenly removed as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on February 21, 2025, by Trump. Trump then announced that John D. Caine would replace Brown.

Religion: Faith and Government

Donald Trump's campaign used ideas and language from Christian nationalism. He used Christian religious images in his ideas. He called his work a "righteous crusade" against "atheists, globalists and the Marxists."

Trump has said that Christians are being treated unfairly. On February 6, after the National Prayer Breakfast, Donald Trump signed an executive order. This order created a special group to "immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government." He appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead this group. He also appointed Paula White to direct the White House Faith Office.

Foreign Policy: How the U.S. Deals with Other Countries

Trump with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on February 7, 2025.

Trump with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on February 13, 2025.

Trump's foreign policy in his second term has been described as a mix of imperialist and expansionist ideas. Imperialism means a country extending its power over others. Expansionism means a country trying to gain more territory. Trump and others have often compared his policy to that of former President William McKinley.

Expansionism: Growing U.S. Influence

Before his second inauguration, Trump suggested ideas that would increase the United States' political power and land. The last time the U.S. gained new territory was in 1947.

Canada: A Neighboring Country

Trump has said he will put a 25% tariff on all goods from Canada. He wants the Canadian government to stop what he sees as an illegal migration problem at the border. Canadian officials have said they might put their own tariffs on U.S. goods. They have even suggested cutting off Canada's energy supply to the Northern United States. This has led to Trump joking about Canada joining the U.S. He has called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the "Governor of the Great State of Canada."

Greenland: A Large Island

In December 2024, Trump again suggested that the United States buy Greenland from Denmark. He said owning Greenland was "an absolute necessity" for national security. He had offered to buy Greenland during his first term, but Denmark refused. This caused him to cancel a visit to Denmark in 2019. On January 7, 2025, Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. visited Greenland's capital city, Nuuk. He handed out "MAGA" hats. The next day, Trump did not say he would rule out using military or economic force to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal. However, he did say he would not use military force to take over Canada.

Panama Canal: A Waterway for Ships

In 2024, Trump demanded that Panama give control of the Panama Canal back to the United States. He said Panama was charging too much for American ships to pass through. The U.S. used to control the Panama Canal Zone from 1903 until 1999. The U.S. has also invaded Panama before in 1989.

Gaza Strip: A Disputed Territory

In February 2025, Donald Trump talked about the Gaza Strip. He said he wanted to "own it" and "take over" the area. He suggested moving the Palestinian people out of Gaza. Gaza has been the center of the Gaza War between Israel and Hamas. Many countries quickly criticized these comments. Forcibly moving people from their homes can be seen as ethnic cleansing, which is a crime against humanity.

Trump also suggested that Gaza was valuable land. He said the U.S. could make Gaza "the Riviera of the Middle East." On February 25, Trump posted a short video on social media. It showed an AI-generated image of a future "riviera" there.

Trump also said that Palestinians would not have the right to return under his plan for Gaza. Egypt’s Foreign Minister said that Arab countries all agreed to reject any plan to move Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was "the only viable plan to enable a different future."

On February 21, 2025, after opposition from Arab states, Trump said he would "recommend" his plan for the U.S. takeover of Gaza. He said he would not force the resettlement of the Palestinian population.

Elections During Trump's Second Presidency

Images for kids

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  President Donald Trump has signed the most first-day executive orders of recent presidents. First-day executive orders by previous ten presidents, 1969–2025

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  Trump signing executive orders on January 20, 2025, his first day in office, at Capital One Arena.

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  Image posted on February 19, 2025 by the official White House account likening Trump to a monarch.

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  U.S. Army and Air Force service members assisted USAID with the transportation of nearly 12,000 pounds of medical kits from the Netherlands, through Germany and on to Lebanon.

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  Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

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  Trump with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on February 7, 2025.

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  Trump with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on February 13, 2025.

See also

In Spanish: Segunda presidencia de Donald Trump para niños