The Return of the 47th President
Donald Trump was sworn into office on January 20, 2025, marking the start of his second term as the 47th president of the United States. His return to the White House follows a 2024 election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, in which he secured both the popular vote and the Electoral College. This achievement makes Trump the second person in U.S. history to serve non-consecutive terms, joining Grover Cleveland. He had previously announced Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate in July 2024.
Sweeping Executive Actions
The new administration moved quickly. Trump has initiated mass layoffs of federal workers and signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. By April 2025, during a White House Rose Garden event dubbed „Liberation Day“ and titled „Make America Wealthy Again,“ the president unveiled new tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada. These measures represent the highest level of tariffs imposed on nearly all countries since the Great Depression.
Legal Battles and Administrative Overhaul
The administration’s agenda—encompassing the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, the restriction of transgender rights, and the targeting of civil society and political opponents—has sparked significant pushback. More than 550 lawsuits currently challenge the legality of these actions. Amid these conflicts, Trump has nominated acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling to lead the agency permanently. Meanwhile, a professor associated with „torture memos“ is advising a conspiracy probe focused on perceived foes of the president.
A Path Through the Courts
Trump’s second term began in the shadow of intense legal scrutiny. In May 2024, he became the first U.S. president convicted of a felony after a New York state court found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Following his election victory, he received a no-penalty sentence, and two federal felony indictments related to the retention of classified documents and obstruction of the 2020 election were dismissed without prejudice. Furthermore, the Supreme Court recently rejected Trump’s effort to toss a $5 million verdict in the E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse case.
From Real Estate to the White House
Before his return to power, Trump served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021. His first term was defined by the appointment of three Supreme Court justices, the signing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and the initiation of a trade war with China. Long before his political career, Trump was a real estate developer and the host of the reality television show The Apprentice, which aired from 2004 to 2015.
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