Pros and Cons: Trump’s First Months Back in Office

Matthew Willar

News Editor

Since President Trump returned to the White House nearly two months ago, it is without question that he has done more than most Presidents have done in their first months in office. With his cabinet quickly being confirmed and a Republican majority in both chambers of Congress, the President has been able to enact a slew of executive orders and begin putting forth his agenda. Nevertheless, has Trump lived up to his agenda that got him elected with what he called a “mandate?” Here are some pros and cons of the President’s first day back in office.

Pro: Transparency 

Trump has been seen talking to reporters at press conferences, meeting with world leaders in the Oval Office, and doing sit-down interviews, allowing the American public to hear directly from him. After the disastrous communication during the Biden administration, it is refreshing to see an administration that is constantly updating the American people on their policy proposals and actions taken. An added bonus is a Press Secretary who is transparent, that of Karoline Leavitt who is a major upgrade from Karine Jean-Pierre who will arguably go down in history as one of the worst communicators in the role.

Con: Foreign Policy 

Living up to his campaign promise, Trump has wavered in his support for Ukraine in their war against Russia. Taking a more isolationist stance, moving away from that of his own party, the President flat out made an embarrassment of the U.S. in his Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President, Volodomyr Zelenksy, saying to him, “We have empowered you to be a tough guy…You either make a deal or we are out. You don’t have the cards.”

The U.S. lack of support for Ukraine was also shown at a United Nations General Assembly in February. Shortly after Trump called Zelensky a dictator, the U.S. voted with Russia in voting against a Ukrainian resolution. Marking the third anniversary of the war, this foreign policy stance is very dangerous, as it only gives Russia more leverage to take over Ukraine, one of our allies. Not supporting Ukraine makes us look like a weaker country to the world.

Pro: Good Executive Orders: Plastic Straws, D.E.I, Women’s Sports 

Many of Trump’s executive orders have been harmful to a majority of the country. Because of this, they are overshadowing some of the positive ones he has signed.

Something small, but important, is the ending of the forced use of paper straws. They don’t work. There are other ways to combat climate change than by forcing Americans to use paper straws.

Trump also ended many government diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. It is essential that workforces hire the most qualified people, not based on their race or gender.

Without question, Trump’s executive order banning biological males from competing in women’s sports is a positive. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has proven that it is unable to determine which transgender women can compete and which can’t, allowing those who have recently transitioned to compete against women. There have been too many instances to name when a transgender woman beat biological women in a college sports match.

Con: Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) 

There is no question that the government is too big. Cuts need to be made so that we can have a limited government. DOGE is not the solution to this. Led by Elon Musk, who has no government experience, the department has laid off essential government employees, some of which they didn’t even know they were firing and had to ask back. Musk says, “I should say we’ll also make mistakes. We won’t be perfect,” according to Fox Business.

Now, Democrats messaging on DOGE is a trainwreck. “Musk is the real President” and “Musk is unelected” clearly shows that they haven’t learned how to convey their message to Americans. Yes, Musk is unelected, but the President has the right to appoint advisors. DOGE is doing a lot of harm to the country, and Musk is quite frankly causing havoc, but nothing he is doing is unconstitutional.

Trump has undoubtedly done what he campaigned on. He has shaken up the government completely differently than he did during his first term. Even though there are some positives from his first two months back in office, the negatives are too big to not overshadow the positives. Some of Trump’s actions are inexcusable, and because he has no guardrails, it is likely only to get worse. Buckle up.