President Donald Trump promised a slew of reforms on day one of his second term in the White House.
He kept many of these guarantees: Trump pardoned some 1,500 people convicted of crimes related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots; he ended birthright citizenship after he “clarified” the Constitution “does not recognize” the citizenship of those born in the U.S. to parents who do not have legal permission to be in the country; and he denied the existence of transgender, nonbinary and intersex people throughout government.
But Trump still didn’t achieve everything he told the American people he would on day one.
Here’s what we know about what Trump didn’t accomplish as promised on day one of his presidency:
End the war in Ukraine
Trump repeatedly claimed throughout his campaign and after his White House victory that he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine in one day.
“They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours,” Trump said at town hall in May 2023.
After Trump won the election, incoming White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also told Fox News that his plan included “on day one, bringing Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table to end this war.”
The U.S. is now on day three of the Trump administration, and the war continues.
However, on Wednesday Trump did take a step forward, warning Russia in a social media post that “I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries. Let’s get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way - and the easy way is always better. It’s time to “MAKE A DEAL.” NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is optimistic that Trump can, indeed, help bring the war to a close.
“He’s very strong and unpredictable, and I would really like to see President Trump’s unpredictability apply to Russia. I believe he really wants to end the war,” Zelensky said earlier this month.
‘Largest deportation program in American history’
The president said he would launch the “largest deportation program in American history" on day one of his presidency.
There appear not to have been mass deportations carried out on Monday — however, Trump issued several executive orders to further his hardline immigration policy agenda.
These orders included declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border to deploy military assets under the command of the Secretary of Defense and claiming the Constitution “does not recognize” the citizenship of those born in the U.S. to parents who do not have legal permission to be in the country.
On Wednesday he ordered thousands of active duty troops to the southern border to help Customs and Border Protection staff.
Auto industry overhaul
Through his campaign, Trump promised to reform the American auto industry, claiming it would be “fueled by American energy” and built by US workers on his “first day in office.”
But, Trump did not issue any executive orders to achieve these goals.
He did, however, issue an order ending President Joe Biden’s 2021 policy pledging electric vehicles would make up half of new U.S. car sales by 2030.
The policy, which Trump repeatedly incorrectly referred to as “the electric vehicle mandate,” was not legally binding.
‘Restore’ the travel ban
Trump promised to “restore the travel ban” he put in place during his first term, which heavily restricted travel to the U.S. for citizens of several Muslim-majority countries.
“On day one of the Trump presidency, I will restore the travel ban, suspend refugee admissions, stop the resettlement and keep the terrorists the hell out of our country,” Trump said at a July rally.
Trump ultimately restricted travel or immigration for roughly seven percent of the world’s population during his first term.
While Trump hasn’t yet reinstated the ban, he has suspended U.S. refugee resettlement for at least three months and ordered a review to determine if travelers from certain countries should be subject to another travel ban.
Banishing critical race theory from schools
Trump promised he would “get critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of schools” on day one of his presidency.
Critical race theory is a lens through which scholars approach U.S. history, focused on how white supremacy and institutional racism are pervasive in American social structures.
The president did indeed issue a sweeping anti-trans executive order denying the existence of transgender, nonbinary and intersex people hours after taking office. However, he did not issue an order addressing “critical race theory” in schools
Notably, state and local governments are responsible for governing schools. As such, state and local leaders — rather than the president — typically determine education policies for their districts.
Day one tariffs
Trump previously promised to put 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada day one.
“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on November 25
However, he has instead announced the policy will be implemented on February 1.
He has also indicated he may revoke China’s status as a “most favored nation” soon after taking office. The status requires a country to treat all its trading partners under the designation equally.
Other promises
Trump has made a slew of much more vague promises for day one that he does not appear to have kept.
These include ending “troubles for Hispanic Americans,” canceling “every policy harmful to farmworkers,” releasing a full list of Supreme Court nominee picks and “turning the country around,” Axios reports.
