Donald Trump will have demonstrated that a lot can happen within the first 100 days of his second term as president.
In a new documentary called Trump Revolution: 100 Days That Changed the World, which will premiere on Channel 4 on Thursday, insiders and analysts discuss what has been happening behind the scenes for Trump so far and speculate on what it means for the days ahead.
By the end of April, it will have been 100 days since Trump took office for his second term. Unprecedented political and economic decisions over the past 100 days have sent stock markets plunging and governments everywhere rushing to react.
• Read more: Americans losing faith in ‘erratic’ Trump on tariff-hit economy as poll finds three quarters fear recession
Here is a dive into everything Trump has undertaken within his first 100 days.
Trade war
Let’s begin with the tariffs Trump imposed on nations across the world, with China being impacted the most.
Trump introduced tariffs of up to 145 per cent on Chinese goods, prompting China to retaliate with 125 per cent tariffs on US products.
Additionally, he has imposed a 10 per cent tax on goods from the majority of other countries, while pausing elevated tariffs for numerous other nations temporarily.
He contends that tariffs will protect employment and increase US manufacturing, yet prices are predicted to rise and the global economy is in a state of uncertainty.
Because of the uncertainty created by tariffs, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered its prediction for global growth and stated that it expects the United States to be the most severely affected.
Held peace talks with Ukraine and Russia
Last month, in Saudi Arabia, a 30-day ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine was proposed. After more than three years of full-scale conflict, it was a major milestone in the Trump administration's aspirations to bring about peace in the area.
On March 11, US secretary of state Marco Rubio and national security advisor Mike Waltz spent several hours meeting with a Ukrainian team. Kyiv later declared it was prepared to back the immediate ceasefire.
To debate the arrangements with Russian authorities, another group of US officials led by special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow two days later. Following their meeting, Russian president Vladimir Putin stated there was still “a lot ahead to be done” on a ceasefire agreement.
Following more disagreements and attacks on Kyiv, Trump clashed with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on efforts to end the war in Ukraine, with the US leader chiding Zelensky for refusing to recognise Russia's occupation of Crimea.
Mr Zelensky reiterated Ukraine's pledge to never relinquish Crimea to Russia, which took control of the peninsula in 2014, drawing widespread condemnation.
"There's nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution," he said.
Trump, who clashed with Mr Zelensky during a disastrous March encounter in the Oval Office, described this as an inflammatory statement that hindered efforts to reach a peace agreement. Crimea was lost years ago, he claimed in a social media post, “and is not even a point of discussion”.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is boasting on the front page of The Wall Street Journal that, “Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. There’s nothing to talk about here.” This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 23, 2025
Cancelled billions worth of climate grants
The administration eliminated $20bn (£15.4bn) in funding for climate and environmental awards from the Biden administration in March as part of its effort to reduce federal spending. Weeks had passed since the projects were put on hold.
Additionally, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed plans to stop providing around $1.7bn in financing for more than 400 environmental justice and diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) awards.
Give Elon Musk a job
The billionaire and software entrepreneur Elon Musk was chosen to head a new Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) when Trump assumed presidency in January.
Musk claimed that Doge's goals were to lower the $36 trillion (£28.9tn) US national debt, save taxpayer money, and remove the “tyranny of the bureaucracy”.
He first stated that he hoped to save up to $2tn annually, but he later modified this estimate.
However, the extent of Doge's operations has led to legal problems, and Mr Musk and his team have come under fire for their lack of transparency.
Doge is accused by Democrats of manipulating congressionally sanctioned funds that are not under the president's authority. The White House disputes any legal violations resulting from the effort.
Doge and the Trump administration as a whole have been sued by a number of organisations, including state attorneys general and unions, for their plans.
A judge even directly blocked Doge from accessing personal data stored in US Treasury databases, one of multiple times the courts have intervened to prohibit the cost-cutting measures.
We might be seeing less from Doge in the upcoming months. Mr Musk said he will dedicate more time to Tesla starting in May after the company reported a big drop in first-quarter profit.
Cut many federal roles
As part of Trump’s and Mr Musk’s effort to downsize the federal government, thousands of federal workers have been laid off.
CNN reports that at least 121,361 staff members have been laid off from federal agencies so far.
Federal roles include nurses, contractual workers, lawyers and criminal investigators.
Shredded USAID
Trump has been hard at work to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Staff members were first put on leave shortly after Trump returned to office. The agency then recalled its workers from missions across the world.
Trump has made it plain that his “America First” policy should be carefully reflected in foreign spending, and the international development community is prepared for a significant impact on humanitarian initiatives worldwide.
Last month, staff members were instructed to “shred as many documents” as they could and burn classified documents last month.
The request came as Mr Rubio acknowledged that 83 per cent of the long-running aid programmes operated by USAID have now been terminated, which has alarmed labour groups and employees.
Set eyes on Greenland
Trump has threatened to take over Greenland since becoming president for the second time.
The semi-autonomous island is currently controlled by Denmark.
During an address to Congress in March, Trump declared the independence of Greenland was necessary “for national security and international security”. He declared his unwavering support for Greenlanders' right to self-determination.
Adding: “If you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.”
Fired his top general
The nation's top military leader, Charles Brown, who served as the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and advised the president and defense secretary, was dismissed in February.
Trump announced Mr Brown's departure on social media at the time. Mr Brown was the second Black officer to hold the position in US history.
The president also announced the replacement of five other senior officers. In the past, US defense secretary Pete Hegseth had stated that Mr Brown needed to be dismissed due to his "woke" emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the military.
Trump Revolution: 100 Days That Changed the World airs on Channel 4 at 9pm on Thursday, April 24
