April 30 marks 100 days of the second Trump administration - and what a whirlwind it's been.
President Donald Trump has signed more than 130 executive orders in just over three months, surpassing President Franklin D. Roosevelt's long-reigning record of 99. With those orders, Trump focused on rhetoric and promises he made throughout his reelection campaign: from birthright citizenship and immigration, to DEI and women's sports, to trade wars and tariff policies.
Between yo-yoing markets, ongoing protests, endless DOGE-ing and an inactive Congress, the start of Trump's second term has been equal parts tumultuous and transitional - a reimagination of America.
As part of USA TODAY's Forum, we asked you how you felt about what's happened so far, and what you anticipate coming next. We wanted to know if you think America is better off, if Trump is focusing on the right issues with his policies or if he needs to correct course. Hundreds of readers responded - some voted for Trump, others did not. Read a collection of those answers below.
We have been rudderless for the last four years. Our former president was unfit to serve for much of his term. Huge numbers of unvetted people have been streaming across our borders. These illegal immigrants from all over the world have been given special treatment and privileges, while citizens like our veterans and others in need have largely been ignored.
The national deficit has soared. Our government has allocated huge sums of money for pointless programs in foreign countries. Lawlessness in our cities has been commonplace. And the former party in control routinely communicated that it knew what was best for the nation as opposed to representing the will of the people. All of this is beginning to change.
Our southern border is more secure. With DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency), we're finally examining the extensive waste and corruption that routinely takes place within the federal government. Trump is the first president in recent years to take the national deficit seriously and act to address it. The rule of law is slowly returning to some of our cities, and we're taking measures to address the unfairness that has long existed in many of our trade agreements with foreign nations. Plus, we're putting the kibosh on the cancerous effects of wokeism and the cancel culture created to silence anyone who doesn't agree with it.
I don't like Trump's occasional lack of diplomacy and tact in addressing those at home and abroad who disagree with him. I don't care for the repeated demeaning characterizations of his predecessor. However, some of this discourtesy appears to be premeditated. For example, Trump will sometimes introduce an idea (such as the appropriation of Canada as our 51st state) as a means to create controversy to distract from more serious policy concerns, and it has worked. As a result, more Americans know about Trump's efforts to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico than what he has been doing regarding the Hamas kidnappings since taking office.
Obviously, it will take time to encourage businesses to relocate to the United States, and this will require continuing support from future presidential administrations, but Trump is beginning to establish the foundations for this effort.
I would like to see the federal government dismantle the Department of Education and let the states make decisions about school curricula and funding. Since the department's creation in 1979, national math and English test scores have not improved. I'd like to see the enormous amount of money saved by this effort redirected to address domestic infrastructure projects involving highways, bridges, the rail system, airports and the air traffic control system.
- John Perkinson, Herndon, Virginia
The United States is on the cusp of complete breakdown due to the deliberate dismantling of our society and democracy by Donald Trump, his administration, the architects of Project 2025 and hatchet man Elon Musk.
I cannot think of anything that Trump is doing that I support, with the possible exception of getting rid of the penny. But even in that, he has no idea of how to do it responsibly.
I am deeply concerned by the shuttering of USAID (the U.S. Agency for International Development), the withdrawal of temporary protected status for thousands of vulnerable refugees, the terror campaign against immigrants, the attack on all our democratic institutions and government agencies, the irrational hollowing out of dozens of agencies that support the functioning of society like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Federal Aviation Administration, Forest Service, National Park Service, Head Start, the Health and Human Services Department, IRS and so many others. This is a full-scale attack on American society.
Trump has been an abject failure both domestically and internationally. The entire stability of the world is threatened by his incompetence and venality.
- Tatiana Maxwell, Twisp, Washington
What I've seen in Trump's first 100 days is bold leadership. He's unafraid to tackle tough decisions that some around the world will find abrasive. He fights for Americans more than any other president and is tackling issues at a breakneck pace. It's not easy, but that's why he's the guy for it. Relentless!
The tariff issue, though controversial and painful early on, gives America a chance to reset the whole global financial trade while bringing needed jobs and manufacturing infrastructure back to the United States. He did amazing on the border and is still actively working to get undocumented immigrants out of the country. He also wishes to end wars.
The media and people love to blow up everything he does to near-end-of-the-world proportions, which often makes people agitated. If the American public doesn't have patience and a healthy distrust for every "end of the world" scenario the news media pushes, they could hurt his ability to help set up America for the long term.
As for closing the border and ending illegal immigration, it's been an amazing success. Now with this 90-day tariff pause, he needs to close as many deals to help settle people's uneasiness in the market.
If people have a long-term picture, they should not be afraid. Much like the stock market, those who only see what's happening day to day are the ones who are rushing to panicked judgment. That helps nobody.
I hope Trump will close as many tariff deals and trade talks in the next 90 days. Settle the market with successful negotiations around the globe.
- Bob Phillipp, Fort Wayne, Indiana
The image from Trump's first 100 days that stands out to me is the wide eyes of starving children from the canceled USAID emergency food assistance programs to countries like Bangladesh and Somalia.
After the initial outcry from cutting off emergency food to millions of children, Musk claimed the contracts were restored and the issue disappeared from the headlines. But in fact, many of the contracts for shipping the emergency food (which are made-in-America enriched peanut butter packets) have not been restored, so much of the food purchased by American taxpayers remains stuck in warehouses, and new contracts for this next year have been quietly canceled.
The chaos of on-again, off-again contracts, the harm to U.S. farmers who supply the food and the cruelty of denying food to starving children around the world are sadly the hallmarks of Trump's first 100 days.
- Diana Lane, Boulder, Colorado
Trump is doing an amazing job, and shame on the news media and the Democratic Party for saying otherwise.
This country needed an overhaul. It didn't happen overnight, and it won't get fixed overnight. We should be making everything we need here and not depending on other countries for our stuff. I don't agree with all these injunctions from these rogue judges who think they can tell a president what he can or cannot do.
I support the tariffs, the closed border (finally) and removing illegal immigrants from our country. They weren't vetted coming in, so why should they be vetted going out?
I'm not worried about Wall Street. I'm worried about what I can't afford, which is a lot after what Joe Biden and the Democratic Party did over the past four years and more.
I would like him to continue to try to make America great, and I love the transparency!
- Cerissa Fortune, New Castle, Pennsylvania
Trump is quickly becoming the dictator he has always wanted to be. And his tariff policy will do nothing except hurt the American people. In addition, he has allowed an overzealous individual to bankrupt our federal programs by eliminating seasoned employees, devoted to their posts and the positions held. The threats to Medicaid and Social Security are alarming, taking aim at hurting the most vulnerable citizens in our country.
Every day, there is unsettling news about Trump's defiance of our courts. The people chosen to lead our Cabinet positions are