No one likes to say “I told you so,” but in the case of President Donald Trump, the phrase seems to hit differently. Democrats warned that a second Trump term would be the end of DEI and the start of a blitz to the federal government. And in the span of only eight months, the president proved folks like former Vice President Kamala Harris completely right.
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From cuts to decades-old agencies to the administration’s ongoing mass deportation scheme, Trump was very clear during his 2024 campaign about his exact plans for the country. Black folks — Black women in particular — tried to warn everyone that rough times were coming if we got a second term.
Now, enough time has passed to analyze just how much he’s actually accomplished. And while he still hasn’t fulfilled his promises to bring down the price of groceries or release the Epstein files, Trump has already checked off loads on his presidential to-do list.
Getting Rid of DEI
On day one of his second term, Trump signed an order we all knew was coming. It moved to end diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) programs in federal departments and agencies. His order also detailed plans to compile a list targeting all federal contractors and grantees with DEI programs, according to the White House.
The Gulf of America
Right before Trump returned to office, he promised to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. In an executive order in January, he did just that. According to the White House, “It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes.” Trump also reinstated Columbus Day, and most notably, he changed the Defense Department to the Department of War.
Erasing Black History
In the first few months of Trump’s second term, the federal government was thrown for a loop after the DEI ban, but almost instantaneously, he also ordered the quiet removal of Black history moments from agency websites, which many experts say is his attempt to rewrite history. “If you take away pictures of women, if you take away pictures of Black heroes, of Asians, of Native Americans, of Latinos, then who’s left?” political scientist Donald Moynihan asked.
Trump Targeting Black Women
Trump first sent the National Guard to Los Angeles, despite Mayor Karen Bass’ disapproval. Then, he took the Guard to Washington, D.C., which was met with a lawsuit from Mayor Muriel Bowser. Outside of being Democrats, Bass and Bowser are both Black women, but this isn’t the first or last time Trump has made Black women a target. From going after Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook to pulling former Vice President Kamala Harris’ security detail, risking her safety, the president has a tendency of going after Black women in the Democratic party.
Withdrawing from WHO
During the pandemic, Trump expressed his repeated frustration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and disappointment with their handling of COVID-19. Now, according to the White House, Trump is back with a vengeance and wants to completely withdraw the country from WHO back in January. The order won’t take affect for a full year, according to NPR, but in response to Trump, Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University and director of WHO’s Center on Global Health Law, said “This is the most cataclysmic decision.” He continued saying “[This is] a grave wound to American national interests and our national security.”
‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill Act” passed in Congress back in July. The Republican-led spending act promised tax cuts for the wealthy, bold attacks to Medicaid and Pell Grant recipients and hits to SNAP benefits. The nearly 1,000-page long bill struggled in both the House and Senate, receiving bipartisan criticism for its added $4 trillion to the national debt.
Pardoning Capitol Insurrectionists
Among a series of executive orders signed by the president on his first day, Trump most notably either pardoned, commuted the prison sentences, or vowed to dismiss the cases of all roughly 1,500 people charged with crimes connected to the infamous Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, according to the White House.
Rolling Back Segregation Protections
Back in March, the administration moved to take out language preventing segregation. A public memo was sent out by the General Services Administration to explain the federal government will no longer prohibit contractors from having segregated restaurants, waiting rooms or water fountains. The memo read, “When issuing new solicitations or contracts do not include any of the following provisions and clauses… Prohibition of segregated facilities.”
Increase ICE Funding
Congress approved $170 billion for Immigration and Border Enforcement back in July. According to reports, about $75 billion will go directly to ICE, whose presences has been amped up to fulfill the needs of Trump’s immigration mandate. This marks the most money the government has ever invested in detention and deportation. It also notably brings ICE to the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the government.
Imposing Stricter SNAP Requirements
Along with cuts to Medicaid, the Big, Beautiful Bill also restricts food stamps. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will be cut by 30 percent, according to the bill. In 2023, about 27 percent of SNAP recipients were Black, PEW Research reported. Ty Jones Cox, the vice president for food assistance policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said this will be the “biggest cut in the program’s history,” according to CNBC.
Federally Only Recognizing 2 Genders
Trump has officially directed all federal agencies to only recognize two genders, male and female, which are not changeable. According to the White House, this executive order will be reflected on government documents like passports, visas, Global Entry cards, and federal personnel records. This also rescinded Biden’s transgender rights efforts.
Bringing Back the Death Penalty
Trump signed an execution order directing the attorney general to “take all necessary and lawful action” to make sure states have enough lethal injection drugs to carry out executions, according to the White House. This comes just weeks after Biden commuted 37 of the 40 total federal death row inmates’ sentences to life in prison. Trump cited Biden’s executive order, calling the former president’s actions “a mockery of justice and [an] insult the victims of these horrible crimes.”
Trump’s Immigration Gold Card
Most recently, the president has been toting his $5 million “Trump card,” which he launched offering permanent residency to wealthy migrants for a whopping $5 million investment, we told you. “Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market anywhere in the World,” Trump said on Truth Social. “FOR FIVE MILLION $DOLLARS, THE TRUMP CARD IS COMING.”
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