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Donald Trump has made a series of promises about how he will fix America before he re-enters the Oval Office for his second term in January 2025.
Below, we examine how many of Mr. Trump’s campaign promises have been kept.
From inflation to immigration, trade policies and tariffs, The Telegraph breaks down the numbers behind the political performance of the 47th president.
This page will be updated continuously throughout Mr. Trump’s tenure to provide an ongoing assessment of his performance.
1. Approval classifications
During his first term as president, Mr. Trump’s approval ratings were rarely above 50 percent. On the first day of his second presidency, only 48.5 percent had a favorable opinion of the Republican. This figure has decreased since then.
Compared to President Obama and the other President Bush, Mr. Trump is underperforming for this stage of his presidency. However, he consistently outdoes himself and recently outdid President Biden.
2. Immigration
Mr. Trump’s second term began with a renewed push on immigration.
Preventing illegal migrants from entering the US is a cornerstone of Mr Trump’s immigration policy, made possible by the fortification of the US-Mexico border.
The American President is also focused on migrants who are already in the country. Immediately after taking office, he scrapped the CBP One smartphone app, which had allowed migrants to schedule appointments with US border patrol agents.
Since Mr Trump returned to the White House, illegal crossings on the US-Mexico land border have fallen to record lows.
3. Finish the war in Ukraine
Before the election, Mr Trump repeatedly said he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine on his first day in office.
On 12 February 2025, he announced that he had spoken to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, on the phone. This is the first known conversation between the leaders since Mr Trump took office in January 2025.
Ceasefire talks have since begun but are ongoing and the war continues, with the number of battles and drone strikes per month increasing every month.
4. Economy
A day before the election, Mr Trump said at a rally in Michigan: “We are just one day… half a day… away from the best jobs, the biggest wages and the brightest economic future the world has ever seen.”
Since January 2025, the number of new jobs has increased slowly for some time, only to decrease again in May as the labor market has weakened. From September 2025, they start again. Meanwhile, inflation increased and unemployment remained stable. Figures for October 2025 are missing due to the government shutdown, the longest in US history.
Lower-than-expected jobs numbers led Trump to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Economists have criticized his new Commissioner-designate, warning that the agency’s credibility is now at risk.
5. Executive orders
The practice of a newly installed president signing a series of executive orders in the first few days of their first term was first popularized by Barack Obama, but Mr. Trump went further.
On the first day of his presidency, Mr. Trump issued 26 executive orders. This put him ahead of Joe Biden and Mr Obama, as well as his own 2017 record.
His orders covered everything from federal hiring freezes to energy deregulation. Although, executive orders are not equivalent to legislation, so many of Mr. Trump’s directives will face federal agencies before they take effect.
6. Government reduces
Two months before his election, Mr. Trump, referring to federal employees, said: “They are destroying this country. They are crooked people, they are dishonest people. They will be held accountable.”
Mr Trump has since slashed the federal workforce, an exercise he refers to as “draining the swamp”.
The “swamp” is a nickname for Washington DC inspired by the humid climate of the capital city and the fact that some of the district was originally built on wetlands. Since then it has become associated with the high number of federal workers of the city.
But legalities, laws and regulations should delay further “draining” efforts by Mr. Trump.
7. Oil production
“We’re going to drill, baby, drill,” Mr Trump said in his inauguration speech, adding that the US has “the most oil and gas of any country on Earth – and we’re going to use it”.
This mantra has made clear his goal of increasing fossil fuel extraction, even though US oil production is already at one of the highest rates ever.
8. Bring manufacturing back to America
Trade and tariffs were one of the defining policies of Mr Trump’s first term as president – and they are just as important the second time around.
Mr Trump has reimposed tariffs on Chinese electronics and threatened European carmakers with new duties. It’s a familiar playbook — and one that could spark another round of retaliation.
He no longer allows imports into the US without an appropriate tariff, stating that countries should embrace “a little tough love”.
In April 2025, the effect of his tariffs first began to show: the trade balance of the United States is creeping towards zero.