Donald Trump officially resumed the presidency of the United States on January 20, 2025, following a tense and divisive electoral campaign. One hundred days later, the country seems to be on an unprecedented trajectory. Indeed, this goes against the principles of compromise. Moreover, it contradicts the stability that has governed the American institutional order for decades.
From the moment he was inaugurated, Trump imposed a direct, abrupt, and uncompromising style of governance. He openly disregards diplomatic conventions, addresses his conservative electoral base more than the nation as a whole, and claims a program of total political rupture with his predecessor, Joe Biden. The workings of liberal democracy are disrupted. Sometimes, they are even ignored in favor of a centralizing executive. Furthermore, this executive seeks to marginalize any form of counter-power.
Stagnant Growth and Renewed Trade War
On the economic front, the signals are alarming. The U.S. GDP contracted by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025. Indeed, this marks a sudden halt after several years of post-COVID growth. This deterioration is mainly due to a drop in net exports, a direct consequence of the unilateral increase in tariffs. The president has indeed reinstated an American protectionist policy. This policy primarily targets China, but also the European Union and Mexico.
Financial markets react with caution. Foreign investments slow down, companies delay their recruitment plans, and the unemployment rate rises to 4.2%. The president responds by emphasizing disinflation and a recovery of American jobs. However, according to several economic analysts, the price drop observed at the beginning of the year results from measures implemented under the Biden administration. Moreover, some of Trump’s statements on the prices of gasoline, milk, or eggs have proven to be factually inaccurate.
Health: Dismantling Underway
In the field of American public health, the shift is dramatic. By appointing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as head of the Department of Health, Trump chose a controversial figure known for his anti-vaccine stances. The new minister is undertaking a large-scale administrative cleanup: more than 10,000 civil servants are laid off. Additionally, agencies are merged or eliminated. Furthermore, the official withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) is announced.
The budget cuts primarily target health prevention programs and access to care. The Medicaid program, a cornerstone of health coverage for the underprivileged, is being slashed. A presidential commission on chronic diseases is created, theoretically tasked with long-term health planning. However, many medical experts see it as an instrument of ideological propaganda. This could challenge the scientific foundations of health policy.
Education: Conservative Crossroads
The field of education is not spared from this conservative overhaul. Under the leadership of Linda McMahon, the department is conducting massive layoffs. This particularly affects services responsible for school diversity, equal opportunities, and student integration. The directives mandate the elimination of affirmative action policies in American public universities.
Student loans are subject to new drastic conditions. Income-based repayment plans are suspended, and files are transferred to a more opaque quasi-governmental agency. Many young people, especially African Americans and first-generation students, fear having to give up higher education.
Justice: Revenge and Purge
The American federal justice system, a fundamental pillar of the balance of powers, is under severe strain. Donald Trump pardons the Capitol rioters, guilty of storming the U.S. Congress on January 6, 2021. He expunges their criminal records and restores their eligibility.
Simultaneously, key positions in the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are entrusted to loyalists. These appointments trigger a wave of internal resignations. Investigations into political corruption or abuse of power are suspended indefinitely. Federal programs for police reform are frozen. Moreover, the government discourse tends to delegitimize the media, judges, and civic movements.
Diplomacy: Allies’ Mistrust, Strategic Realignments
On the international stage, Trump’s return provokes diplomatic shock and mistrust. He announces the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Then, he questions the relevance of NATO. Finally, he proposes a new "pragmatic agreement" with Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Ukraine sees the promised military aid dwindle. Moreover, Volodymyr Zelensky is publicly discredited during a joint press conference.
At the same time, the trade war with China is reignited. Tariffs reach 125% on certain strategic products. American agricultural exports suffer from retaliatory measures. The international climate becomes tense, and European chancelleries call for diplomatic caution and increased strategic autonomy.
Environment: Deliberate Regression
The ecological shift initiated under Biden is abruptly halted. Trump authorizes the resumption of oil exploration in the Arctic. Furthermore, he abolishes the federal environmental standards established in 2021. He also ends incentives for purchasing electric vehicles.
The dismantling of the Inflation Reduction Act is a cornerstone of the American energy shift. Consequently, this leads to the suspension of dozens of ecological transition projects. Environmental NGOs speak of a "return to the fossil age." Some local administrations, like California, continue their own policies, in open climate resistance to Washington.
Communication and Political Strategy: A Personalized Power
The Trumpian style remains unchanged: morning tweets, fiery speeches, spectacular events. He governs in fits and starts, using presidential executive orders, systematically bypassing the U.S. Congress.
The Republican Party, long divided, now appears largely aligned. Dissenting voices are sidelined. The Democratic opposition struggles to present an audible political counter-narrative. Trump relies on permanent electoral mobilization and uses a vocabulary of cultural warfare. Moreover, he gradually builds a personalized power, based on political loyalty rather than administrative efficiency.
The United States Facing Itself
One hundred days after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the United States seems to be at a moment of historical turning point. While some see it as an authoritarian takeover against a "deviant bureaucracy," others denounce a weakening of counter-powers, an institutionalized polarization, and a challenge to the fundamental principles of American democracy.
The country is at a political crossroads. It remains to be seen whether this fracture is conjunctural or if it marks a lasting metamorphosis of American global leadership.