A year into his return, Trump wields executive power with few restraints

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Tuesday will mark his first year back in the White House after a shock-and-awe policy blitz that has expanded presidential power and reshaped America’s relations with the world. As he enters his second year, he appears increasingly unconstrained, pursuing policies that have deepened divisions in the country.

In recent weeks, Trump ordered a more aggressive federal crackdown on illegal immigration in Minnesota that led to the shooting death of an unarmed woman motorist by a federal agent, oversaw an audacious military raid on Venezuela to capture President Nicolas Maduro, revived his controversial plan to take over Greenland, threatened to bomb Iran, and shrugged off concerns over a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

“I don’t care,” Trump told Reuters in an Oval Office interview last week when asked about the potential economic fallout from the probe into Powell. Speaking to The New York Times on January 7, Trump said the only check on him as commander-in-chief to launch military strikes abroad was “my own morality.”

Taken together, Trump’s comments underscore a view of the presidency in which he is constrained chiefly by his own judgment rather than institutional restraint.

Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, said Trump’s first instinct is diplomacy and he makes all decisions thoughtfully. But she added he keeps all options on the table and decided to send the US military into Venezuela to capture Maduro, and to bomb three Iranian nuclear facilities last year, “after both failed to negotiate in a serious way.”

When Trump triumphantly returned to the White House on January 20, 2025, for a second term, he vowed to remake the economy, the federal bureaucracy, immigration policy and much of US cultural life. He has delivered on much of that agenda, becoming one of the most powerful presidents in modern US history.

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Like all US presidents who cannot seek another term, Trump faces the almost inevitable waning of power in his second year. He remains a deeply unpopular figure: a

growing number of Americans are unhappy with his handling of the economy and have concerns about his priorities. But opinions are deeply polarized and he still enjoys substantial support among his core supporters.

Trump’s approval rating stands at 41% according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week, with 58% of US adults disapproving of his job performance. The number is low for US presidents in general but not the lowest of Trump’s second term.

“Trump’s total disregard for the rule of law or basic checks and balances has made Americans less safe across the board,” said Democratic strategist Alex Floyd, adding that voters could punish Republicans for what he described as “lawless behavior.”

In his interview with Reuters, Trump acknowledged that Republicans were in danger of losing control of Congress in the November elections, saying history does not favor the party of the president in midterms. Earlier, he told a gathering of Republican lawmakers to fight to retain control of Congress, or a newly empowered Democratic majority in the House of Representatives would impeach him for the third time.

When asked by Reuters about Americans’ worries about high prices - the top issue for voters ahead of the elections - Trump repeated his claim the economy was the “strongest” in history, despite data showing stubbornly high inflation.