Many posts have discussed the presidency.
My article in La Tercera (original English):
The first year of President Trump's second term was full of action. He got Congress to pack much of his domestic agenda into what he called "One Big Beautiful Bill." The legislation cut taxes, with the benefits flowing mainly to the wealthiest Americans. It partly offset the tax reductions by cutting programs for the poor.
Trump assigned billionaire Elon Musk to cut "waste, fraud, and abuse" in the government. The effort failed. The young staffers who worked for Musk did not know what they were doing. They disrupted government operations and fired experienced employees without finding much waste. Their actions led to lawsuits and required expensive remedial measures. In the end, Musk cost American taxpayers more money than he saved. By the end of 2025, the federal government's debt had risen to $38 trillion.
On the positive side, the economy grew, and inflation remained modest, continuing trends that had begun during the Biden administration. Additionally, Trump's tariffs did not lead to the immediate price spikes that many had feared. Nevertheless, economists warned that tariffs could drive up prices in 2026.
Trump's record on foreign policy was also mixed. His administration helped broker a cease-fire in Gaza and carried out a military strike that set back Iran's nuclear program. The abduction of Nicolas Maduro possibly opened long-term opportunities for American oil companies, but it was not clear how the Venezuelan people would fare.
During his 2024 reelection campaign, Trump repeatedly promised that he would end the war in Ukraine in the first 24 hours of his term. But despite his courtship of Vladimir Putin, the war dragged on. He was no more successful in his quest to gain ownership of Greenland.
All in all, it was a year to remember, though not necessarily for the reasons that Trump wanted.
Since I wrote that piece, things have gotten worse for Trump. Tricia Escobedo at CNN:
President Donald Trump showed his first signs of retreat since surging federal immigration agents in Minnesota late last year — replacing the leader of the crackdown on the ground and signaling a new willingness to cooperate with the state’s Democratic elected officials. Top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and some of his agents are expected to leave Minneapolis today and return to their respective sectors, according to three sources, sidelining a key player in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The move comes after Trump announced he was dispatching White House border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis in the wake of the fatal shooting of US citizen Alex Pretti. The White House has said Homan is expected to manage ICE operations in the city.
