Trump’s top 10 achievements in 2025

OPINION:

President Trump has been in office for 11 months, redefining the role of the presidency. Those who voted for him wanted a change-maker, a disrupter, someone who could come to Washington and clean out the swamp. In his second nonconsecutive term, Mr. Trump has done just that. Here are his top 10 achievements:

1. Tariffs: In April, “Liberation Day” was more like libation day on Wall Street. Traders, economists and pundits alike all predicted a recession with Mr. Trump’s implementation of worldwide tariffs. Instead of doom and gloom, however, Mr. Trump was able to use the economic threat to resolve wars around the globe (India, Pakistan) and collect more than $200 billion in new tariff revenue by the end of 2025. Even The Wall Street Journal wrote last week that “an economic collapse hasn’t materialized” and begrudgingly acknowledged that “the numbers so far show the U.S. economy has held up.”

2. Immigration: On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump promised to close the southern border on Day 1, and he pretty much did. The Trump administration has delivered seven straight months of zero releases at the border. Nationwide crossings remain 92% lower than the peak under the Biden administration. Mr. Trump was correct: No new legislation was needed, just a new president willing to enforce the immigration laws already on the books.

3. Gender realignment: On his first day in office, Mr. Trump ended transgender madness, recognizing that “women are biologically female, and men are biologically male.” His administration recognized two sexes: male and female. “These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”

4. Ending diversity, equity and inclusion: Also on his first day in office, Mr. Trump signed executive orders to cut funding, dismantle DEI offices, halt equity-focused grants and remove DEI from federal hiring and promotion processes. The Trump administration has correctly emphasized merit and equal opportunity instead.

5. Returning public education to the states: In March, Mr. Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. His administration has shifted the Department of Education’s functions to other federal agencies. U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon embarked on a 50-state tour to empower local leaders in K-12 education with best practices customized to their localities and specific needs. She is working to put herself out of a job, to break up the federal education bureaucracy and ensure federal taxpayer spending is returned to the states.

6. Lowering prescription drug prices: As Republicans in Congress flounder on health care policy, Mr. Trump has taken the lead in the White House to reduce the cost of drugs for American consumers. He has struck agreements with major pharmaceutical companies to provide drug costs in line with the lowest prices paid by other developed nations, known as the most-favored-nation price. The agreements will give every state Medicaid program in the country access to MFN drug prices, resulting in billions of dollars in savings and allowing American consumers to buy lifesaving drugs at a deep discount off the list price through TrumpRx.

7. Deregulation: Mr. Trump signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to identify at least 10 existing regulations for repeal for every new regulation they propose to implement. This goes beyond the “two-for-one” order of his first term, requiring the total incremental cost of all new rules in a fiscal year to be “significantly less than zero.” At the Environmental Protection Agency, Administrator Lee Zeldin has targeted regulations, such as the 2009 Endangerment Finding for greenhouse gases, reconsidered emissions standards for oil and gas and repealed stricter coal plant rules in an effort to cut costs, boost energy and increase affordability for consumers.

8. Drill, baby, drill: Mr. Trump’s Energy Department has ushered in an unprecedented era of energy dominance, resulting in record energy production and more affordable prices. Gas prices are at a four-year low, averaging about $2.90 per gallon, resulting in more than $500 million in savings for the American people this Christmas. The U.S. leads the world in oil and natural gas production, producing more oil than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined at 24.2 million barrels per day. The U.S. now makes as much natural gas as Russia, Iran and China combined, at 108 billion cubic feet per day.

9. Passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Mr. Trump made his 2017 tax cuts permanent while securing enhanced child care subsidies, eliminating the tax on tips and exempting overtime and Social Security from taxation for the American public. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes Trump Accounts, a $1,000 investment in children born in the U.S. from the Treasury to get a head start on the American dream.

10. President of peace: Although a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war has remained elusive, Mr. Trump has ended eight wars in just eight months in office. Through his use of U.S. economic pressure and military might, he has facilitated a peaceful resolution between warring nations, including in the Middle East.