Amid a frantic first week in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump pushed through a litany of executive orders, acted on key issues like immigration and tariffs, and saw progress in the confirming of his cabinet picks. In this Q&A, Thomas Gift breaks down the top headlines from Trump’s return to the White House.
How effective have Trump’s tariff strategies been so far in extracting concessions from other countries?
This week, facing the threat of tariffs from the new Donald Trump administration, the Colombian government agreed to accept repatriation flights for migrants after US planes carrying deported migrants were initially blocked from entering the country. The situation is a case-in-point for how Trump wants to use tariffs: as a negotiating ploy, rather than a long-term strategy. This is the transactional nature of the “America First” foreign policy. It’s not values based. It’s about America throwing its weight around and extracting concessions. Trump is likely to view this success in Colombia as a reason to double down on tariffs elsewhere. There’s huge momentum right now inside the administration for 25 percent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. So, we could soon see a continental trade war in North America. For Trump, that may just be the opening salvo before hitting China and the EU with tariffs. It’s a “tariff-first, talk-second” approach to diplomacy.
What has Trump done so far on his promise to strengthen border security?
The bedrock of Trump’s policy is carrying out what he calls the “largest deportation operation in history.” However, the strategy is even broader. The Pentagon has recently announced the deployment of 1,500 additional active-duty troops to the US-Mexico border. Trump has stopped the processing of asylum-seekers. Furthermore, he’s done away the CBP One smartphone app that migrants could use to schedule appointments with US border patrol. Trump is also increasing the authority of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to execute raids. All that means that Mexico is bracing for a wave of migrants incoming. But the real question is how effective this effort will be long-term. Without bipartisan immigration reform, Trump is still limited in what he can achieve unilaterally through executive order.

“President Trump Travels to Georgia” (Public Domain) by The Trump White House Archived
What does Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as Defense Secretary tell us about the likelihood of Trump’s other nominees getting through?
Hegseth’s narrow confirmation, 51-50, with Vice President J.D. Vance breaking the tie, is a warning shot for other Trump nominees, R.F.K., Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. But the one thing we saw with Hegseth was a huge, coordinated political effort to get him confirmed. Dark-money groups were running ads against moderate Republican Senators who were wavering in their vote. Conservative Washington think tanks were putting out statements. Right-wing celebrities and influencers on social media were saying that crossing Hegseth was a red line. And hard-right Republicans were threatening to primary anyone who didn’t vote with the party. So, there’s a major right-wing ecosystem that’s devoted to getting Trump’s confirmations through. For that reason, don’t be surprised if all of Trump’s picks are successful.
How significant is Trump’s recent removal of watchdogs from federal agencies in terms of government accountability?
Trump’s firing of more than a dozen independent inspectors general (independent watchdogs for US government departments) is the kind of thing that doesn’t raise alarm bells with voters because it sounds like bureaucratic reshuffling. But this is consequential, and it’s drawing bipartisan criticism for good reason. For one thing, the terminations appear to breach federal law. Congress is supposed to have 30 days’ notice of any intent to fire Senate-confirmed inspectors general. But more important, this is an example of Trump dismantling what he labels the “deep state.” The concern is that these watchdogs will be supplanted with MAGA loyalists. That could give the White House much more room to act without oversight, including at the Department of Defense, the State Department, the Department of the Treasury, and other major executive agencies.
- This interview is based on comments Thomas Gift made on CNN’s “Newsroom” on 27 January 2025.
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