Promises Kept/Promises Broken
The first six months of Trump's second term has been a steady decline toward complete autocracy and perhaps toward bankruptcy. (He has lots of experience with the latter.)
Heart-pounding patriotic music. Jets flying in formation. An abundance of American flags, in almost every shot. Jingoism at its finest. If you had just dropped in from Planet Kolob and didn’t know better, you’d think that Donald Trump was a universally beloved and revered leader.
In case you haven’t guessed, I’m describing the video released by the Trump White House (at Trump’s command, no doubt) touting their “accomplishments” in the first six months of Trump’s second term. It’s a collection of substance-free propaganda that would have made Soviet-era Pravda’s editors blush.
“Thanks to this bill,” the narrator trumpets, “Trump can resign tomorrow.” He’s referring to Trump’s big buxom blond broad of a budget bill — now enacted into law — the law that siphons money away from the working poor and puts it directly into the pockets of Trump’s billionaire buddies. Increasing the wealth gap may not have been one of Trump’s campaign promises, but he has wasted no time in doing exactly that.
Some of the mainstream media are describing Trump’s first six months as “a big win” or similar phrasing that reinforces the Republican narrative. But those outlets fail to acknowledge the chasm between achieving stated objectives and doing what is moral and ethical and right for the country.
It’s certainly true that at least some of Trump’s stated objectives have been met. But using that sole measure to determine success or failure doesn’t take into account the massive economic and social damage — intentional and otherwise — resulting from meeting those objectives.
Truth be told, there are any number of promises that Trump has made that he not only hasn’t kept but also has done the exact opposite on a couple of them.
Here is a random sampling of some of the things that the Trump White House has done and of some that have been conveniently omitted:
January
Trump keeps his promise to become a dictator on Day 1.
Elon Musk sets up shop in the Executive Office Building. The media begin referring to Musk as the “co-president,” based on the amount of power conferred upon him by Trump, and begin reporting on his activities in the White House.
Musk brings a collection of utterly unqualified DOGE employees on board to destroy federal agencies and terminate tens of thousands of federal jobs, many of which provide vital services, all under the utterly false premise of reducing the federal debt.
Trump blames Gov. Newsom and California water policies for L.A. fires, conveniently ignoring the likelihood of arson during times of extremely dry conditions and high winds.
Trump signs an Executive Order banning transgender troops from serving in the military.
February
Trump announces his first batch of tariffs, including tariffs on uninhabited lands, on our biggest trading partners, and even on countries with which we have a trade surplus. This begins a months-long increase in consumer prices that affect every American and have a cascading effect around the world.
Trump announces a takeover of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, naming himself as chair, ousting Biden appointees, and installing his cronies on the board.
Trump ends Temporary Protected Status for more than 300,000 Venezuelans, paving the way for mass deportations.
Trump’s Department of Justice orders the Southern District of New York to drop the corruption case against NYC Mayor Eric Adams.
GOP Congress members start to feel the backlash against Trump’s actions and policies, with noisy disgruntled crowds at town halls. Some Congress members leave their own town halls amid the din of angry constituents. Some cancel their town halls altogether.
Secretary of Defense Hegseth announces an implementation plan to prevent transgender troops from enlisting in the military and to end the service of those who are already serving.
March
ICE illegally deports Kilmar Abrego-Garcia to a Salvadoran torture prison, not only setting off a disturbing chain of events in his own case but drawing international attention and condemnation to the widespread illegal deportation practices in use by ICE.
Trump announces 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, sparking immediate backlash from Canada’s Prime Minister and from Mexican President Sheinbaum. Trump almost immediately puts a pause on some tariffs, giving early credibility to the “TACO” premise — that Trump Always Chickens Out.
Supreme Court rejects Trump’s attempts to stop $2 billion in payments on previously committed U.S.A.I.D. subsidies, after a poorly planned and worse executed set of cuts to international aid.
The stock market responds to the Trump chaos with a 10% drop in the S&P 500 index.
April
The Trump government boasts of the first mass ICE raids in Florida, dubbed “Operation Tidal Wave,” leading to hundreds of arrests and detentions, with virtually no oversight by any entity other than ICE itself.
Trump announces a worldwide minimum 10% tariff on all countries, sending the stock market downward.
It becomes clear that Trump’s promise regarding trade deals of “90 deals in 90 days” is a total fabrication, with only a single deal in the works and no deals formally agreed upon.
Trump signs an Executive Order absurdly requiring AI data centers to power their operations with “clean coal” power.
May
Trump issues an executive order defunding PBS and NPR as retaliation for news coverage that sometimes questions and criticizes his policies. The attempt of a leader to control its nation’s news media has been a hallmark of dictatorships throughout history.
The Hands Off protests around the country and around the world start to reveal how much resistance there is to Trump’s policies and his autocratic aspirations.
Trump accepts a jet valued at approximately $400 million as a gift from the Qatari government, to be used as a replacement for Air Force One. Trump touts it as a win, because he claims it’s something for nothing, but the U.S. taxpayers will still be on the hook for the extremely expensive overhaul required to make it secure enough as transportation for the President. U.S. taxpayers will also be on the hook for another Air Force One because the terms of the “gift” specify that the plane will be given to Trump at the end of his time in the White House for his presidential library.
June
A very public squabble precipitates a very public breakup between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, with Musk using his social media platform to register is displeasure with Trump’s budget bill. Not to be outdone, Trump uses his own social media platform to whine about what he perceives to be Musk’s failures.
With the
assistancecollusion of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump announces the creation of Alligator Alcatraz, a prison (some would say “concentration camp”) in the middle of the Everglades, modeled in part on the original Alcatraz for its inaccessibility and in part on prisons like CECOT, with which Trump has become enamored for its cruelty. Trump heralds the prison as a model for many future similar prisons around the nation to be built for the sole purpose of detaining those perceived to be non-citizens.Trump wastes tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to throw himself a massive failure of a poorly executed and poorly attended birthday parade (masquerading as a celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States Army). In response, the thousands of peaceful No Kings protests take place around the country and in multiple countries around the world, with millions of attendees. This counter-narrative to the daily spew from Trump’s well-oiled propaganda machine captures media attention unlike any protests to date.
July
There is still only one of the “90 deals in 90 days” that has been formalized, with Trump continuing to tinker randomly and capriciously with tariff rates.
Alligator Alcatraz opens on July 3, just weeks after being announced.
Trump signs his “Big Beautiful Bill,” his crowning glory legislation that cuts Medicaid, school lunch programs, and pretty much anything else that helps the average citizen. There have been estimates that the bill will add trillions more to the national debt — the debt Trump and the Republicans have been promising for years that they will reduce.
Trump further obstructs the release of material related to the organized crime sex trafficking ring overseen by Jeffrey Epstein. He leaves many of his most ardent supporters in the lurch and further damages his chances for a favorable outcome in the midterm elections, after having promised throughout his campaign that all materials would be released. The so-called “Epstein Files” has become the single most motivating force for many in MAGA circles. Trump is now left trying to distract everyone from the subject, but he’s not gaining much traction. In fact, the more he attempts to distract, the more it appears he’s got plenty to hide.
Are you still breathing?
This accounting doesn’t begin to cover all the negative results of voting a wannabe autocrat into office. But the list was never intended to be a thorough archive. Instead, it was intended to be a reminder of just how far we can slip in a very short period when there are virtually no checks and balances remaining in our government.
If there’s a takeaway, it’s that the American people are now the only checks and balances. It’s up to all of us to do whatever we can to put the brakes on this out of control administration. Specifically, it’s our duty to oust as many Republicans from Congress as possible in the 2026 midterm elections and to replace them with Democrats who will not flinch in the face of Trump’s fascistic actions.
I can’t say this frequently or loudly enough: None of this would be happening if Republicans in Congress demonstrated even the most rudimentary levels of courage.