Donald Trump marks two weeks in power on Monday and already there are clear signals how the next four years will unfold for America.

Upon assuming the presidency, Trump quickly took charge, issuing executive orders that caught the attention of both allies and foes, setting in motion changes that will have long-lasting effects.

The immigration system saw significant alterations, a campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives was initiated, individuals involved in the January 6 riot were pardoned, trade disputes loomed, and endeavors to acquire Greenland and exert control over the Panama Canal were set in motion, along with a move to cleanse the federal government’s ranks.

Amidst this flurry of policy decisions, there were also updates such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico, providing relief for TikTok, launching a cryptocurrency based on memes, and a surge of activity on various social media platforms.

While most world leaders view their first 100 days as the period to roll out big ideas, Trump has condensed that timeline to about 10.

One reason for the rush is that, with the Constitution barring a third term, he has limited time. By Labor Day, much of the political world will already start turning its focus to the 2026 midterm elections.

The pace so far has been staggering as Trump eclipses his predecessors. He signed 26 executive orders on day one alone, many of them with far-reaching consequences.

Overall, there has been a sense of purpose and organization, much more so than the first time around.

Eight years ago, Trump’s early days in office were marred by internal feuding among staff. Some of his initial policy moves then, like the repeal of Obamacare, went nowhere.

This time, there has clearly been detailed behind-the-scenes planning and loyalists were in place from the get-go. When Trump walked into the Oval Office the executive orders were already drafted. All he needed to do was grab a Sharpie and sign. And it has allowed him to start with a bang.

Here are the most important takeaways so far.

Trump will ‘flood the zone ‘ for the next four years

Trump has embarked on a deliberate strategy which his officials call ‘flooding the zone’ or ‘shock and awe’.

The aim is for Trump to be a ubiquitous presence in the headlines, which leaves Democrats struggling to be heard and Republican dissenters drowned out.

In a matter of hours he can make a series of announcements, any one of which would normally dominate the news cycle for days.

Trump has already talked so much that White House stenographers are seeking to hire additional staff.

In his first week, he spoke publicly on camera for a total of 7 hours 44 minutes – longer than the first three ‘Star Wars’ movies combined – delivering an astonishing 81,235 words.

That was more than double the first week of his first term.

By comparison Joe Biden, in his first week, spent 2 hours and 36 minutes on camera, and spoke 24,259 words.

Kevin Madden, a Republican communications strategist, said: ‘One of the things that has given him (Trump) the advantage is that he thinks like an executive producer. He’s constantly programming the next hour and trying to keep his audience engaged.’

On his first day Trump gave his inaugural address, then an even longer speech to supporters, then held a rally at a sports arena, and finished off by spontaneously inviting reporters into the Oval Office for an hour while signing executive orders.

He has continued in that vein, already speaking to the media on Air Force One twice, the same number of times as Biden in his entire term.

Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s new press secretary, says he is bringing an unprecedented transparency to the White House.

And his aides believe it is working, with his approval rating at its highest ever.

‘He doesn’t just flood the zone, he drowns it,’ said Evan Nierman, founder of public relations agency Red Banyan. ‘Flooding the zone is his way of making sure no single controversy sticks because there’s always a new one incoming.’

Critics suggest it will lead to Americans becoming overwhelmed and ‘checking out,’ while Democrats hope Trump will wear out his welcome through overexposure and ‘Trump fatigue’.

Overall, it is a high-wire act, and has already led to some missteps – notably a rushed move to pause federal grants to check if they were promoting DEI programs. That led to chaos as schools and other institutions struggled to figure out what was going on.

Immigration will be at the heart of Trump’s presidency

Perhaps Trump’s most key campaign pledge was to deport 11 million illegal aliens from the United States – and he has started quickly.

One of his first executive orders was to authorize the military to help secure the border.

Always with an eye to sending a symbolic message, Trump then authorized Leavitt to release images of migrants being loaded on to a C-17 Air Force plane.

‘President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences.’ Leavitt wrote.

Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro refused to accept U.S. military planes so Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on Colombian exports.

It was a signal of Trump’s willingness to wield tariffs as a weapon if he doesn’t get his way. 

He picked Chicago and New York City to launch the first high-profile raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Both cities are run by Democrats and have so-called sanctuary laws.

Kristi Noem, Trump’s new homeland security secretary, and border czar Tom Homan, launched televised raids to capture ‘dirtbags’ and even drafted in Dr. Phil to come along. Meanwhile, Back in Washington, Leavitt displayed a rogues’ gallery of those being deported.

Trump has also opened up other fronts,. On Thursday he announced that up to 30,000 illegal immigrants would be detained at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

And in an executive order he sought to end the right to birthright citizenship.

A judge quickly blocked it, saying it clashed with the 14th Amendment from 1868 and was ‘blatantly unconstitutional’.

Trump said he was confident of winning in the U.S. Supreme Court but it was an early sign that some of his policies will face intense legal battles over the next four years.

Trump has put allies on notice

Foreign ambassadors in Washington often have to deal with the question from officials back home – ‘What did Trump really mean?’

Over the last two weeks leaders, across the globe – both friend and foe – have been hanging on every one of the many words Trump has spoken.

An off-the-cuff comment by an unfiltered president can cause a global incident.

What they all really want is access and it was Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who scooped Trump’s first phone call with another world leader.

He did so by promising ton invest $600 billion in the United States. Trump promptly said he would like $1 trillion.

It was a sign that foreign relations with Trump over the next four years will be purely transactional.

He has already demanded that NATO members up their defense spending goal from 2 percent of GDP to 5 percent.

Trump also made clear that he will use tariffs as a cudgel against America’s allies.

He threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, potentially disrupting $1.6 trillion in annual trade, unless they take stronger action against illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling.

He is also considering tariffs against the European Union, who he said had been ‘very, very bad to us’.

But the most unexpected early development has been his clear desire for the U.S. to expand its territory over the next four years.

His previous suggestion that the U.S. take over Greenland had been dismissed – particularly in Europe – as a flight of fancy,

But it is very real and the reasons are clear. Greenland is strategically important for the U.S. as it looks to sure up national security against Russia and China, it has abundant natural mineral resources, and would be a major legacy for Trump’s presidency.

An early 45-minute phone call between Trump and Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, which has owned Greenland since 1814, was said to have gone ‘horrendously,’ according to Danish reports.

Trump has four years to make the Danes see it his way.

Meanwhile, he ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the Gulf of America, to the outrage of the Mexican president. 

And he also set his sights on retaking control of the Panama Canal, which was sold to Panama by President Jimmy Carter.

Trump has made clear control of the lucrative canal is one of his ‘core’ aims and, with Panama adamantly opposed to handing it over, the issue is likely to be a major point of contention during his presidency.

The ‘deep state’ will be purged

One of the clear winners of Trump’s first two weeks is Elon Musk.

Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been given license to take a scythe to federal bureaucracy.

The biggest move so far was to send an email to two million federal employees offering them eight months’ salary if they resign by February 6.

The extraordinary move is expected to reduce the size of the government by up to 10 percent and save tens of billions of dollars annually.

It would amount to a far bigger disruption of Washington and the so-called ‘deep state’ than anything Trump managed in his first term.

The federal government employs more than 3 million people as of November, accounting for 1.9 percent of America’s entire civilian workforce.

Critics claim the repercussions could be incalculable, send shockwaves through the economy, and trigger widespread issues across society.

They point to problems that would be caused by the potential future absence of officials like those who process loans for small businesses, or procure military weaponry, food inspectors, and water safety scientists.

Everett Kelley, head of the American Federation of Government Employees union, said: ‘Purging the federal government…will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government.’

Meanwhile, Trump quickly made good on his pledge to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in the federal government.

By the end of his third day in office he had ended all government DEI programs and laid off employees hired for them.

‘We’re not going to put up with that crap anymore,’ he said.

Trump’s revenge tour

Because the Constitution bars a third term Trump has little need to worry about political fallout if he settles old scores over the next four years – and he has already shown he will.

Within hours of taking office he pardoned more than 1,500 people who were convicted or charged in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Shortly before the inauguration J.D. Vance had suggested violent offenders would not receive clemency.

But Trump went further than had been expected, including commuting the long prison sentences given to the leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers for seditious conspiracy.

He went on to end the taxpayer-funded protective security detail assigned to Dr. Anthony Fauci, his former COVID-19 adviser, with whom he had a fractious relationship.

Within hours of Trump taking office portraits of his former top general Mark Milley were removed from the Pentagon.

Milley – who Trump described as a ‘woke train wreck’ – had his protective detail and intelligence security clearance revoked.

Also losing their protection are former national security adviser John Bolton, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Biden had extended protection to them due to threats from Iran.

Some of Trump’s allies urged him to rethink but Trump’s position was clear.

‘They all made a lot of money. They can hire their own security.’ Trump said.

At the FBI, which investigated Trump while he was out of office, numerous senior officials have already been ordered to leave or be fired.

Trump’s economic plan is ‘energy dominance,’ tariffs and low taxes

The state of the economy, and particularly dire inflation, under Joe Biden was one of the main reasons Donald Trump was elected. U.S.

Inflation increased by the most in eight months in December, Biden’s final full month in office.

To kickstart the economy Trump has issued several order aimed at achieving ‘energy dominance’.

He eased regulations on oil and natural gas production, including further opening up Alaska, and pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord, which is aimed at moving away from fossil fuels.

Trump argues his proposed tariffs on America’s three largest trading partners – China, Canada and Mexico – would bring prosperity and jobs at home.

He has also made early suggestions of a 100 percent tariff on BRICS nations – the bloc including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The global economy is bracing for impact with JPMorgan analysts warning it could cause a ‘significant shock.”

Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro said tariffs would help pay for an extension of his 2017 tax cuts, which total some $4 trillion and expire this year.

‘President Trump has a great new tax cut, the largest in history, and tariffs can easily pay for that,’ Navarro said.