It must have been the most eventful first month in any US presidency on record. The new/old president has been firing multiple executive orders daily, while his loyal troops (including Elon Musk) are not wasting time scrutinising every decision, every dollar spent by his predecessors.
Of course, this is in part the fulfillment of some of his electoral promises regarding spending cuts, trimming bloated bureaucracy or challenging every country seen as taking advantage of trade with America.
However, let's not forget that Trump already had 4 years in the White House and plenty of time to have done that then.
The remarkable zeal with which he's plowing through both American bureaucracy and international order can only be explained by his desire to get even with everybody he believes wronged him (or the USA, which he represents) in the past.
His anger isn't entirely baseless, after all, considering he was a target of two impeachment proceedings, numerous lawsuits, and a felony conviction in New York under at least somewhat questionable circumstances, not to mention an assassination attempt in which the bullet came within an inch of killing him.
He's also obviously very bitter about the loss in 2020, which he continues to blame on manipulation by his opponents (including some from within his ranks) and the concerted media campaign to bring him down (as triumphantly admitted by Time back in 2021).
On January 20, 2025 he entered the executive bulldozer, surrounded only by the most loyal lieutenants, and started a campaign of total destruction of every enemy and everything they put into law before 2025.
Audits carried out by DOGE are as much about getting rid of bureaucratic deadweight as they are about finding evidence of corruption and political manipulation committed by Democrats and their sympathisers misusing public funding for years.
In the process even their private market allies are going to have the taps closed, like in the example of questionable – and now cancelled – subscriptions to Politico's Pro service that cost the administration $8 million per year.
He has also waged war on ideological remnants of the left-wing administration, including banning transgender people from participation in women's sports and the military, outlawing invasive gender treatments on children, reversing many environmental orders on emissions and drilling, to clamping down on the flood of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border – and starting their mass deportations.
Trump is ruthlessly gutting everything that Democrats hold dear and have championed in their increasingly left-wing agenda in recent years.
Cutting imports, exporting contempt
Nobody abroad is spared his wrath either. Following threats of additional 25% levies on goods shipped from the closest neighbours, Mexico and Canada, as well as 10% for China (of course) every other country in the world is now on notice, with Trump threatening to introduce at least reciprocal tariffs.
But it's on security where he chose to really flex his muscles. This is why he sent JD Vance to Munich Security Conference with a lashing directed not at enemies but European allies whom he considers no better than Democrats at home.
With the exception of Viktor Orban and maybe Robert Fico, Trump won't be shaking too many hands with EU officials, as he knows they would rather still have Joe Biden around.
This is why he has decided to push for direct, bilateral talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, leaving baffled Europeans on the sidelines, together with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump holds him in special contempt after he failed (or refused) to provide any incriminating evidence regarding Biden family business dealings in Ukraine, which Trump sought in 2019, ahead of his re-election campaign.
The scandal, once uncovered, led to the first impeachment trial initiated against Trump less than a year before the vote and must be seen as one of the reasons for his ultimate defeat (surely by him, at least).
This would explain the snub Zelenskyy received regarding talks with Russia, followed by a salvo of insults launched by Trump against him in recent days – where he labelled him a "dictator" with a "4% support" – coupled with demands that Ukraine holds a presidential election before any talks can commence, clearly an attempt by Trump to get rid of Zelenskyy altogether.
Knowing that he can't hope for another term, the US president is well aware that he has just 4 years to exact revenge and impose his will on everybody at home and abroad. This may realistically be cut to just two years, if Republicans fail to control the Congress after the midterms (a common occurrence in American politics).
What's worse (for everybody), he has nothing to lose.
Pushing 80 next year he's getting very old, very soon. He survived all the trials and an attempt on his life, and won the presidency back. He can't let it go to waste.
Before stepping down he wants to leave an indelible mark on the world and the US, proving all his critics and enemies that he was the one who came out on top in the end. And make them all feel it, regardless of collateral damage his actions may cause.
