The first month of the second Trump administration has flown by. Considering that the incoming Republican administration was replacing a Democratic one, and that Trump, who does not confine his actions to conventional frameworks, was elected to a second term, it would only be natural to expect a major policy shift upon his return to office. Nevertheless, the speed at which numerous new policies have been announced, without waiting for key administration members to be appointed upon Congressional approval, has been overwhelming. Unlike the first Trump administration, this one differs significantly in that its members fully understand how Washington operates and have been making careful preparations since well before Trump’s inauguration. The administration going in with a clear idea of what it wants to achieve is most likely another factor in having successfully gotten its policy shift off to a swift start. In fact, the policies the administration has been announcing match the pledges Trump made during the election campaign—essentially, the administration is now steadily fulfilling its promises.
The Trump administration’s approach to announcing several important policies at once has been described as an “information overload” strategy. Each day brings new information from the White House on a range of issues: illegal immigration; economic policies, including tariffs; government reform; social issues, such as DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives; foreign policy, including stances on conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine; and more. In addition to formal government announcements, Trump himself also makes spontaneous comments during his interactions with the press throughout the day, not to mention making policy proclamations via social media at night. Predicting when and what kind of information will be released is proving an impossible task, with each announcement causing a huge commotion and confusion until its objectives and details become clear. This informational deluge has left the media playing catch-up, the general public with no time to process, the people opposed to Trump (including the Democrats) unable to respond effectively, and the world in a state of shock, caught in Trump’s trap.
As I gradually become more accustomed to this situation, however, I am also finding ways to cope with it. The key to avoid being misled seems to be, as is often the case, accurately assessing the information at hand. Although the forceful methods Trump is employing—many of which would be unthinkable under conventional wisdom—may be surprising to some, again, there are relatively few cases where the policies themselves are a surprise. Additionally, despite the sensational headlines, there are many cases where no real, immediate change has occurred; examples of these are cases where further investigation is required before a policy can be implemented, as well as cases where a pronouncement is symbolic in nature, designed to emphasize a previously unveiled policy. There are also cases where the feasibility of a certain policy is not particularly high once the political and economic costs are considered. While unpredictability is a hallmark of the Trump administration, conversely, this flexibility is precisely the reason it is still possible for the trajectory of an announced policy to change. Accordingly, we can surmise that it would be best to avoid becoming too worked up over day-to-day events and instead focus on the need to analyze what will actually and ultimately change.
