Trump’s 2025: A year that defied expectations

The first year of Donald Trump's second presidential term has ended. 2025 was full of surprises, some successes far more resounding than some thought achievable and other issues that could not be solved the way the president had planned. What is clear is that once again it has become clear that the president has a completely different way of doing politics and will never cease to surprise.

Migration

The disaster at the border and the insecurity brought about by migration without the necessary checks, allowed during the Biden Administration, made immigration one of the main concerns of Americans. President Trump achieved an absolute triumph in just weeks. While for years, out-of-control Democrats claimed that Congressional bills were needed to solve the problem at the border and that Republicans would not allow them, the president, with his powers alone, succeeded in solving the issue much faster than most thought possible.

Now new challenges have arrived on the immigration issue. Democrats have used the issue to demonize ICE and try to create conflict between communities and agents. Among Republicans, while all generally applaud the president's successful work, there are differences over the ways in which the issue should be addressed going forward, once the border is secured. Some critics, especially in the Hispanic community, say it is necessary to focus only on criminals and value the contribution of hard-working migrants.

The mid-term elections are approaching and the Hispanic vote will once again be decisive. The immigration issue has been a resounding success for the administration, but now that the risks left by the Biden Administration have been controlled, it may be necessary to reevaluate the approach.

Economy

The economy remains the top concern of Americans, but the issue is not easy to analyze. The numbers show that the administration has made great achievements in this area, but Americans are still dissatisfied and expect deeper price reductions. Although inflation has decreased, some specific, much-needed products, such as meat, continue to have very high prices.

Among the administration's achievements, we can highlight that inflation is at its lowest point since the spring of 2021, at 2.7%. Wages are growing at a higher rate than inflation. Economic growth exceeded expectations, reaching 4.3% in the third quarter. Also, the average price of gasoline is below $3 dollars per gallon, the lowest since December 2020. President Trump also made great strides in cutting taxes and keeping his cuts.

Despite all that good news, polls show that Americans remain concerned about the cost of living, housing and healthcare. So bringing prices down, even further, will be one of the most important challenges of this administration.

International Policy

In international policy lies another of this administration’s great triumphs. Trump has achieved for Latin America one of the most important moments in history, the capture of Nicolás Maduro. Although for Democrats the matter is an overreach of their powers, millions of Hispanics today gratefully celebrate President Trump's actions.

For this administration's vision, of driving enemies out of their region, it is also a fundamental achievement. Venezuela became the office of international crime lords and drug traffickers, China and Iran have big business in the country, but thanks to a risky action that many saw as unlikely, this administration has decided to remove America's enemies from Venezuela and all of Latin America.

The international arena has also brought new challenges. The Russia-Ukraine war ended up being a much more difficult conflict to resolve than the President believed. As for Israel and Gaza, at times public opinion, and the MAGA base itself, seemed to question the president about Israel's actions. Neither of these conflicts belong to Trump nor are they the Republican's fault, but because of the U.S. position and the president's intentions to help mediate, these wars add to the challenges he will face in 2026.

Finally, it is impossible not to mention how President Trump has reshaped international politics even in aspects such as aid and cooperation in international organizations. The year began with a big scandal when the president decided to close USAID, the Democrats assured that chaos was coming worldwide, contrary to that the position of the United States and aid to international partners has been strengthened.

President Trump ended funding for UNRWA, which, according to several reports, had even been infiltrated by members of foreign terrorist organizations. He formalized the exit from the Paris Climate Agreement. He also got the NATO countries to commit 5% of their GDP to defense, among other major changes that led by Secretary Marco Rubio have made all international policy based on the principle of benefiting the United States.

2025 left great achievements for the president, but not everything is settled. 2026 will bring a crucial test, as Donald Trump himself has said, if the Republicans do not win the midterm elections he will have to face impeachment and, in addition, enormous difficulties in getting through Congress the necessary bills to execute his agenda. But beyond the accomplishments and challenges ahead, without a doubt, 2025 has shown us an even more determined and courageous Trump than some knew existed.