Proof of Performance: Assessing the First 50 Days of Trump 2.0

The early days of the second Trump administration brought a dizzying number of policy and practice changes to the federal government. Through executive orders, directives, proclamations by social media, emails to federal employees, and statements to the press, President Trump, his administration, and his formal and informal advisers are bringing change to government and U.S. geopolitical standing with a velocity unmatched in U.S. history.\r\n\r\nThere\'s debate, however, about whether all this change is actually making America great (again) or is a destabilization of already beleaguered government institutions and frayed relationships with allies. On Fox News, Hugh Hewitt described the president\'s first week as \"the governing equivalent of batting 1.000 or hitting 10 for 10 from behind the arc in the NBA.\" Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal editorial board took aim at the following week\'s tariff announcements with the headline \"The Dumbest Trade War in History.\"