INTERNATIONAL HERO — PETAL 009
Apr 29, 2025

Trump’s First 100 Days: A Storm of Tariffs, Deportations, and Power Plays

🧭 Thematic Focus:
US Executive Policy | Global Trade | Human Rights & Governance

🌿 Opening Whisper:
Power, when unchecked, moves not with caution—but with thunder.

📌 Key Highlights:

• Tariff Shock: On April 2 (“Liberation Day”), Trump imposed 145% tariffs on Chinese goods and 26% on Indian imports, aiming to bolster domestic manufacturing. Markets reacted sharply: the S&P 500 fell 7.9%, the worst for any US President’s first month since the 1970s.
• Immigration Crackdown: In 100 days, 139,000 deportations were executed, often without due process. Border crossings dropped from 250,000 (Dec 2023) to 7,000 (Mar 2025). Trump also signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship, now under legal challenge.
• DEI Dismantling: All Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs were shut across federal agencies and schools. Harvard University’s resistance led to frozen funding and legal battles.
• January 6 Pardons: Trump controversially pardoned ~1,500 Capitol riot convicts, calling them “patriots”. Legal experts warn this move may undermine constitutional boundaries on executive clemency.
• Foreign Policy Fallout:
  • Claimed credit for a brief Israel-Gaza ceasefire, later proposing Gaza be turned into a “Middle East Riviera”—a plan condemned globally.
  • On Ukraine, suggested ceding Crimea to Russia. President Zelenskyy rejected it outright.
• Musk’s Federal Downsizing: Elon Musk, heading the Department of Government Efficiency, oversaw the firing of 280,000 federal workers, citing budget savings. Economists remain skeptical of projected $150 billion gains.
• 140 Executive Orders: Trump signed 140 executive orders in 100 days, bypassing Congress on major issues including healthcare, tariffs, and education—prompting lawsuits and concern over democratic backsliding.

📚 GS Paper Mapping:

• GS Paper 2: International Relations – India–US, Global Trade Politics
• GS Paper 3: Economy – Tariffs, Government Policy
• GS Paper 4: Ethics – Rule of Law, Discrimination, Executive Power

💭 A Thought Spark — by IAS Monk:
When power rewrites the rules too fast,
the world remembers not the paper signed—
but the silence, suffering, and storms it left behind.