Trump 2.0 major developments to date - Powell Tate

Trump 2.0 major developments to date

The first few weeks of the second Trump administration have brought unprecedented actions felt across the federal government, the country and the world. President Trump has signed a record number of executive orders (EOs) and actions – well over 100 EOs, actions and memoranda to date – and, in collaboration with special advisor Elon Musk, pursued a radical remaking of the federal government and its workforce.

Despite statements during the campaign, the administration’s activities mirror many of the plans laid out in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 roadmap. Trump loyalists have been installed in the White House and across the government, raising questions, concerns and uncertainty not just here at home but across much of the globe. The business community has largely remained quiet while navigating the risks of hot-button actions and issues and resulting legal challenges – upwards of 90 lawsuits to date.

Ahead of Trump’s March 4 address to a joint session of Congress, the following analyzes some of the most significant and sweeping developments from the first weeks of Trump 2.0, along with implications and considerations for communications as partisan politics, policy and culture converge and collide.

DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY (DOGE)

What’s happened

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), in coordination if not under the official direction of presidential special advisor Elon Musk, has sought to remake the federal administrative state. It has acted across many agencies and departments with unprecedented speed, though not always clear legal authority or planning.

DOGE – which is not a federal department but a team of mostly young Musk acolytes and allies – has:
- Offered “deferred resignations” to nearly every federal employee and asked them to justify keeping their jobs.
- Fired thousands of federal employees and called on agencies to prepare for a large-scale reduction in force in mid-March.
- Gained access to some of the most sensitive systems and data within the government, including the nation’s payments system and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
- Effectively closed the S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
- Frozen millions of dollars in federal funding and grants across the government in partnership with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
DOGE’s efforts to date appear more motivated by ideology and “move fast and break things.” Musk has set an ambitious goal of slashing $1 trillion in government spending – down from $2 trillion – but DOGE’s public reporting shows only a fraction in savings to date.
DOGE and Musk’s actions have generated significant legal challenges from state attorneys general, federal employees, labor unions and nonprofit advocacy organizations, resulting in temporary pauses on some of DOGE’s efforts.

Communications implications and considerations

DOGE has introduced heightened levels of uncertainty across the federal government, as well as among contractors, regulated entities and funding/grant recipients in nearly every sector and industry, from defense/national security to housing to medical research. Organizations contracting with or receiving/pursuing funding from the government should closely monitor the latest developments, including in the president’s forthcoming budget proposal and address to Congress, and prepare for a pause or discontinuation. In preparation for such outcomes, organizations should communicate transparently and preemptively with internal and external stakeholders to the extent possible, and seek coordination and alignment with organizations similarly impacted, including through associations and coalitions.

TRADE & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

What’s happened

The Trump administration is conducting a comprehensive review of U.S. trade policy as part of its “America First” trade policy.

President Trump has signed executive orders to impose tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China – with a 30-day pause on those for Canada and Mexico that ends on March 4 – and on all steel and aluminum goods.
The administration is also reviewing tariff reciprocity (for countries with higher tariffs on U.S. exports) and considering tariffs on pharmaceuticals, automotives and semiconductors to encourage onshoring in these sectors.
Trade has also been a core issue in bilateral talks with India, Japan and Europe during the first weeks of the administration.
Among other prominent international affairs developments:
- Foreign aid: The administration has paused all foreign assistance funded by USAID while the State Department conducts a review of foreign aid to align it with broader foreign policy priorities. There is likely to be a significant restructuring of U.S. foreign aid.
- Global health: The United States has begun the process of withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO), suspending all U.S. funds to the organization and participation in the WHO-led global pandemic treaty negotiations.
- Ukraine: The United States and Russia have begun talks aimed at a diplomatic settlement to the conflict in Ukraine. Ukraine and European governments are concerned they are not directly engaged in the process and that a U.S.-Russia agreement may not align with their security interests. A U.S.-Ukraine deal on strategic minerals could be signed shortly.

Communications implications and considerations

The administration’s trade policies will require U.S. companies to plan for scenarios where imports could increase costs and disrupt supply chain operations, and to be prepared to communicate the impacts with customers, partners, suppliers and investors. In addition, companies with global operations will need to monitor how U.S. policies and actions are interpreted in political capitals around the world, including any rise in anti-U.S. sentiment, and how foreign governments may respond that could impact their own global manufacturing and supply chain operations.

HEALTHCARE

What’s happened

President Trump has signed several health-related executive orders during his first month in office to repeal priorities of the previous administration. Additionally, the Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – and he has already revealed several key focus areas in his first week.

President Trump rescinded three Executive Orders from President Biden – one that extended the enrollment period for people enrolling in health insurance plans on the Healthcare.gov marketplace and another that funded a program to help people select and enroll in the health plans on Healthcare.gov.
President Trump also rescinded a Biden-era executive order directing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to test different models to lower the cost of medicines.
In addition to appointing RFK Jr. as head of HHS, President Trump established the Make America Healthy Again Commission, tasked with investigating and addressing root causes of chronic disease by empowering Americans with transparency, avoiding conflicts of interest in federally funded research, prioritizing chronic disease in research, ensuring American food is healthy and affordable, and ensuring expanded treatment and coverage options for lifestyle changes that prevent diseases.
Despite pre-confirmation assurances that he would not change vaccine guidance, RFK has taken several vaccine-related actions, including postponing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and announcing he would study the safety of childhood vaccines.

Communications implications and considerations

The administration’s healthcare policies point to two key priorities: 1) decreasing federal spending on healthcare and 2) focusing on root causes of chronic disease. When communicating, companies will need to find their footing within these two frames – while also reassuring the public that the science behind their treatments remains sound and their products are safe amidst growing misinformation and less communications cover from federal health agencies.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION (DEI)

What’s happened

On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued an EO, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” The EO effectively ends federal DEI policies and programs and revokes provisions of the Equal Employment Opportunity EO signed by President Lyndon Johnson (D) in 1965 – with broad implications for private and nonprofit sector organizations. A judge has temporarily paused key parts of the EO.
Among the EO’s key provisions impacting the organizations outside of the government, it:
- Directs the government to ensure federal contractors do not operate DEI programs that consider “race, color, sex, sexual preference, religion or national origin” in ways that violate existing civil rights law.
- Requires federal contractors to affirm that they do not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate federal anti-discrimination laws.
- Directs the Attorney General to prepare recommendations on enforcing federal civil rights laws across the private sector and encouraging the private sector to end DEI practices.
- Asks each government agency to identify civil compliance investigations of publicly traded corporations, large non-profit corporations or associations, foundations, associations and institutions of higher education.

Communications implications and considerations

Cross-disciplinary coordination and collaboration – spanning legal, human resources, corporate affairs, investor relations, communications and other leadership – must be central to any communications engagement with internal and external stakeholders relating to the DEI EO and an organization’s DEI policies, positions, commitments and ways of working in the near- and longer-terms. Companies contracting with the federal government – as well as state governments looking to imitate the Trump administration – should be especially judicious when assessing DEI policies and positions and communicating.

ENERGY/CLIMATE/ESG

What’s happened

The Trump administration has taken several key actions directed at resetting the private sector Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda by loosening regulations (even the ones business is in favor of), giving power to corporate boards over investors and policing what the administration defines as “woke” programs that are not aligned to Trump’s vision for America.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued new policies that make it easier for boards to block shareholder resolutions to limit greenhouse gas emissions or report workforce diversity details.
Trump declared a national energy emergency and established the “National Energy Dominance Council” to support permitting and production of domestic fossil fuels.
The Trump administration signaled that it will issue an interim final rule to revoke “the magna carta” of environmental rules and orders enacted under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving to rescind $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The U.S. has again withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement, making it more challenging for multinational companies to navigate a global patchwork of conflicting environmental priorities and rules.

Communications implications and considerations

Some stakeholders still expect business to act in the face of big, interconnected challenges like those related to energy and climate. Companies should consider scenario plans for stakeholder engagement and communications about sustainable transformation, evaluating policies, positions and practices through the lens of corporate purpose, values and longstanding commitments. Informed by tracking around the latest regulatory and policy shifts as well as developments from spring shareholder proxy season, organizations will also want to consider strategies related to efficiency, productivity, competitiveness and value creation.

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY

What’s happened

The Trump administration has moved quickly to implement campaign promises on immigration, issuing a series of executive orders aimed at tightening border security, curbing illegal immigration, and enhancing domestic enforcement of U.S. immigration law.

President Trump declared a national emergency at the Southern border to mobilize the U.S. military, expedite Southern border wall construction, and increase border surveillance. The administration also reinstated the “Remain in Mexico” policy from the first term, while curtailing asylum and refugee policies. It has deputized state and local officials as federal immigration enforcement agents and warned of financial penalties to sanctuary cities.
Immigration arrests have started in several major cities, with a focus on individuals with criminal records, gang and cartel members, and individuals with alleged ties to terrorism. The Department of Defense is using military aircraft to deport some individuals, with plans to detain others at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The administration announced plans to require undocumented immigrants ages 14 and older to register and provide their fingerprints to the government or potentially face criminal prosecution. Meanwhile, Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced they would evolve a special visa program for investors into a “Trump Gold Card,” offering a path to citizenship for $5 million.
President Trump is attempting to end birthright citizenship for anyone born in the United States. The proposal faces significant legal challenges – a federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump’s executive order – and would require an act of Congress.

Communications implications and considerations

U.S. employers – particularly those with historically high numbers of migrant laborers such as manufacturing, food processing, agriculture, construction and service sectors – should be prepared for increased immigration enforcement in the workplace and have a response plan in place. Consider internal and external stakeholder sentiment when assessing organization policies and related communications, as immigration is a polarizing issue. Companies should monitor policy and political developments closely, especially related to their values, workforce and business interests.

More insights from our subject matter experts

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