This roundup highlights President Donald Trump’s actions during the first three months of his second term, along with the current and future impact on society. It also includes links to some of HUNewsService.com‘s multimedia coverage of the Trump administration.
Supporters Unbothered by Cold and Lines
From the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the countryside of Georgia, more than 20,000 supporters of President Donald Trump swarmed the Capital One Arena to commemorate his inaugural ceremony. Some stood outside for hours in 20-degree weather to celebrate the moment. Trump supporter Nelson Duncan traveled over 900 hundred miles from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Capital One Arena to join the celebration. “We waited in line for four to five hours, and we couldn’t get in,” Duncan said. He joked about his experience, saying, “So you can say we survived a Trump line.” Stacey Wells of Detroit, said that her vote mainly hinged on Trump’s plan to change the Department of Education. “The regulations that have been put down on private and public institutions have been too stringent,” Wells said.
Trump’s First Week: Then and Now
Trump hasn’t deviated from his original message and rhetoric, but this term he was urgent to start implementing his plans. On his first day, he signed over 20 executive orders, proposed pulling birthright citizenship and ended federal DEI policies.
Trump’s return has been swift and sweeping, leaving political observers questioning how much has changed and what remains exactly the same.
He’s changing the very ways in which policy gets made.”
Norman Sandridge, Ph.D., political science professor at Howard University
During Trump’s first 100 days in 2017, he signed 30 executive orders. Fast forward to 2025 when he signed 50 — including 20 in his first week.
‘Co-President’ Elon Musk and DOGE
Trump gave billionaire Elon Musk unprecedented influence over reshaping the U.S. federal bureaucracy with a hand-picked team of outsiders in the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, known simply as DOGE. Some of DOGE’s actions include accessing data systems, organizing layoffs of federal workers, and canceling programs and grants that benefit the public.
Trump’s LGBTQ+ Stance
Since the beginning of his second term, President Trump has launched a series of targeted attacks against transgender people and identities. In a series of executive orders, he has announced his intentions to ban transgender people in the U.S. military; declared that the federal government would only recognize two sexes, male and female; blocked public schools from using federal funding to support trans students and teach trans-inclusive curriculum and removed references to transgender Americans from websites of federal agencies. Most recently, he labeled “gender ideology” a form of child abuse and halted federal funding for gender-affirming medical care for people under 19.
Trump’s Tariffs
Businesses are already charging more for items made in other countries, because of the tariffs or taxes that the government adds to imported goods. President Trump signed an executive order on April 2, placing a 10% tariff on all imported goods from other countries. This includes additional tariffs for some countries like China. A product like the Playstation 5, which is made in China then shipped to the U.S., would originally cost about $500. But, if Trump’s proposed tariffs are enacted, the price could double to more than $1,000 — a nearly $500 difference.
Controversial Nominees
Linda McMahon’s critics complained that she didn’t have enough experience to head the Department of Education, which Trump wants to dismantle. Her primary experience was co-founding and serving as CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) with her husband, Vince McMahon. She stepped down as CEO in 2010 to run for a Senate seat in Connecticut, but lost to Richard Blumenthal. Another controversial nominee was Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wants to “make America healthy again” as Secretary of Health and Human Services. His sharpest critic was cousin Caroline Kennedy, both of whom lost their famous fathers during assassinations.
“Today, I am very honored to recognize Feb. 9, 2025, as the first ever Gulf of America Day.”
President Donald Trump
Freedom of the Press … and the People
In a landmark ruling on April 8, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden ordered the Trump administration to restore the Associated Press access to the White House press pool. The administration had removed AP after it refused to comply with a directive to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” The court deemed the decision a violation of First Amendment protections. However, days after the court’s ruling, the Trump administration also restricted access for Bloomberg and Reuters. “Restrictions on White House media coverage only hurt the American people who rely on unfiltered journalism to stay informed and make decisions critical to their lives,” Eugene Daniels, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, which has managed the pool for a century, said in a statement.
Tense Talks
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in the Oval Office to talk about foreign affairs and efforts that can be made to end Ukraine and Russia’s 11-year war. The discussion quickly turned heated, endangering relationships with some of the United States’ strongest allies.
Pell Grant Funding Runs Low
The Trump administration is unlikely to eliminate the Pell Grant as it dismantles the Department of Education. However, funding for program is running out, which means that students might receive reduced aid — or none at all — over the next decade. “The Pell Grant Program is now expected to run out of reserves by the end of this year and is expected to face a $71 billion to $111 billion 10-year shortfall, based on new data from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO),” according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Defunding Public Radio and Television
The Trump administration is pushing to eliminate federal funding
for public media. A proposed $1.1 billion cut to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) would disproportionately impact rural and underserved communities, where local stations rely heavily on federal support.
What Does ‘Black’ Mean to Trump?
Six years ago, the Diversity Style Guide capitalized the word “Black” when referring to African Americans. Since then, many institutions and most news outlets have followed suit. But President Trump’s 2025 Black History Month proclamation capitalizes “Black” in the holiday, but lowercases “black” in “black American.” The inconsistency raises questions about how presidential language shapes identity, power and policy. “This could impact how somebody views the particular message and also how their reality might be affected by how something is written,” said Alla Tovares, Ph.D., professor of linguistics at Howard University. Listen to the full audio story to hear more.
Cory Booker’s ‘Good Trouble’ Marathon
In the name of “good trouble,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., pledged to disrupt the Senate with a speech that would go on for “as long as I am physically able.” Booker’s speech went on for 25 hours, breaking the record of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., in his filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. “Please do not let this be another normal day in America,” Booker pleaded with the Senate floor and the viewers at home around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, in his 19th hour of holding the floor. During this time, he went through 1,164 pages of prepared material “to uplift the stories of Americans who are being harmed by the Trump Administration.” His protest fell under the “good trouble” that the late Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis advocated.
‘Not Like Us’
“You really ’bout to do it?” backup dancers asked Kendrick Lamar as the instrumental of “Not Like Us” repeatedly started and stopped, teasing spectators at the Super Bowl and at watch parties across the country. Viewers watched the symbolism-filled performance as Lamar’s background dancers formed the American flag around him as he rapped. As Lamar moved from stage to stage, actor Samuel L. Jackson, who introduced himself as Uncle Sam, the American caricature of patriotism, antagonizes Lamar about giving “America what it wants.” But what does that mean? That’s the question — and it goes beyond Lamar’s five-time Grammy-winning diss track aimed at Drake.
Dear Colleague,
The U.S. Department of Education sent letters to state education boards informing them that to continue receiving federal financial assistance, they must remove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from their schools. However, three federal judges ruled against this action. The education department also sent a letter to Harvard University, threatening to freeze its $2.2 billion funding for research. However, Harvard pushed back by filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday.
A Nazi Salute?
(Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters via CNN Newsource)
Elon Musk’s alleged Nazi salute at Trump’s inauguration is still making waves across the cultural landscape. Social media personality Adin Ross made a similar gesture at a meet-and-greet with young fans and later apologized. Musk has not, denying that he was making the Roman salute, also known as the Hitler Salute. “If people are actually trying to defend him, saying that wasn’t the Nazi salute — a gesture that inspires fear and hatred for all marginalized groups — I can’t imagine what this country is becoming,” said Howard University student Leilani Bacchas.
Contributors: Amarie Betancourt, Christion Billy, Rachel Bunch, Brandon Byrd, Davis Dailey, Kristin Edwards, Anijah Franklin, Kayleigh Holcombe Jordan Jarrett, Ashley Johnson, Tait Manning, Christian Marshall, Sabrina McCrear, Donovan McNeal, Tcherika Petit-Frere, Tia Pitts, Vida Poyner-Chillious, Camiryn Stepteau and Mackenzie Williams.
