Donald Trump’s three biggest successes after one year in office

It’s been exactly one year since Donald Trump began his second term as president of the United States.

On the first day of his second administration, Trump signed 26 executive orders—targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, renaming major American landmarks, and seeking to end birthright citizenship, among many other things.

In the 12 months since his return to office, the president has overseen sweeping tariffs on imported goods and reciprocal duties affecting more than 60 countries, significant changes to U.S. health insurance via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and his administration’s efforts to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history.

In recent weeks, the administration has also more aggressively cracked down on illegal immigration in Minnesota, captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a military raid and revived plans to take control of Greenland.

Reflecting on the second Trump administration’s first year in office, Newsweek explores the administration’s three biggest successes to date.

Net Migration Is Negative for First Time in 50 Years

Trump’s second administration has brought about dramatic changes to immigration policy, changes that appear to have had their intended effect.

According to a report by the nonprofit research organization Brookings Institution, there has been a sharp slowdown in net migration to the U.S.

The report, released on January 13, said that based on data from late 2024 to mid-2025, net migration was “likely close to zero or negative over calendar year 2025 for the first time in at least half a century.”

The researchers at the organization also estimated that net migration was between -295,000 and -10,000 for the year, and they projected it was “likely to remain in negative territory” for 2026.

According to the report, this is likely due to a decline in the number of green cards and visas issued. The researchers said there was a year-over-year decline of more than 20 percent by May 2025 of monthly green cards issued to individuals abroad.

Similarly, researchers found a slowdown by May 2025 in the number of student visas and temporary work visas—such as the H-2A and H-1B—issued by the government.

The researchers noted that a reduction in the inflow of refugees was another factor at play. They estimated that the total number of refugees for 2025 was between 7,600 and 12,000, and that the 2026 number would fall to between 1,200 and 7,500. In 2024, about 105,000 refugees were admitted.

“Though deportations and other exits receive more media attention, a slowdown in new arrivals, especially via humanitarian parole and refugee programs and across the Southwest border, has a bigger effect on reducing migration flows in 2025,” the report said.

Jennifer Hunt, a professor of economics at Rutgers University, told Newsweek: “The net negative migration is mainly due to a reduction in inflows, particularly those seeking asylum on the southern border. This began already in the last year of the Biden administration due to changes in policies.”

Almost $10 Trillion Is Being Invested in the US  

According to the White House, the total domestic and foreign investments in the U.S. was $9.6 trillion as of January, up from $8.8 trillion in October, according to reports at the time.

The latest figures show that the United Arab Emirates invested $1.4 trillion in U.S. technology, aerospace and energy, while Qatar invested $1.2 trillion in U.S. technology and manufacturing. Japan was also a major investor, pledging $1 trillion to auto plants and U.S. steel.

Some have called these figures into question. A Bloomberg analysis suggested that only $7 trillion of the total constituted actual investments, as $2.6 trillion of the projects were not investments but agreements with countries to buy natural gas or expand bilateral trade, while hundreds of billions’ worth of company pledges were for purchases, not investments.

Jeremy Siegel, a professor of finance at the University of Pennsylvania, told Newsweek: “There is the question of whether all of this will be net new investment or whether some is financed by selling other U.S. assets, such as U.S. treasury bonds. When the final numbers come through, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a much lower level of new foreign capital expenditures.”

The US Economy Is Growing Again 

According to analysis by The Wall Street Journal, forecasters predict that gross domestic product (GDP), adjusted for inflation, grew 2.3 percent in 2025—slightly higher than the predictions made for 2026 in October 2024, which were a growth of 2.1 percent.

Trump’s tariff policies prompted economists to scale back their forecasts of economic growth for 2025, from over 2 percent to 0.8 percent, but it seems they have since altered their estimations to reflect that the U.S. economy is growing.

These forecasts are based on 74 surveys from academic and business economists received by The Wall Street Journal between January 9 and January 15.

A Bureau of Economic Analysis report in the summer also said GDP rose at an annualized rate of 4.3 percent over the third quarter, which was much higher than anticipated and its fastest rate in two years.

Trump has argued that his tariffs influenced the surge in the GDP over the summer, writing on Truth Social in December: “The TARIFFS are responsible for the GREAT USA Economic Numbers JUST ANNOUNCED…AND THEY WILL ONLY GET BETTER! Also, NO INFLATION & GREAT NATIONAL SECURITY.”

The U.S. stock market index, the S&P 500, which tracks the performance of 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the country, is also up by 14.7 percent. This comes after a notable drop in the market in March and April.

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