Thirty-eight days have passed since United States president Donald Trump first crossed the threshold of the White House. Thirty-eight days packed with announcements, decrees, commitments and plot twists that have divided American public opinion — and that of the entire world — even further. Thirty-eight days that have changed the minds of those who thought the promises made during the election campaign, especially the more drastic ones, would be softened over the course of the term. On the contrary, one thing Donald Trump genuinely cannot be accused of is inconsistency.

"I inherited a catastrophic situation"

"I don't think there has ever been a president who has accomplished what we have accomplished in such a short period of time," the billionaire declared during a press conference held on 16 February, in the course of which he also stated that his approval rating "is at 55 per cent," that "companies are already starting to come back to our country," that the situation upon his arrival "was catastrophic," and that "incredibly productive discussions with foreign heads of state on the subject of security, stability and peace have been initiated."

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A statement that left even Fox News — traditionally close to Republican positions — nonplussed, given that in just a few weeks Trump had been at the centre of a brusque phone call with Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull (a longstanding US ally), followed by an open clash with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto over the question of the wall Washington wants to build on the border. Meanwhile, in an interview given to two European newspapers just before his inauguration, he launched a full-frontal attack on the policies of German chancellor Angela Merkel, adding that he hoped for the disintegration of the European Union.
Relations with Israel, on the other hand, were decidedly better, especially after the White House declared itself not in favour of the two-state solution between the Jewish nation and Palestine — marking an epochal shift in the longstanding US policy on the issue.

Donald Trump signed 23 decrees in 31 days

On the domestic policy front, in his first 31 days — exactly one month — of work, Donald Trump issued 23 decrees, signed five bills (and sent 189 tweets), demanded the resignation of one of his closest advisers, fired the Attorney General and saw two other members of his administration leave their posts before they had even been confirmed by the Senate.
From the very first days, the new president set his sights on dismantling the healthcare reform sought by his predecessor Barack Obama (and known by the name "Obamacare"). Trump promised "healthcare coverage for everyone," but has so far put forward no concrete plan to replace the legislation.
What he has already made law, however, is a freeze on all federal civil service hiring, as promised during the election campaign. As has his declared war on the media.

Fifteen thousand more agents on the borders

Conversely, as early as 25 January, a sharp increase in the number of agents was planned, with the specific aim of strengthening border controls in an anti-immigration drive: law enforcement will be able to call on fifteen thousand new personnel. Still on the subject of immigration, two days later the president of the United States issued one of the most controversial decrees of his administration, dubbed the "muslim ban" by his opponents. The American justice system blocked the act, but Donald Trump did not give up, promising a new decree, which he considered necessary "to fight terrorism."

Yemen has abandoned the United States

On the military front, the first American raid in Yemen ordered by the new president was far from successful. The toll was one American soldier killed, along with numerous civilians. Yemen subsequently withdrew the authorisation it had granted to the United States allowing the latter to operate on its territory.
Also in the realm of foreign policy, the administration's stance towards Vladimir Putin's Russia has so far proved particularly ambiguous. On Saturday, at an international security conference in Munich, Germany, his deputy Mike Pence said he "holds Moscow responsible" for the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria. He also recalled his country's "unwavering commitment" to Nato, even though Trump had shortly before described it as an "obsolete" alliance.

Mining companies will no longer have to clean up waterways

On the environment, too, Trump's choices have from the outset moved in the opposite direction to Obama's. After reviving the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, the president waited for Senate confirmation (which came on 17 February) to see Scott Pruitt — a climate sceptic close to the fossil fuel industry — installed as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The day before, a decree passed almost unnoticed, despite its significance: the text signed by Trump exempts mining companies from the obligation to clean up waterways in areas near deposits. Meanwhile, the process of repealing another regulation — which requires oil companies to reduce methane leaks from wells — has been set in motion.