The Next 100 Days
Navigating the formation of the new American era
At noon on April 30, 2025, the Trump Administration concluded its 100th day in office. The blitzkrieg of executive action to date has challenged the entire nature of the post-World War II order. Nothing can be taken for granted, economically or politically. Everything is in flux.
Most media coverage is centered on a retrospective of what has already happened, as seen in ABC’s exclusive interview with President Trump. Trump himself is trying to manage optics on social media. The next 100 days, however, will bring new dynamics and issues to the fore.
The focus will move from government restructuring, illegal immigration, and opening salvos on global economic policy to intense global deal-making, expansive domestic initiatives, and legislative action. The scale of these developments may overshadow current debates, as intense as they are. Those stuck in the weeds of polling, the vicissitudes of the markets, and the overall political back-and-forth will miss far greater shifts.
Here are five trend lines to pay attention to through August 29, 2025.
1. Geopolitical dealmaking in the spotlight
The coming period will see a higher pace of travel and foreign meetings. Whether that will include a face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi or Russian President Putin remains to be seen. President Trump will embark soon to the Gulf as his first major trip, prioritizing inward investment to the U.S. Until now, the President’s only travel was for the funeral of Pope Francis.
Major geopolitical files, from the Ukraine War to the Gaza Crisis, will receive even more attention. The ongoing negotiations with Iran will go into overdrive, and outreach could begin again on the Korean Peninsula. The drama of these developments and Trump’s travel abroad will drive the news cycle and overshadow other issues.
2. A cascade of trade deals in the pipeline
There was an apoplectic reaction when President Trump scrapped NAFTA during his first term. Yet, serious negotiations began within months, with a new deal reached in just over a year. There will be a furious drive to close trade deals fast. The first agreements to be announced could be with South Korea, Japan, India,Vietnam, Australia and the United Kingdom.
The ‘big fish’ is China, although the final alignment may take a while. Similarly, negotiations with the European Union and its member states will be fraught. Nevertheless, once an initial set of deals gets made, it will generate momentum for others. This will not mitigate the effects of already-enacted tariffs, nor will deals be reached universally. In addition, Trump remains committed to some tariffs across the board and the External Revenue Service.
3. Capitol Hill as the center of attention
In the initial months of the administration, there has not been much ‘action’ on Capitol Hill. Congress approved a continuing resolution to fund the government through the end of September. The first test will be an attempt at recission to claw back government spending, partly in response to the efforts of DOGE.
This will give way to the challenge of comprehensive legislation for the overall Trump agenda. It will move in phases, encompassing tax, trade, deregulation, and spending, with an initial component potentially coming up for vote in July. The horse-trading that will take place may put the president at odds at times with members of the GOP and will also test the ground for bipartisanship.
4. Brinksmanship between the judiciary and the executive
The number of cases before federal courts is already dizzying and set to increase. Most of these involve immigration, but they also relate to attempts at government restructuring. As cases go to the Supreme Court, some rulings will probably go against the White House, leading to a standoff. As in the Abrego Garcia case, the Supreme Court may leave more contentious aspects ambiguous. Whether the brinkmanship between the White House and the Supreme Court rises to a true constitutional crisis will become clear soon.
5. Activation of the 250th anniversary
Starting July 4th, the countdown will begin towards America’s 250th anniversary, ahead of the 2026 mid-terms. In attempting to ‘Make America Great Again,’ the Trump White House envisions grand projects revitalizing America. Aside from some initiatives in AI, building ‘new’ things has been far from view. However, this will likely change and could include announcements for so-called Freedom Cities, the Golden Dome, and space exploration.
In Trump 2.5: A Primer, several key principles—sovereignty, strength, modernization, efficiency, and traditionalism—are outlined that guide the administration. The focus now shifts to translating them into outcomes. It will become apparent by the end of the summer whether the Trump 2.5 agenda has momentum or is faltering.
With the pace of change picking up, the time for reflection and reaction is over. Attention from both partisans and observers should quickly turn to what comes next to navigate the way forward or be left behind.