This week marks 100 days into Donald Trump’s second presidential term, and it’s been quite a whirlwind so far.
Verge policy editor Adi Robertson has been covering the significant impacts of these first 100 days extensively. We’ve linked to those insightful articles below and in our show notes. I invited Adi onto the show to discuss six major themes we’ve been tracking, to see how things have unfolded compared to our expectations.
First on the agenda is the ongoing tariff situation, which has thrown a significant wrench into the global economy. The day-to-day fluctuations in the tariff rates the US is enforcing contribute to a climate of unpredictability—something businesses generally seek to avoid.
While some factors are in flux, others haven’t changed much despite prior expectations—especially promises made by Trump before his term started. For example, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) appeared poised to pass into law, but it has yet to materialize. Similarly, although Trump sought to impose a TikTok ban during his first term, that action was ultimately realized by Congress and signed into law by Biden, yet Trump seems to have brushed it aside.
Additionally, the influence of DOGE looms large. Elon Musk’s venture has wreaked havoc within the federal government since January, and we plan to explore not only the damage it has caused but also the potentially ominous direction in which DOGE could be leading: the establishment of a comprehensive surveillance state.
Despite the wealth of topics Adi and I covered, we barely scratched the surface. With so much upheaval from Trump and Elon over the past three months, crucial subjects like immigration, scientific advancement, climate issues, and public health were not discussed.
This reflects the scale of the challenges at hand: just 100 days in, and the pace of events makes it nearly impossible to keep track.
Nevertheless, we’re committed to trying. Here’s our deep dive into the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s term.
If you want to explore more about what we discussed in this episode, check out the links below:
Have questions or comments about this episode? Reach out to us at decoder@theverge.com. We genuinely read every email!
