The Most Powerful Images Capturing Trump’s First 100 Days as President

In roughly 100 days since reclaiming power, President Trump has unsettled international commerce, overturned diplomatic norms, and started cutting down the size of the federal workforce. Throughout this process, he has pushed past conventional limits of executive influence, frequently doing so with his distinctive Trump-style flair.

Here are the pictures that captured some of the major events:

Inauguration

Trump’s downsized swearing-in ceremony was packed with billionaire chief executives, some of whom donated $1 million each for inauguration festivities. The images would foreshadow how corporations have sought to cozy up to the White House. Some of the nation’s largest firms dropped initiatives, such as around diversity, equity and inclusion, that Trump has criticized.

Super Bowl

Trump was the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. He has associated himself with pop culture and sports: He joined a YouTube video with golfer Bryson DeChambeau that boasts more than 14 million views, while appearances at UFC matches and the Daytona 500 were broadcast on sports channels. Some have credited Trump’s ties to “manosphere” influencers with helping boost his profile with young male voters.

DOGE chain saw

In the early stages of his term, Elon Musk assumed leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency. This department became a key feature during Trump’s initial 100 days in office, with its reductions causing disruptions—sometimes temporary—to governmental operations. Despite facing criticism from both Democrats and certain Republicans, Musk frequently remained unyielding. On one occasion, he even wielded a chainsaw dramatically on stage at a conservative gathering.

Gulf of America

Trump delivered on a campaign pledge to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, a change many other nations haven’t acknowledged. But some institutions followed suit—Google and Apple’s map apps reflected the name change. The Associated Press said it would use Gulf of Mexico as its style while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen, kicking off a legal showdown with the administration.

Zelensky meeting

World leader meetings often occur out of public view, yet Trump allowed media coverage when he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Oval Office. During this session, cameras recorded the intense confrontation among the Ukrainian president, Trump, and Vice President JD Vance. This encounter intensified Trump’s attempts to coerce Zelensky into negotiating a settlement with Russia, which also led European countries to reassess their dependence on the U.S. for protection.

BLM plaza

Shortly after Trump took office, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered the removal of Black Lives Matter plaza, a two-block-long mural in downtown Washington erected in the summer of 2020. Trump has since moved to exert more control over the nation’s capital by signing an executive order to make Washington “safe, beautiful and prosperous.”

Trump signs education order

Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Education Department, part of a larger effort to reshape an education system he has deemed wasteful and too left-leaning. The president was accompanied by school children signing mini versions of the document at classroom desks. “It sounds strange, doesn’t it? Department of Education, we’re going to eliminate it,” Trump said.

Made-for-TV immigration crackdown

During a visit to El Salvador’s infamous Cecot prison, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stood before ink-covered prisoners while sporting an ICE baseball cap. "Should you enter our nation unlawfully, this might be one of the outcomes," she declared to the recording devices. Both the tour and the staged photograph at the correctional facility reflected her penchant for media-friendly events. forceful strategy toward immigration policy .

Tariff big board

The highly anticipated "Liberation Day" trade event held at the Rose Garden introduced a period of doubt for international markets. During this occasion, Trump displayed a large board detailing the newly established reciprocal tariff rates set to be applied to approximately 90 countries. These tariffs quickly faced criticism as it was evident they did not correspond precisely to the taxes those nations levied on American products. It turned out that the numbers Trump showcased seemed to follow a straightforward calculation method: the volume of each country's merchandise trade deficit with the US, divided by what the US imported from them.

Protests Nationwide

Frustration towards the Trump administration spilled into the streets of both large metropolitan areas and smaller communities following the recent emergence of DOGE's effects. On April 5th, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Washington D.C., brandishing DIY placards protesting Musk’s influence on governance, reductions in federal funds, and tariff policies.

Send your message to Jasmine Li. jasmine.li@wsj.com