President Donald Trump has officially been in office for a month and the comparisons to his first term are notable, analysts say.

Why It Matters

Trump took office January 20, 2025, after a decisive victory against former Vice President Kamala Harris . Since his inauguration, he has implemented sweeping change via swathes of executive orders, targeting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), immigration and most recently expanding access to in vitro fertilization.

In a new poll by The Economist /YouGov on Wednesday, Trump's approval rating is 50 percent, with a 45 percent disapproval rating. The survey was taken February 16-18, polling over 1,600 U.S. adults, with a 3.3 percent margin of error. The new poll marked an improvement for Trump from the week before, when his approval rating hit 46 percent.

According to YouGov, Trump's net approval rating is now higher at this time as compared to his first term.

What To Know

Trump's first weeks in office have been filled with Cabinet nominations, domestic tragedies including wildfires in Los Angeles, and aviation disasters. Trump also managed to secure the safe arrival of Americans imprisoned overseas .

Trump's Cabinet picks during his second term have faced fierce backlash but none more notable than Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth . Vice President JD Vance helped Hegseth, and ultimately Trump, by casting the tiebreaking vote in the Senate for Hegseth to secure nomination.

President Trump's Cabinet choices during his first term, such as Ben Carson , Mike Pompeo and William Barr , held high positions throughout private and government sectors.

The president has also made headlines this month by directing the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the Gulf of America, sparking pushback domestically and from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum .

The administration's first month in office during Trump's second term is highlighted by billionaire Elon Musk 's role heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The department's directive is to cut government waste from the budget, and its wielding of the ax has triggered division with expansive cuts.

DOGE announced its intent to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) but still maintain key personnel.

During Trump's first term in office, he signed far fewer executive orders and stuck to his key campaign platforms, like pledging to build a wall along the southern border. He also vowed to roll back parts of the Affordable Care Act, a landmark piece of legislation passed under former President Barack Obama.

Trump's first month in office during his second term is also recently marked by his fierce criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and apparent cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During a news conference this week, Trump falsely claimed Ukraine started the war with Russia.

Russia annexed parts of Ukraine in 2014 and launched a military invasion against its neighbor on February 24, 2022, nearly three years ago. Trump has also been critical of aid sent to Ukraine under the Biden administration, questioning whether other countries have stepped up.

What People Are Saying

University of Kentucky political science professor D. Stephen Voss told Newsweek via email: "Trump has assembled a Cabinet of outsiders this time around, with little regard for political or governmental experience. Yet Senate Republicans have decided to roll the dice on the President's team of novices."

Voss continued: "Trump learned from his first presidency how important it is for presidents to hit the ground running. During Trump's first term, he scoffed at the importance of making major policy changes in the first hundred days of an administration, then faced the second half of his term frustrated by congressional Democrats . This time around, Trump clearly realizes the importance of exploiting the honeymoon period to change policy as much as he can. Trump's early executive actions have mandated an unprecedented level of policy change. Even if Trump ends up losing a string a court cases challenging his executive actions, he'll have made deep and lasting alterations in federal policy, because some of the changes Trump is catalyzing will be hard to reverse."

Political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek via text on Wednesday: "Trump's first month in office this time around is markedly different from his first term. Four years ago, he entered Washington as an outsider, disrupting the traditional political landscape with a flurry of executive orders and high-profile policy moves. This time, he's returning with experience, a clearer understanding of how the system works, and a more determined approach to advancing his agenda."

Agranoff added: "However, he also faces a more polarized political climate, legal challenges, and a Congress that may not always align with his priorities. The key question is whether he can translate his momentum into lasting policy achievements or if external pressures will slow his administration's effectiveness."

Dillard University professor Robert Collins to Newsweek via text on Wednesday: "Trump 2.0 is totally different than Trump 1.0. He really didn't understand how Washington worked in his first term so he hired a lot of experienced Washington veterans. Now, Trump feels that he understands how Washington works, so he's avoiding hiring those people.

"Trump 2.0 is all about moving fast and breaking things. He's moving as quickly as he can during the honeymoon period to remake the government in his image, because he understands that once popular opinion begins to move against him, he will start losing Republican members of Congress in swing states, because they will be worried about their midterm elections. So he has a very short period of time to complete his agenda," Collins said.

What Happens Next

Trump's first 100 days in office will continue to unfold.