President Donald Trump soon will cap an all-gas-no-brakes 2025, with assessments mixed about a first year back in the White House that has overhauled the presidency.
Trump 2.0 reentered office on Jan. 20 with one of the most aggressive domestic and foreign policy agendas in American history. That included an unprecedented willingness to exploit or turn a blind eye to centuries-old laws and traditions that led past chief executives to reject certain courses of actions.
After many of them had spent years contributing to the conservative Project 2025 governing blueprint, administration officials spent the year repeatedly finding legal loophole after loophole. What has become apparent this year is few guardrails on the Office of the President have been etched into law over the centuries.
