If Trump’s first week is any indication, America’s in for a whirlwind of change

IN the narrow corridors of the West Wing, history unfolds in real time. It is a place where chance encounters with world leaders, corporate titans, and political heavyweights are part of the daily rhythm.

This week, a smirking Elon Musk, towering over his small entourage, strolled past me just outside the Oval Office. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son walked by multiple times, his face beaming with quiet confidence, while Oracle chairman Larry Ellison lingered nearby, deep in thought.

Border czar Tom Homan cut a commanding figure, striding purposefully between the offices of the press secretary and the communications director. Meanwhile, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, forceful and focused, called for a huddle with a calm yet determined demeanor. Around the corner, near the entrance to the West Colonnade, Doug Burgum, Trump’s nominee for secretary of the interior, walked by briskly, exuding a sense of urgency.

Each of these figures brought a unique energy, their ambitions and expertise colliding in a dynamic interplay that exemplified the complexity of governance. These fleeting moments in the West Wing corridors are where power converges — not just in formal meetings or press briefings, but in the hurried exchanges, quick nods, and whispered strategizing of those steering the nation’s future. .

That same urgency and intensity defined the first week of President Donald Trump’s second term, a whirlwind of action that tested the boundaries of executive authority, redefined norms, and set the stage for a transformative presidency. Bureaucratic inertia was placed on notice as critics scrambled to find their safe spaces.

Regardless of personal perspectives, the sheer scope of these actions is reshaping the political landscape, all set against a backdrop of great fanfare and considerable press availability. Trump has made a concerted effort to engage with the press, speaking with reporters every day of the first week — whether in the Oval Office, on the South Lawn, or aboard Air Force One. It’s fair to say that in just these early days, the president has already spent more time engaging with the White House press than President Joe Biden did during the entirety of the previous year.

This unprecedented media accessibility underscores Trump’s intent to shape the narrative around his administration’s actions and to maintain direct communication with the American public and the ratings-craving media that’s eager to assist him in this endeavor.

Tracking with Project 2025?

How do Trump’s actions align with the vision outlined in Project 2025 — the Heritage Foundation’s conservative blueprint for overhauling federal governance — despite his campaign promise to distance himself from its controversial agenda? Let’s examine how the president’s early decisions mirror Project 2025’s objectives, uncover the underlying strategies, and project the potential trajectory of his administration.

Centralization of Executive Power

Project 2025: The initiative advocates strengthening the presidency by empowering the executive branch to act decisively, even at the expense of conventional legislative processes.

Trump’s Actions: The president is signaling a direct adoption of this principle, emphasizing rapid action over bureaucratic deliberation. Issuing over 100 executive orders in his first week demonstrates the president’s intention to bypass legislative delays and assert executive dominance, taking his predecessor’s initiative of ruling through unilateral action to the next level.

Restructuring the Bureaucracy

Project 2025: A primary goal is to dismantle the “administrative state” by replacing career civil servants with politically aligned individuals. The initiative argues that career bureaucrats often resist conservative policies.

Trump’s Actions: The president’s early personnel shifts suggest an intent to surmount this perceived obstacle. While removing the outgoing administration’s political appointees has become the norm, this isn’t quite the case with career federal employees, who are being replaced with loyalists, suggesting an effort to align the bureaucracy with MAGA’s ideological priorities. Key dismissals within agencies overseeing environmental, diversity, and health policies illustrate his commitment to embed ideological conformity within the federal structure.

Policy Overhaul Through Deregulation

Project 2025: Deregulation is a core pillar, emphasizing the elimination of federal oversight in areas like environmental protection, labor, and diversity programs.

Trump’s Actions: The president’s executive actions serve as direct manifestations of these goals. His immediate rollbacks of environmental and DEI-related regulations align with his prior administration’s focus on deregulation. For instance, halting renewable energy initiatives in favor of fossil fuel development reflects a prioritization of economic growth over climate change concerns.

What This Means for the Future

If Trump intends to fully align his administration with Project 2025, we can anticipate significant systematic changes in governance and policy over the coming years.

First, reliance on executive orders could weaken the legislative branch’s role. Next, Trump’s reclassification of federal employees enables him to replace career officials with political appointees.

Courts will play a significance role in determining the viability of Trump’s agenda. Legal challenges to executive actions are inevitable, particularly as the administration tests constitutional boundaries. Success in these battles will depend on the alignment of the judiciary with the administration’s goals. If Trump doesn’t get his way, expect him to fill judicial vacancies with conservative judges who can uphold and entrench policies implemented under Project 2025, ensuring the longevity of its ideological impact.

At the same time, federal agencies may use their authority to pressure states into compliance with conservative priorities, especially on issues like education, environmental standards, and health care. Federal grants and funding could be tied to states’ adherence to administration policies.

Trump’s administration will likely double down on its messaging strategy, portraying these changes as reclaiming national sovereignty, revitalizing the economy, and protecting American values. This will aim to rally public support while countering opposition narratives. Once these new initiatives become the norm, they won’t be easily dislodged.

Numbers Game

• 17+ inspectors general fired across various agencies
• 1,200+ targeted daily arrests of undocumented migrants
• 1,500+ pardons granted
• 4,000+ troops stationed along the southern border
• $3 trillion+ in anticipated investments in the US

“By securing the border and deporting illegal immigrants from this country, President Trump is sending a very strong message to people around this world: If you are thinking about breaking the laws of the United States of America, you will be returned home.”

—Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

My View

While the press secretary’s statement underscores the administration’s stance on immigration, it also raises several questions: How will removing these people from the workforce impact the economy? Will states cooperate with the federal government? Could these actions provoke diplomatic fallout with affected nations? Can the existing infrastructure handle such a large number of deportations? How will this affect local communities? And finally, how will the public respond? To succeed, the administration must balance enforcement, logistics, and public sentiment, to make sure implementation is practical but also humane.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1047)