Trump's big gains and big losses in 2025

In some of the key areas of foreign and domestic policy, President Donald Trump has enjoyed remarkable success in his first year of office. Notably, illegal immigration has come down so sharply that border police are reporting that the number of attempts by people to cross over from Mexico has been cut by more than 80 per cent. Sine the border between Mexico and the United States is nearly 2,000 miles long that is a significant achievement. The economy, too, is showing signs of improving growth, with figures for the three months up to September showing a rise from 3.8 per cent to 4.3 per cent. That represents the best growth in the US economy for two years. Trump has promised that next year will see a boom in the economy. The imposition of trade tariffs across the world have been more controversial but it forced every country to renegotiate arrangements with the US and, in some cases, have led to retaliatory tariffs by other countries, especially China. However, the tariffs were put in place in order to reduce dependency on imports from other countries and to expand business and industry in the US. So far, while the rest of the world has had to readjust trade relations with the US, Trump’s tariffs have not yet brought down the cost of living. The cost of certain foods has continued to rise. On the world stage, the president has played a dominating role but despite a constant round of talks and meetings and peace proposals, Trump has been unable to persuade President Putin, the Russian leader, to end his war against Ukraine. In that sense it has been a frustrating year for Trump who vowed to stop the war within 24 hours of taking office. The year is also ending with surprise attacks by US forces against Isis in northern Nigeria. Trump predicted some time ago that he might be forced to take military action against terrorists in Nigeria who were killing and abducting Christians, many of them children. But the strikes which began last week, and were coordinated with the Nigerian government, took everyone by surprise. For a president who wanted to bring wars to an end, 2025 has been a busy one for the US military: US B-2 bombers joined the Israeli air force in targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities in June., and there have been US airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen and against Isis in Syria.; plus the threat of airstrikes against drugs cartels in Venezuela. The US still has an armada of warships off Venezuela, attacking suspected drug-trafficking boats, and piling on pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, the regime leader in Venezuela, to step down and go into exile. Like the failure to bring the war to an end in Ukraine, the confrontation with Maduro has yet to produce results. Overall, this year has been a mixture of considerable success and frustrating setbacks for the Trump administration. Trump’s popularity ratings at home have also dropped. Perhaps 2026 will see the economic boost Trump has promised and a better future for Ukraine, with Putin finally agreeing to a compromise land-deal settlement. BUY MY NEW SPY THRILLER, AGENT REDRUTH, SEQUEL TO SHADOW LIVES. CHECK IT OUT ON AMAZON.