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Donald Trump 2.0 50 days on: His most bizarre and impactful moments so far
Mass deportations, a plan for ‘ethnic cleansing’ and tariffs on allies – this is what ‘making America great again’ looks like if Donald Trump’s first 50 days in the White House are anything to go by.
It was five years ago that Steve Bannon, who helped run the US president’s 2016 campaign, described his strategy to rule – overwhelm the media and the people.
‘All we have to do is flood the zone,’ he told PBS at the time. ‘Every day we hit them with three things. They will bite on one, and we will get our stuff done, bang, bang, bang.
‘These guys will never be able to recover. But we have to start with muzzle velocity.’
Trump’s first 50 days have lived up to that idea – with a barrage of executive orders and policy reversals that are reshaping America’s role on the world stage.
To make sense of all this, Metro spoke with Jason Pack, fellow at Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and host of the Disorder Podcast.
He told us last week that the president’s ‘sole desire’ is to disorder the very problems he claims that he will solve.
Here are the top 10 most controversial announcements to come out of the Oval Office since Trump’s inauguration.
January 20-25: ‘national emergency’ at US-Mexico border; suspension of asylum; attack on birthright citizenship
Within the first few days in the White House, Trump announces a flurry of immigration-related executive orders, starting with declaring a national emergency at the southern border.
As many as 1,500 active-duty troops are deployed to help secure the US-Mexico border – which Trump claims is overrun by cartels and criminal gangs – and prevent undocumented immigrants from ‘invading’.
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In another executive order, the president suspends the legal right to seek asylum and halted the US refugee resettlement programme.
He also attempts to end birthright citizenship for children born to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily.
A federal judge has since blocked this.
January 21: Pardon of 1,600 Capitol rioters
Trump issues a blanket ‘full, complete and unconditional pardon’ to rioters who stormed the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021
More than 1,500 people are pardoned, including many who had assaulted police officers, drawing condemnation from the families of victims.
January 26: Trump’s ‘ethnic cleansing’ plan for Gaza
The president urges Jordan and Egypt to take in 1.9 million Palestinians as part of his plan to ‘just clean out’ Gaza after 15 months of Israel’s war.
Less than a week after his inauguration, he floats the idea, saying that he would urge the leaders of the two Arab nations to accommodate people from the besieged enclave.
He later shares an AI video on his Truth Social platform showcasing what appears to be a vision of Gaza under his rule as a ‘Riviera of the Middle East’, which features Elon Musk and a Trump Tower – but no Palestinians.
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January 26: Gulf of Mexico renamed to Gulf of America
Google Maps announces plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America’ in response to an executive order from Trump’s office.
The tech company says it has a ‘longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources’ in a statement on X.
The change is set to be visible for users in the US only and will remain Gulf of Mexico in Mexico.
Outside of the US and Mexico, Google Maps users will be able to see both names.
January 27: Trump’s intentions for Greenland
Denmark pledges $2 billion of extra spending to boost its military forces in the Arctic following Trump’s repeated offer to buy Greenland.
The president first made the suggestion for the semi-autonomous Danish territory during his last term as US president, but has since doubled down.
Posting on social media, he says ownership of the island is an ‘absolute necessity’ for US security and ‘freedom throughout the World [sic]’.
He refuses to rule out using military force to gain control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, which he also wants.
February 13: Call with Vladimir Putin
The president says negotiations to end the full-scale invasion of Ukraine will begin ‘immediately’ after holding a ‘lengthy and highly productive’ with his Russian counterpart.
This is believed to be the first conversation between the two leaders since Trump returned to office, and is the start of his rehabilitation of US and Russia relations.
February 26: Ukraine-US minerals deal
Trump pushes for a deal which could see up to half of Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals ahead of Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to Washington.
It would be a sharp U-turn from Zelensky’s original stance on the idea when he said the 50% share of minerals demanded from America was akin to ‘selling his nation’.
February 26: $5 million gold card announcement
Plans to sell ‘gold cards’ to millionaires who want to acquire citizenship in the US is announced.
Foreigners willing to spend $5 million (£3.9 million) would be given ‘green card privileges’ and a ‘route to citizenship’.
The president said even Russian oligarchs – some of which he claimed are ‘very nice people’ – would be allowed to qualify.
February 28: Trump’s ambush of Zelensky in Oval Office
Zelensky meets with Trump hoping to sign the crucial minerals deal, which would guarantee America’s continued support for Ukraine in the ongoing war against Russia.
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But tensions between the two leaders soon boil over, and the conference quickly descends into a shouting match.
‘You are either going to make a deal or we are out,’ Trump tells Zelensky before asking him to leave the White House.
March 4-5: Suspension of aid and intelligence to Ukraine
In response to Zelesnky’s refusal to sign the ‘extortionate’ minerals deal, Trump’s administration cuts off military aid and intelligence to Ukraine.
Seen as ‘punishment’ to Ukraine, the move could seriously hamper the ability to track and target Russian forces on the frontline and protect civilians.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
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A MUCH-loved clothing store has launched a huge closing down sale ahead of shutting its doors for good.
Infinity & Co Boutique, a beloved independent clothing and jewellery store in Harrogate, is preparing to close its doors to shoppers.
As a result, shoppers have the chance to snap up some fantastic bargains.
The store has launched a massive closing down sale, with all jewellery now priced at just £10 – a deal the retailer is actively promoting on social media.
Commenting on the closure, the store’s owner shared a heartfelt message on Facebook, saying: “I want to express my sincere gratitude for your wonderful support over the years.
“I’ve met so many amazing people, shared laughter and tears, and even received plenty of menopause advice!
“Most importantly, I’ve made friendships that will last a lifetime. It’s been a blast.
“I hope to see you over the next few weeks before I close the doors for the final time.”
Responding to the post on Facebook, one shopper said: “That’s a shame. I was literally just thinking of popping in.”
Another said: “Gutted to hear this!”
A third shopper said: “So sad to read this , as our yearly trip to Harrogate always includes a visit this shop.”
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
Other shops leaving the high street
Beales, one of Britain’s oldest department stores, has launched a closing down sale before it shuts its last remaining shop after more than 140 years.
The company will shut its branch in Poole’s Dolphin Centre on May 31.
The sale includes fashion, furniture, gifts and cosmetics, being sold for up to 70% off.
Beales chief executive Tony Brown blamed the “devastating impact” of the rise in national insurance contributions and the higher minimum wage for the store closure.
Meanwhile, high street fashion chain New Look has begun to close stores as it scales back its UK footprint.
It is understood to be shutting nearly 100 stores – equivalent to around a quarter of its 364 shops.
Stores in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, St Austell, Cornwall and Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf have launched closing down sales.
Reports suggest that the company has been forced to accelerate the pace of store closures due to tax changes in the Autumn Budget.
Meanwhile, Huttons in London will shut its store in the Putney Exchange due to excessive energy costs.
The gift shop became a local icon after it opened in the 1990s.