As the first year of his second presidential term drew to a close, Donald Trump's administration was defined by a significant escalation in vitriolic rhetoric and policies targeting women, people of colour, and marginalised communities. The former president's actions, from executive orders to public insults, have sparked widespread condemnation and left many reeling.
Policies and Executive Actions: A Systemic Rollback
Upon returning to office, Trump moved swiftly to enact a series of executive orders that dismantled key protections. In January 2025, he issued directives aimed at ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and affirmative action, leading to thousands of job cuts across both private and public sectors, including journalism.
Another order banned access to gender-affirming care for individuals under 19, causing panic among families with transgender children. He also directed Vice-President JD Vance to block federal funding for Smithsonian programs focusing on race. In a move criticised as erasing Indigenous history, he renamed Denali back to Mount McKinley. Furthermore, his administration's aggressive mass deportation operations resulted in numerous families being separated.
Trump in His Own Words: A Catalogue of Invective
Alongside these policies, Trump's public commentary throughout the year provided a stark, unfiltered insight into his views. His remarks, made during speeches, press meetings, and on his Truth Social platform, spanned racist, xenophobic, and deeply misogynistic themes.
On Race and Immigration
On 25 January 2025, aboard Air Force One, he suggested the displacement of Palestinians, stating, "I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different location." Later that month, he criticised DEI efforts at the FAA, framing them as a push against competence.
His xenophobia was starkly evident in comments about Somalia and Somali American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. At a 2 December 2025 cabinet meeting, he called Somalia "barely a country" and referred to its people as "garbage." A week later at a Pennsylvania rally, he repeated similar insults, falsely claiming Omar "married her brother" and should be deported. At the same rally, he announced a "permanent pause on third world migration" from "hellholes," and infamously asked why the US couldn't take people from Norway or Sweden instead.
On Religion and Antisemitism
Trump's language also ventured into religious prejudice. In March 2025, he told the Irish Prime Minister that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had "become a Palestinian" and was "not Jewish any more." On 3 July 2025, at an Iowa rally, he invoked the antisemitic slur "shylocks" when discussing bankers.
On Women and the Press
Misogynistic attacks, particularly against female journalists, became a hallmark. The year was bookended by an incident on 14 November 2025, where on Air Force One he told Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey, "Quiet, piggy."
Days later, in the Oval Office, he told ABC's Mary Bruce she was "a terrible person and a terrible reporter." On Truth Social, he described New York Times reporter Katie Rogers as "a third-rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out." Further confrontations saw him call CBS's Nancy Cordes "stupid" and ABC's Rachel Scott "the most obnoxious reporter." He also publicly criticised Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde and Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene in deeply personal terms.
A Legacy of Division as Year Two Looms
The cumulative effect of this first year has been a deepening of social and political fractures. Trump's combination of punitive policy and relentless public disparagement has normalised a discourse many find profoundly damaging. As the administration moves into its second year, the trajectory appears set, promising continued controversy and conflict centred on the President's chosen targets.
