90-Day Report Card: Trump's 93 Campaign Promises

Apr 20, 2025

The day after the election, I rewatched each of the policy videos Trump recorded and posted on his website during the campaign. Each of these he promised on video, and repeated them at rallies and in interviews. At the 90-day mark of his term, I reviewed each promise to see which he has kept and which he has broken.

This article is in place of my usual Weekend Bulletin. The daily Today in Politics bulletins will resume tomorrow.

Trump’s campaign promises on video are in italics.

TAXES AND BUDGET:

1. No taxes on tips. BROKEN. Although the House and Senate still has not passed a budget, neither of their budget frameworks includes no tax on tips and Trump said he supports both of their plans. Of course, Republicans are very divided heading into reconciliation and nothing has been passed yet, but any changes will only affect spending cuts.

2. Interest on car loans will be tax deductible. BROKEN. Not part of the budget framework.

3. No taxes on Social Security payments. BROKEN. Not in budget package.

4. No taxes on any overtime income. BROKEN. Not in budget package.

5. Across the board income tax cut for every taxpayer. BROKEN. The current budget package includes extending Trump’s expiring tax cuts from his first term, but not additional income tax cuts beyond that.

6. Make previous Trump tax cuts permanent. KEPT. This is in the budget package and is something that congressional Republicans will not change.

7. Cut the corporate tax rate. KEPT. The House budget package cuts corporate tax rates from 21% to 15%.

8. No cuts in benefits or changes in Social Security retirement age. KEPT. There are no changes to Social Security in the current budget framework.

9. The federal budget will be cut by 33%. BROKEN. This one is not even close. The Senate budget proposal has virtually no cuts. The House has an outline for deeper cuts but have not agreed on specifics.

10. Tax credits of $5,000 for home caregivers who are family members. BROKEN. This is not in the budget framework.

11. Repeal the Impound Control Act of 1974, which will prohibits a president from withholding funding approved by Congress in their budget that he disagrees with. BROKEN. A bill was introduced in the House but no action has been taken on it and Trump has done nothing to push for it to be advanced.

12. Interest rates on credit cards will be capped at 10%. BROKEN. AOC and Bernie called Trump’s bluff on this one by introducing bipartisan bills in the House and Senate with Anna Paulina Luna and Josh Hawley. But Trump has done nothing to get Johnson or Thune to bring this to floor so it will do nowhere.

IMMIGRATION:

13. All migrants, including those with pending asylum claims, will be taken into custody and deported immediately by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. KEPT so far. Trump is WAY behind schedule with the kind of numbers he promised on deportations, but he did invoke the act and ICE is being very aggressive on this.

14. Birthright citizenship will be ended by executive order. All persons who were born in the US to migrant parents will have their citizenship revoked and will be deported immediately. KEPT. He issued the executive order, it was challenged in court, and is now before the Supreme Court. He could then attempt to deport people born in the US if the court rules in his favor.

15. Border will be closed with no migrants entering the US by moving thousands of US troops from overseas to be stationed on the southern border. Mostly KEPT. Border crossings have decreased dramatically each month to 11,017 in March compared to 189,359 in March 2024.

16. Border wall across southern US and Mexico will be completed. KEPT. Construction of the border wall has resumed.

17. All releases into the US of asylum seekers will be ended and Remain in Mexico policy reinstated. KEPT. Trump reinstituted Remain in Mexico by executive order.

18. Increase criminal penalties for illegal entry. KEPT. This was part of the Laken Riley Act.

19. Reinstitute travel ban. BROKEN. He has not done this or mentioned it again since taking office.

GENERAL DOMESTIC POLICY:

20. Construct 10 new 'Freedom Cities' in the US which will be completely free from all government regulations of any kind. BROKEN. He has not mentioned this since taking office.

21. Repeal EV tax credit. BROKEN. This is not in the budget framework and Trump has not mentioned it again.

22. Create a Central Bank Digital Currency. BROKEN. He actually issued an executive order banning a CBDC.

23. Homelessness will be criminalized and all homeless in the US will be arrested and given the choice of incarceration or admission into a new federal tent city for treatment. BROKEN. He has not mentioned this again since taking office.

24. Federal tent cities for arrested homeless - "Homeless Rehabilitation Centers' - will be fully staffed with doctors, psychiatrists and social workers. BROKEN. Not mentioned since taking office.

25. Send astronauts to the moon. BROKEN. Not mentioned since taking office.

26. Send astronauts to Mars. BROKEN. Trump has done nothing about this, and even Musk recently conceded that a manned mission to Mars could not happen until 2029 at the earliest. But Musk also previously predicted it would happen by 2018, he then moved that to 2022, then 2024, and he now says 2029.

27. Open federal lands to new home construction. KEPT maybe. I will give him this one for now since Interior Secretary Burgum did announce that federal lands will be sold to commercial developers, but this is a long way away from becoming reality and will face legal challenges and other hurdles.

28. Seize control of the District of Columbia and have all city agencies run and controlled by the federal government. BROKEN. Trump actually said Mayor Bowser has been doing a good job since he took office so he will not ask Congress for a federal takeover of DC for the time being.

29. Build new national monuments. KEPT. Trump signed an extensive executive order regarding monuments.

30. Create a federal task force to combat anti-Christian bias. KEPT. This was done by executive order.

31. Provide housing for all 33,000 homeless veterans. BROKEN. He has not mentioned this since taking office.

32. IVF will be fully covered with no out-of-pocket costs to parents. BROKEN. The current budget proposal does not include this. It was discussed but not included.

33. Create job training and skills programs for all recovering drug addicts. BROKEN. Trump has not mentioned this again since taking office.

34. Provide federal funding for faith-based drug treatment centers. KEPT. This is in the House budget proposal but it has not passed yet.

35. Expand the Family & Medical Leave Act to require all employers to give time off for drug rehabilitation programs. BROKEN. There are some protections already in place under the act, but Trump has not mentioned his promise to expand it.

36. Create a White House Task Force called 'Salute 250,' which will organize one year of festivities across the US from Memorial Day 2025 to July 4, 2026. KEPT. Trump signed an executive order to do this, and is reportedly planning a large military parade on his birthday.

37. Create the 'Great American State Fair' which will be held in Iowa each year with exhibits from all 50 states. (Promised right before the Iowa Caucus). MAYBE. Although this could be included as part of his Salute 250 plan, he has not mentioned an Iowa fair since the Iowa caucus.

38. Create 'The Patriot Games' which will be an annual national competition for high school athletes in every sport similar to the Olympics. MAYBE. Same as #37. It could be included in his Salute 250 festivities, but he hasn’t specifically mentioned this again since the campaign.

39. Everyone over 18 shall be given the option to opt out of all content moderation on social media platforms. BROKEN. Although he pressured platforms to loosen content moderation rules and ordered DOJ to investigate whether people’s rights were violated on social media by Biden, he has not done anything to advance this specific proposal.

40. Content moderation on social media platforms must not use AI. BROKEN. Trump has not mentioned this since the campaign.

41. Former employees of FBI, CIA, NSA, DNI, DHS and DOD shall not be permitted to take any job with a social media company for 7 years after leaving government service. BROKEN. Not mentioned since the campaign.

42. Have the US opt out of the Paris Climate Accords. KEPT.

43. Repeal Biden's Administrations motor vehicle emissions standards. KEPT. EPA Director Zeldin has announced this and has begun the formal process for repealing at least 30 regulations on greenhouse gas emissions.

44. The US government and agencies will only recognize people for the gender on their original birth certificate for all purposes. KEPT.

45. All healthcare providers who perform gender reassignment surgeries on people under 18 will be permanently terminated from Medicare and Medicaid. BROKEN. Although Dr. Oz announced Medicaid will not pay for any gender reassignment surgeries, no action has been taken on this Trump proposal to ban providers who provide them privately.

EDUCATION:

46. Abolish the Department of Education. KEPT. Although this hasn’t happened yet, Trump has certainly done everything possible to advance this although it still must be done by Congress.

47. Parents of all public schools can vote to remove a principal at any time. BROKEN. He has not mentioned this since the campaign.

48. School principals will be elected by parents each year. BROKEN. He has not mentioned this since the campaign.

49. Seize endowments of universities who either have DEI programs, consider race in admissions or hiring, or teach CRT. Endowments will be seized by levying a fine in lawsuits brought by DOJ that is equal to the amount in the endowment. BROKEN. The only thing the Trump Admin has done is issue a letter with some threats to Harvard which they later said was sent in error.

50. A portion of money seized from university endowments will be used to compensate people who have been discriminated against in admissions and hiring due to DEI or preferences. (Intended for White people and Asians). BROKEN.

51. Deport foreign students who are pro-Hamas or make anti-American statements on campus. KEPT.

52. End tenure for teachers and professors. BROKEN. He has no power to do this even if he wanted to.

53. Increase merit pay for teachers. BROKEN. There is nothing in the budget proposals about this and Trump hasn’t mentioned it since the campaign.

54. Universal, national school choice for all school systems in the country. BROKEN.

55. Bible study will be instituted in public schools. BROKEN. Under current law this is unconstitutional.

56. School prayer will be instituted in public schools. BROKEN. Same as above.

57. Any student who assaults a teacher or another student will be permanently expelled from that school. BROKEN. The federal government has no authority over school discipline.

58. All schools receive additional funding to "harden" them against school shooters and invaders. BROKEN. Nothing in the current budget framework for this.

59. College tuition at all colleges and universities will be reduced. BROKEN.

60. Create 'The American Academy' which will be a University run by the federal government. Tuition will be free. It will be paid for by money seized from other Universities' endowments. Full curriculum will be online available to all Americans for free. Students will receive a fully credentialed bachelor's degree. BROKEN.

61. $10,000 per child tax credit for home schooling. BROKEN. Not in the budget proposals and Trump hasn’t mentioned it since the campaign.

62. All high school and college accreditors shall be fired immediately with accreditation services replaced by a group appointed by the president. BROKEN.

63. Revoke federal funding for all non-profits and academic programs dedicated to combatting disinformation and misinformation online. BROKEN. This would be unconstitutional even if he somehow tried it, which he hasn’t

64. Teacher certification will be changed and governed by a new federal agency that will only grant certifications to teachers who "embrace patriotic values." BROKEN. This has not been mentioned since the campaign.

FOREIGN POLICY & NATIONAL DEFENSE:

65. Require the EU to reimburse the US for all aid provided to Ukraine from the time of Russia's invasion to present. BROKEN. This will never happen. Although the mineral deal with Ukraine has been justified by Trump as reimbursement, it hasn’t been signed and EU will not be paying the US anything.

66. End Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office. BROKEN.

67. End the conflict between Israel and Gaza within 24 hours. BROKEN.

68. End violence inside Lebanon. BROKEN.

69. Create an Iron Dome Missile Defense Shield that will protect the entire US. MAYBE. Although Congress would have to authorize funds, which would not happen this year, Trump has started the process with Elon Musk reportedly having the inside track on a contract if it ever happens.

70. Increase defense spending to highest levels in history. KEPT. The current budget framework calls for defense spending to be increased by $150 Billion.

71. China will prevent the export of all fentanyl precursors. BROKEN.

TRADE:

72. Across the board 10% tariff on all foreign imports. KEPT.

73. Tariffs of 20-60% imposed on all goods imported from China. KEPT.

74. Revoke China's Most Favored Nation Status for trade. BROKEN. This is the nuclear option in a global trade war that Trump has not moved on.

75. Stop importation of all EVs from China. KEPT. There is a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs, so this is pretty much a ban.

76. All companies with plants in China or importing parts manufactured in China will be banned from conducting any business with the US government. (Proposed when Musk was supporting Desantis). BROKEN.

77. Tariff placed on all imports of Ibuprofen, Hydrocortisone, Acetaminophen, and Penicillin until 100% of each drug sold in the US is manufactured in the US. MAYBE. Trump exempted medications from his initial tariffs, but has been threatening to add them any day.

78. The Trump Reciprocal Trade Act will impose tariffs on all imports equal to tariffs imposed by a foreign country on US products. KEPT. Not exactly, but close enough to give this one to him.

79. Chinese companies will be forced to sell all US holdings in energy, tech, telecommunications, farmland, natural resources, and medical supplies. BROKEN. He has not moved forward with any of this yet although he continues to talk about it.

80. Return all auto manufacturing jobs from US auto companies with plants in Mexico to the US by imposting huge tariffs on Mexico. MAYBE. The auto tariffs were imposed, then paused, then reinstituted. Whether any of this will result in new plants here with Mexico’s closing is unlikely, but the jury is out.

ENERGY POLICY:

81. Authorize new drilling for oil to increase production above current levels. KEPT.

82. Lift ban on exports of natural gas to other countries. KEPT.

83. Electricity and home energy bills will be reduced by 50%. BROKEN. This will never happen.

84. New nuclear power plants will be authorized and constructed. MAYBE. Nothing has been done on this yet, but the Trump Admin is moving forward with plans that still must be authorized by Congress.

85. Over 200 new power plants using coal and other fossil fuels will be constructed. KEPT probably. Obviously we are a long ways away from this many new plants, but Trump is aggressively moving forward on this.

86. All electric grids will be modernized. KEPT by executive order DOE is instructed to take several steps to implement this.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE:

87. Pardon defendants convicted and arrested for crimes related to J6 and stolen classified documents. KEPT.

88. Have the US Navy implement a naval blockade to prevent all fentanyl precursors from entering the US by sea. MAYBE. He did move Navy ships off the coast for interdiction, but whether that will ever come close to preventing supply from entering the US is highly unlikely.

89. Federal immunity for state and local police officers to prohibit civil rights and excessive force lawsuits being brought against them. BROKEN. Trump has not done anything to advance this.

90. Death penalty for human trafficking offenses. BROKEN. This was not included in the Laken Riley act and no steps have been taken by Trump to advance this.

91. People convicted of selling drugs will receive the death penalty. BROKEN. Even if Congress tried to pass this it would be unconstitutional under the 8th Amendment. This is just something that sounds good on the campaign trail for Republicans.

92. Pardon convicted drug trafficker Ross Ulbricht (promise to Libertarian Party). KEPT.

93. DOJ will investigate and prosecute local District Attorneys believed to have persecuted because of their religious beliefs, such as anti-abortion activists outside clinics. KEPT mostly. Although he hasn’t prosecuted any DAs yet, he has ended all prosecutions under the FACE act and created a commission to study people who have allegedly been treated unfairly for their religious beliefs.