Second presidency of Donald Trump in the context of "119th United States Congress"

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⭐ Core Definition: Second presidency of Donald Trump

Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. Trump, a member of the Republican Party, had previously served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021 and lost re-election to the Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, took office after defeating the Democratic incumbent vice president Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Trump is the second former U.S. president to return to office. Alongside Trump's second presidency, the Republican Party also currently holds majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate during the 119th U.S. Congress following the 2024 elections, thereby attaining an overall federal government trifecta.

In the first eight months of his second presidency, Trump signed over 200 executive orders, many of which have been or are being challenged in court. His attempts to expand presidential power and conflict with the courts have been described as a defining characteristic of his second presidency. The Trump administration has taken action against law firms for challenging its policies. On immigration, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, revived numerous immigration laws from his first presidency, attempted to restrict birthright citizenship, and initiated procedures for mass deportations, including nationwide raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In January 2025, Trump launched the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with Elon Musk briefly overseeing it. DOGE was tasked with reducing federal spending and limiting bureaucracy, and it oversaw mass layoffs of civil servants along with efforts to dismantle government agencies such as the Agency for International Development.

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Second presidency of Donald Trump in the context of European Service Module

The European Service Module (ESM) is the service module component of the Orion spacecraft, serving as its primary power and propulsion component until it is discarded at the end of each mission. In January 2013, NASA announced that the European Space Agency (ESA) will contribute the service module for Artemis I, based on the ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). It was delivered by Airbus Defence and Space in Bremen, in northern Germany to NASA at the end of 2018. After approval of the first module, the ESA will provide the ESMs from Artemis II to Artemis VI. However, the Trump administration has called for the termination of Orion spacecraft program after Artemis III.

The module's first flight was Artemis I, the first major milestone in NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the Moon, on November 16, 2022. The Space Launch System launched Orion toward the Moon, where the ESM placed the spacecraft into distant retrograde orbit around the Moon, and subsequently extracted it from that orbit and sent it back to Earth.

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Second presidency of Donald Trump in the context of United States Agency for International Development

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is a de jure agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government. USAID was the world's largest foreign aid agency, but it received major cutbacks in 2025, with its remaining functions being transferred to the United States Department of State.

USAID was established in 1961 to compete with the Soviet Union during the Cold War through the use of soft power. In 2025, the Trump administration ended 83% of overall projects. However, USAID had been reorganized by the United States Congress as an independent agency in 1998 and can only be closed down by an act of Congress. As such, it legally still exists.

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Second presidency of Donald Trump in the context of LGBTQ rights in the United States

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in the United States have developed over time, with public opinion and jurisprudence changing significantly since the late 1980s. Lesbian, gay and bisexual rights are considered advanced. Even though strong protections for same-sex couples remain in place, the rights of transgender people have faced significant erosion since the beginning of Donald Trump's second presidency.

In 1962, beginning with Illinois, states began to decriminalize same-sex sexual activity, and in 2003, through Lawrence v. Texas, all remaining laws against same-sex sexual activity were invalidated. In 2004, beginning with Massachusetts, states began to offer same-sex marriage, and in 2015, through Obergefell v. Hodges, all states were required to offer it. In many states and municipalities, LGBTQ Americans are explicitly protected from discrimination in employment, housing, and access to public accommodations. Many LGBTQ rights in the United States have been established by the United States Supreme Court, which invalidated state laws banning protected class recognition based upon homosexuality, struck down sodomy laws nationwide, struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, made same-sex marriage legal nationwide, and prohibited employment discrimination against gay and transgender employees. LGBTQ-related anti-discrimination laws regarding housing and private and public services vary by state. Twenty-three states plus Washington, D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, and twenty-two states plus Washington, D.C., outlaw discrimination based on gender identity or expression. Family law also varies by state. Adoption of children by same-sex married couples is legal nationwide since Obergefell v. Hodges. According to Human Rights Campaign's 2024 state index, the states with the most comprehensive LGBTQ rights legislation include Vermont, California, Minnesota, Virginia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, New Mexico, Washington, Colorado, New York, Illinois, Oregon, Maine, Hawaii, and New Jersey.

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Second presidency of Donald Trump in the context of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; pronounced "ice") is a federal law enforcement agency under the supervision of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Its stated mission is to conduct criminal investigations, enforce immigration laws, preserve national security, and protect public safety. ICE was created as part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 following the September 11 attacks. It absorbed the prior functions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the United States Customs Service.

ICE has been involved in multiple controversies throughout its existence, with significant increases in criticism during the first and especially the second administration of Donald Trump. Following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025 as part of Trump's hardline immigration policy, ICE became the largest and most well-funded federal law enforcement agency in U.S. history. Its aggressive and anonymized enforcement actions, controversial publicity campaigns, and militarization resulted in significant drops in public support and raised concerns over legality, lack of accountability, and civil rights violations. ICE agents are noted for wearing masks, civilian clothing, and using unmarked vehicles to protect their identity. The agency has been the subject of widespread protests particularly in 2018 and 2025, with some activists calling for its abolition. Since its expansion, the agency has been described by critics, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union, as a growing paramilitary force under Trump's personal control.

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Second presidency of Donald Trump in the context of March 2025 Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip

In the early hours of 18 March 2025, Israel launched a surprise attack on the Gaza Strip, effectively ending the January 2025 Gaza war ceasefire. Israel's missile and artillery attack killed more than 400 Palestinians, including 263 women and children according to the Gaza Health Ministry, making it one of the deadliest in the Gaza war. Codenamed Operation Might and Sword (Hebrew: מבצע עוז וחרב, Mivtza Oz VaḤerev) by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), it was carried out in coordination with the United States. The next day, the Israeli military announced that it was conducting a ground offensive to retake the Netzarim Corridor, from which it had withdrawn in February.

On 17 January, a deal for a 42-day ceasefire was achieved, with the deal, which also calls for the release of Israeli hostages, then being approved by Israel's security cabinet in an afternoon vote. Later in the day, the deal was given full cabinet approval and signed by its negotiators. Under the agreement, all Israeli hostages would be released by the end of the second phase and the Gaza war would permanently end. After the first phase ended on 1 March, Hamas intended to move to the second phase of negotiations – as envisioned in the original ceasefire deal – while Netanyahu and the Trump administration insisted on renegotiating the overall terms. Israel also refused to withdraw from sites in the Gaza Strip, despite the fact that it had agreed to do so in the ceasefire agreement. Further, during the ceasefire, Israel killed more than 140 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. In March, Israel prevented all food and medicine from entering Gaza; later it shut off electricity to the Gaza Strip's main desalination plant, effectively cutting off water. These actions have been deemed war crimes by aid organizations and human rights organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières and Amnesty International.

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Second presidency of Donald Trump in the context of Executive Order 14162

Executive Order 14162, titled "Putting America First In International Environmental Agreements", is an executive order signed by United States president Donald Trump on January 20, 2025, during the first day of his second presidential term. The order directed the immediate withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement and other international climate commitments.

The executive order marked the second time the United States had withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, following a previous withdrawal during Trump's first presidential term.

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Second presidency of Donald Trump in the context of LGBT rights in the United States

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in the United States have developed over time, with public opinion and jurisprudence changing significantly since the late 1980s. Lesbian, gay and bisexual rights are considered advanced. Rights of transgender people have faced significant erosion since the beginning of Donald Trump's second presidency.

In 1962, beginning with Illinois, states began to decriminalize same-sex sexual activity, and in 2003, through Lawrence v. Texas, all remaining laws against same-sex sexual activity were invalidated. In 2004, beginning with Massachusetts, states began to offer same-sex marriage, and in 2015, through Obergefell v. Hodges, all states were required to offer it. In many states and municipalities, LGBTQ Americans are explicitly protected from discrimination in employment, housing, and access to public accommodations. Many LGBTQ rights in the United States have been established by the United States Supreme Court, which invalidated state laws banning protected class recognition based upon homosexuality, struck down sodomy laws nationwide, struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, made same-sex marriage legal nationwide, and prohibited employment discrimination against gay and transgender employees. LGBTQ-related anti-discrimination laws regarding housing and private and public services vary by state. Twenty-three states plus Washington, D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, and twenty-two states plus Washington, D.C., outlaw discrimination based on gender identity or expression. Family law also varies by state. Adoption of children by same-sex married couples is legal nationwide since Obergefell v. Hodges. According to Human Rights Campaign's 2024 state index, the states with the most comprehensive LGBTQ rights legislation include Vermont, California, Minnesota, Virginia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, New Mexico, Washington, Colorado, New York, Illinois, Oregon, Maine, Hawaii, and New Jersey.

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