Remember “Day One”?
It is State of the Union day. Brace tonight for a flood of BS from Donald Trump so furious it will make Daniel Dale’s head spin.
Trump promised a lot of things would happen on Day One. The BBC looks back at a few:
Reducing prices
What he’s said:
“When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one.” press conference, Aug 2024
What he’s done:
This is perhaps his biggest challenge, given how often inflation topped the list of voters’ priorities during the election campaign. In his inaugural address, Trump promised to “marshal the vast powers” of his Cabinet to rapidly bring down costs and prices, but it’s unclear how. One way, he says, is by increasing drilling to reduce energy costs.
A steep price rise in January, the biggest monthly increase for 16 months, has complicated Trump’s task. He blamed Joe Biden, who left office on 20 January, and Democratic spending. “I had nothing to do with it,” said Trump.
At other times, however, he has admitted it’s hard for US presidents to control prices. But economists warn some of his policies could fuel inflation and polling suggests voters would like to see him doing more.
Mass deportations
What he’s said:
“On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history to get the criminals out.” 4 Nov 2024
What he’s done:
Immigration has perhaps been Trump’s main focus since taking power, with more than a dozen executive orders aimed at overhauling the system. His plan to deport foreign nationals in the country illegally, starting with those convicted of crimes, seems to have widespread public support.
But it is uncertain whether he will meet his promise to deport so many. A few raids have made headlines but the number of people being removed does not seem to be record-breaking, according to the daily figures.
In his first month in office, the US deported 37,660 people – less than the monthly average of 57,000 removals and returns in the last full year of Joe Biden’s administration, data obtained by Reuters shows.
A DHS spokesperson told the agency that Biden-era deportation numbers were higher because illegal immigration was higher. Nationwide border encounters decreased 66% in January compared to 2024, according to the White House.
Trump has succeeded in neutering much of the Bill of Rights in the process as well as terrorizing Americans from coast to coast.
January 6 pardons
What he’s said:
“I’ll be looking at J6 early on, maybe the first nine minutes.” Time Magazine, Dec 2024
What he’s done:
True to his word, hours after taking the presidential oath, Trump issued pardons and commutations that paved the way for the release of more than 1,500 people convicted or charged in connection with the US Capitol riot. A police officer who was punched that day told the BBC the pardons were a “slap in the face”.
Ending Ukraine War
What he’s said:
“They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done – I’ll have that done in 24 hours.” CNN town hall, 2023
What he’s done:
Trump has initiated the first talks between the US and Russia since the start of the war, but Ukraine has vowed to reject any deal hatched without it, and there’s been an angry exchange between leaders. President Volodymyr Zelensky fears the US president delivering on his campaign promise to end the war but on Moscow’s terms and with no security guarantees. There is also anxiety in European capitals that they are being sidelined, and that Trump may dismantle some of the sanctions imposed on Russia as punishment for the invasion.
Ending birthright citizenship
What he’s said:
Trump told NBC in December he “absolutely” planned to end birthright citizenship on day one: “If somebody sets a foot of just a foot… on our land, congratulations. You are now a citizen of the United States of America. Yes, we’re going to end that.”
What he’s done:
In one of the first acts of his second presidency, Trump ordered an end to an automatic right to American citizenship currently received by nearly anybody born on US soil. Birthright citizenship is not the norm around the world, and Trump’s move targets those who are in the US illegally or on temporary visas.
Opponents say the plan interferes with a right that was established by an amendment to the US Constitution nearly 160 years ago. And the issue could be heading for the Supreme Court – the highest in America – after an appeals court ruled against Trump, upholding a legal block on his plan.
Trump tonight will huff, and he’ll puff, and he’ll blow the House chamber audience’s ears back. It is a good bet that any numbers he cites and any accomplishments he claims from his first year back in office are as solid as investments in cryptocurrency.
And tariffs, tariffs, tariffs. Good for whatever ails ya. But not good for reducing prices on groceries and other items. The Ukraine war drags on. Oh, and Trump releasing the Epstein files as he promised during his campaign took a literal act of Congress in November. The Epstein class coverup continues. Overseas, heads roll. And in exceptional America, rich pedophiles are exceptions.
8 Reasons Grocery Prices Are Still Going Up — Yahoo!Finance, February 20, 2026
Trump said tariffs would bring factories ‘roaring back.’ So why are manufacturing jobs on the decline? — Yahoo!Finance, January 25, 2026
U.S. Manufacturing Is in Retreat and Trump’s Tariffs Aren’t Helping — Wall Street Journal, February 2, 2026
Reuters, February 24, 2026
- GDP growth beats expectations, despite initial shrinkage
- Tariffs fail to fix trade deficit, Supreme Court ruling injects uncertainty
- Manufacturing output rises, but job growth stalls
So should the SOTU come up in conversation this week with MAGA friends and relations, remind them that they can join us, join us here anytime.