NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The marathon Q&A sessions are back, along with the cream Oval Office rug and the Diet Coke button on the Resolute Desk. So, too, are the late-night social media posts that ricochet across the globe and the barrage of executive orders.
But in 10 days, Donald Trump has frozen federal spending and hiring, to more than two million government workers, and ended federal diversity and transgender-rights efforts. He鈥檚 , rewritten American maps, pardoned Jan. 6 protesters who assaulted police, announced plans to detain migrants at Guant谩namo Bay, and undone years of his predecessors' actions with the stroke of his Sharpie pen.
looks and sounds a lot like he did during his first go-around. But this time, the president is far more experienced and surrounded by a team that's spent years planning for its White House return, unleashing a fusillade of action that is , and drawing fury from Democrats .
鈥淗e seems much more comfortable, almost relaxed in how he鈥檚 doing the job,鈥� according to Sean Spicer, Trump鈥檚 first White House press secretary, who said Trump is showing a new 鈥渓evel of confidence," having spent four years in office.
鈥淚 think he has the people, the policies and the process down. He knows who can get his agenda done, who he wants to surround himself with, the policies he wants to advance, and the process to get that enacted," said Spicer, who now hosts a show on YouTube.
An emboldened president
Trump no longer needs to worry about reelection. The Constitution bars a third term. He faces little resistance from a unified Republican Congress, which controls both chambers. The Supreme Court, a third of which he nominated, has ruled that he and future presidents have expansive immunity from legal consequences.
But beyond that, Trump has lived through a stunning four years, surviving a pair of assassination attempts, including one in which a would-be assassin's bullet grazed his ear. He was indicted four times, became the first former president to be convicted of a crime 鈥� and nonetheless was returned to the highest office in the land after being written off in the wake of his 2020 loss. The conviction resulted in no jail time and the other cases are dismissed or on hold.
That has left Trump more emboldened than ever 鈥� and with a long to-do list. He's launched into a frenetic pace of appearances that is a dramatic departure from his predecessor, Joe Biden, who often faded from public view by his own staff's design.
Trump's first presidential trip, for instance, began with him surveying hurricane damage in North Carolina, where and said he wanted concessions from Democrat-led states in exchange for disaster assistance.
He later toured fire-ravaged Los Angeles, where he clashed with local officials on live television, water policies and minimizing concerns about hazardous waste 鈥� all while wearing a black version of his signature 鈥淢AGA鈥� campaign hat.
鈥淭rump 2.0 is amazing. He gives zero f鈥�-, drops truth bombs, and it鈥檚 glorious to watch,鈥� , a pro-Trump writer and radio host, marveling at one moment on the trip, Trump鈥檚 back-and-forth in California with a Democratic congressman berating the nation鈥檚 largest state about its handling of wildfires.
The next day, Trump was in Las Vegas. After touting his plan to end taxes on tips, he made a surprise visit to the floor of the Circa Resort & Casino, where he was welcomed with loud cheers and a 鈥淯SA!鈥� chant. One man approaching a nearby roulette table bellowed, 鈥淕ive me $47 on No. 47!鈥�
Though his team said he was there to thank waiters and dealers, Trump appeared more interested in the gamblers. He gathered with the crowd around a craps table, where a game was already underway.
鈥淭hrow the dice,鈥� he told the player, Alex Winnik, as he watched the action.
Aides to Trump's third campaign 鈥� many of whom now occupy the White House 鈥� had tried to cultivate such moments, hoping they might go viral on social media like his stop to make fries at a McDonald鈥檚 or his appearances at mixed martial arts fights and football games. Those moments helped Trump reach Americans who don鈥檛 typically watch the news or engage with traditional media sources.
The next day, Trump was at the House Republicans鈥� annual policy retreat, held at his golf club in Doral, Florida.
Ready to take action, out to take revenge
Much of Trump's first term was consumed by backbiting and leaks from rival factions trying to push their own causes. Courts repeatedly halted his efforts, notably in his first days, when he tried to ban travelers from several majority-Muslim countries.
This time, his team, helmed by chief of staff Susie Wiles, appears in public as united and drama-free.
Trump aides and outside allies, including The Heritage Foundation and the America First Policy Institute, spent years crafting their own blueprints for a Trump return, drafting hundreds of executive orders and other actions in a bid to avoid the early failures of his first term, when chaos rained and slipshod orders were routinely blocked by the courts. Trump has plucked staff from those organizations to fill his Cabinet and White House.
鈥淭hese guys are much more coordinated, organized and know how to execute,鈥� said Spicer, who lasted six months as Trump鈥檚 first press secretary. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a much more focused and disciplined team.鈥�
Trump's team has so far backtracked on one major move, a memo pausing all federal grant funding for an ideological review. The White House less than two days after it caused widespread confusion among organizations that rely on that funding.
But Trump still has scores to settle.
After spending the last four years first in political exile and then in fight mode on the campaign trail, Trump is now making good on his promises and enacting the revenge he spent years seeking.
Within hours of being sworn in, he who were convicted or charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, including many who attacked police as they tried to stop the certification of his 2020 election loss to Biden.
He has also moved to punish critics, the security clearances of dozens of high-level former government officials. He stripped protective security details from his former national security adviser John Bolton and others who had a role in planning the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, including former and his onetime deputy.
That drew a rare rebuttal from some Republican allies who warned that credible security threats from Iran remain, potentially putting their lives in danger.
And in an effort to minimize resistance, Trump has worked to Biden holdovers and others not fully bought into his agenda.
It's a long way from eight years ago, when Trump's victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton caught almost everyone 鈥� including him 鈥� off guard.
鈥淗e's learned so much about how to govern and how not to govern in the first term 鈥� plus he鈥檚 had another four years to stew about it and think about what he wants to accomplish 鈥� that it's obviously a far more active and aggressive administration than the first time around,鈥� veteran Republican pollster Whit Ayres said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just been a breathtaking barrage of initiatives and executive orders, of comments that have captured the world鈥檚 attention. It鈥檚 been quite the whirlwind.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.
Jill Colvin, The Associated Press
