WASHINGTON (AP) — From toppling Venezuela’s leader to ordering mass deportations, from turning once-independent government entities into rubber stamps to tearing down the East Wing and converting the White House ballroom, President Donald Trump has spent his first year in office trampling political norms and testing institutional checks and balances.
Some of his ideas that once seemed unbelievable, even downright fanciful, are now reality. But there are other things Trump can’t deliver on.
“I delivered on all my promises and more,” Trump insisted during a speech in Detroit this week.
As he approaches a year in power, here are some of his most jaw-dropping promises:
In Progress: New Qatar Air Force One
U.S. defense officials in May accepted a luxury Boeing 747 aircraft from Qatar for Trump to eventually use as Air Force One, ignoring ethical and legal issues and even anti-bribery constitutional provisions. The Air Force said the aircraft is being modified in Texas to meet U.S. security and communications standards, which could cost about $400 million. Outside experts estimate the cost could be closer to $1 billion. Although Trump boasted that the work would be completed within six months, it may not actually be completed until after he leaves office in January 2029.
Progress: Annexation of Greenland
Trump renewed his call to take over the semi-autonomous Danish territory, insisting the United States would “own” Greenland “somehow” after U.S. troops ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The president also appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the U.S. envoy to Greenland, recognizing the French purchase of the island in 1803, which doubled the size of the United States. Denmark has said it will not abandon the world’s largest island and any invasion could have geopolitical implications given its status as a NATO ally.
automatic pen survey
Trump has sought to discredit his predecessor, Joe Biden, accusing Democrats of relying too much on automatic pens to sign presidential pardons, legislation and other key documents, even though Trump and other presidents have used the tool. In October, a Republican-controlled House committee released a report accusing the Biden administration of misuse of automatic pens. Trump’s Justice Department is investigating.
Reopen Alcatraz Island
The president said he wants to reopen the “expanded and rebuilt” Alcatraz prison, the notorious San Francisco Bay prison that has been closed for more than six years and is used to house immigration detainees. Bureau of Prisons Commissioner William K. Marshall III toured the island in July. His agency announced that engineers and planners are developing design concepts, preliminary budgets and logistics models.
50 year home mortgage loan
Trump has posted on social media about extending traditional home mortgage repayment terms from 30 to 50 years, suggesting it could ease concerns about housing affordability. Economists say the shift will make it harder to build wealth through homeownership. Still, the White House has pledged to push for the change. Since then, however, officials have made little progress, with Trump instead seeking to lower mortgage rates by having the federal government buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds.
Seeking a third term
Although the Constitution stipulates that no one can be elected president “more than twice,” Trump has often considered a third term. He admitted in October, “I would say, if you read it, it’s obvious that I’m not allowed to run. That’s too bad.” White House chief of staff Susie Wiles also told Vanity Fair that Trump “knows he can’t run again.” Still, Trump mused this month, “Am I not allowed to run? I’m not sure,” and suggested a “constitutional movement” might be used to achieve that goal.
What’s Gone: Making Canada the 51st State
Although far-fetched, Trump has been talking about making America’s northern neighbor a “Great Canada” since before the start of his second term. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney assured Trump during a subsequent visit to the White House that his country would “never be for sale.” Carney said in June that Trump had lost interest. Still, Trump continued to float the idea, including in a speech to military personnel in Virginia in September.
Visit Fort Knox
Trump said in February that billionaire Elon Musk would travel to Fort Knox, Kentucky, to make sure America’s gold reserves remained. The president even floated the idea of following. However, nothing came of it and Musk has left the government.
Send thousands of migrants to Guantánamo
The president has pledged to transport up to 30,000 of the “most serious criminal aliens” to U.S. naval detention facilities in Cuba, where about 500 immigrants were held between February and June. But those numbers have since declined, sometimes reaching zero. Housing for immigrants at Guantánamo is more expensive than in traditional detention centers, and doing so has prompted legal challenges.
Gaza Strip as a Mediterranean Resort
Trump has repeatedly suggested that the United States would take over the war-torn Gaza Strip and deport Palestinians living there, so that American developers could turn the area into a “Riviera of the Middle East” in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas. Gaza’s reconstruction is a key issue in the ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration, but Arab countries have rejected the idea of using it as a resort. Trump never mentioned it again.
Duty revenue check
The president has said his tariffs could generate enough income for most Americans to receive the $2,000 payments. But he also pledged to use the money to fill the deficit created by the tax cuts, reduce the national debt, fund a critical nutrition program for low-income mothers and children during last year’s government shutdown, aid farmers and increase defense spending in 2027. The United States received about $289 billion in tariff revenue last year, which was far less than the cost of the rebate checks even without other promised earmarks. Trump also promised cuts in the size of the federal government that would provide rebate checks to Americans, but those never materialized.
Eliminate federal income tax
Trump has often said that high import tariffs “would be enough to cut all income taxes,” and has long suggested that the United States was better off during the Gilded Age, when there were no income taxes and federal revenue came primarily from tariffs. “If you go back to the 1800s, 1887,” he said Friday, “we had money, so much money, we didn’t know what to do with it.” Lately, however, his administration has been more frequently touting the extent to which his tax and spending laws might reduce many Americans’ 2026 tax bills.
Changing NFL Kickoff Rules
Trump hated the energetic kick-off, calling it an “insult” and “unromantic” insult to the “pomp and circumstance” of football. By November, Trump suggested the NFL “had no right to do this to the game” while admitting “I don’t think they’re going to change.”
Work Completed: Restoration of the War Department
Trump signed an executive order in September to rename the Defense Department the Department of War. Congress will need to act to legalize this change.
Kennedy Center renamed
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, whose board of directors is packed with Trump loyalists, voted in December to add Trump’s name to Washington’s premier performing arts venue to honor the 35th president. The move resulted in show cancellations and lawsuits. The Kennedy Center is named by statute and requires congressional approval for legal changes.
Reduce China’s influence on the Panama Canal
Trump hinted ahead of his second term that the United States might regain control of the Panama Canal after Panama failed to curb China’s influence in the waterway. His government then pressured China to sell the Hong Kong-based operator of ports at either end of the canal to a U.S. consortium, although the process faced delays. Panama withdrew from China’s Belt and Road investment program in Latin America, and Defense Minister Pete Hegseth visited Panama in April and agreed to strengthen security coordination.
Trump Gold Card
The president announced in December that his long-promised “gold card” would be on sale soon. It provides individuals with legal status and, ultimately, U.S. citizenship, for individuals paying $1 million and businesses paying twice that per foreign-born employee, plus an upfront fee of $15,000 to cover screening costs. The program is designed to replace the EB-5 visa, which provides permanent U.S. residency in exchange for a foreign investor spending more than $1 million to purchase a business that creates at least 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers.
White House Ballroom
Since demolishing the East Wing, construction crews have been working late into the night in an effort to complete the massive ballroom before the end of Trump’s term. The president initially said the building would be larger than the White House itself and would cost $200 million, but now he says it will cost $400 million. He promised the cost would be paid for by himself and private donors. The White House has released only a partial list of actual contributors, arguing that parts of the project plan are “top secret.”
More to watch: U.S. possible military action in Colombia, Mexico and Iran
Following U.S. action in Venezuela, Trump accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of “making cocaine and selling it to the United States” and said U.S. intervention in the country “sounds good to me.” However, after a friendly call with Petro, Trump said the “drugs and other divisive situations” had been resolved. However, Trump also insisted that Mexico is “run” by drug cartels and said that “you have to do something about Mexico.” He warned Iran that if the country starts “killing people as it has in the past” during its latest round of massive anti-government protests, “they will be hit hard by the United States.” The killings had reached thousands, but by Friday Trump appeared to be backing down from the threats.
Cuba will collapse with or without U.S. intervention
Trump has repeatedly noted that Cuba’s position has been weakened since the U.S. captured Maduro, whose country is the communist island’s main ally. Trump said Cuba “exists only because of Venezuela” and is “prepared to collapse” without U.S. intervention. Venezuela’s economic and social chaos and Maduro’s ouster have raised questions about Cuba’s future. But Trump also suggested Cuba “make a deal before it’s too late,” without specifying what that meant.
golden dome
Trump has said he wants the Golden Dome missile defense program — a $175 billion, multi-layered system that will launch U.S. weapons into space for the first time — to be fully operational by January 2029. What is achieved by then is more likely to be some preliminary capabilities for the system, Defense Department officials said. It is expected to include ground- and space-based capabilities that can detect and stop missiles during all stages of an attack.
Pete Rose inducted into Hall of Fame
Trump said he spoke with Rob Manfred before the MLB commissioner reinstated Cincinnati Reds slugger Pete Rose in May. Rose died in 2024 but faced a baseball ban for betting on games despite hitting a record 4,256 career at-bats. Trump now wants Rose to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but that depends on the Hall of Fame’s Classic Baseball Committee, which likely won’t meet until at least December 2027.
“Rush Hour 4”
The fourth installment in the buddy-cop comedy series starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan will be released at Trump’s request. Paramount, co-owned by David Ellison, the son of Oracle co-founder and Trump megadonor Larry Ellison, will distribute the film. Semafo reported that Trump has asked Ellison to help revive the team. Warner Bros. released the first three “Rush Hour” movies but dropped the fourth one after earlier sexual misconduct allegations against its director, Brett Ratner. Ratner also produced a documentary about first lady Melania Trump.
