President-elect Trump is enjoying a honeymoon following his election victory, but has largely stayed out of the spotlight as positive developments pile up.
Mr. Trump has quickly assembled a Cabinet for the next administration, has resolved his legal issues and has benefited from an uptick in opinion polls since winning a second term earlier this month.
Ann Emerson College Poll According to the magazine released Tuesday, President Trump's favorability rating has increased by 6 points since the election to 54 percent.
However, one of the Cabinet nominees, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), has already withdrawn, and another, Pete Hegseth, is facing sexual assault allegations, so the post-election period will be limited. was not completely drama-free for Trump. That clouds his chances of conviction.
Three weeks after Election Day, here are five reasons why President Trump is doing well.
Quick assembly of cabinets
President Trump has announced new members of the incoming administration almost every day for the past two weeks, wasting no time installing allies in key positions in the White House and appointing loyalists to head key government agencies.
After his 2016 victory, Trump did not name his first Cabinet nominees until 10 days after the election. This time, within three weeks of his victory, he nominated nearly his entire Cabinet, as well as several top White House positions.
Trump allies say the faster pace represents a more consistent transition than eight years ago and reflects Trump's team's preparation for victory this time around, and that Trump is more likely to He said he is emphasizing that he is ready to rely on people he knows, rather than establishment figures.
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer said, “Everyone surrounding him right now is very committed to pushing his agenda forward.”
The fast-paced nominations have kept headlines from one to the next, but some of Mr. Trump's choices are likely to face increased scrutiny as the confirmation process moves forward.
In particular, his choice for defense secretary, Hegseth, faces allegations of sexual assault, which he denies. Former Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, has been criticized for parroting pro-Russian talking points. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, promoted anti-vaccine rhetoric among other controversial views.
Termination of litigation
Trump and his lawyers have been fighting for more than a year to delay various lawsuits against him, hoping that his presidential victory would effectively end the legal battle.
This week, special counsel Jack Smith moved to dismiss both the election interference case and the classified documents case against Mr. Trump, citing the Justice Department's policy against prosecuting sitting presidents, and his efforts were successful. Proven.
The motion in the election interference case was approved by Judge Tanya Chutkan, ending prosecutors' efforts to hold President Trump accountable for his attempts to block the peaceful transfer of power that culminated in the storming of the Capitol by his supporters.
Smith also moved to deny an appeal of a motion to dismiss Trump's Florida documents case, where he is charged with violating the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice.
Trump was convicted earlier this year on 34 felonies related to hush money payments to hush up allegations of an affair during the 2016 campaign. But his sentencing has been postponed indefinitely, and Judge Juan Machan now faces the choice of freezing the case until he leaves the White House or throwing it out entirely.
Signs of Democratic resistance diminish
After Trump won his first victory in 2016, Democrats quickly rallied from the top down and vowed to oppose and resist Trump's policies.
The Women's March was held the day after Trump's inauguration, as lawmakers plotted ways to delay confirmation of Trump's nominees and critics focused on questions about Russian influence in the 2016 election.
This time, Democrats seem more focused on sorting out where their party went wrong in the 2024 campaign than on organizing organized resistance to President Trump's plans. With President Biden out of the White House and Vice President Harris defeated, there is no clear leader for the party.
Instead of vowing to oppose President Trump's cabinet appointments, senators like Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) have chosen to vote against Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Dr. Mehmet Oz. He has spoken openly about supporting candidates for Secretary of State. He was named director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Mr. Fetterman defeated Mr. Oz in 2022 to win the Pennsylvania Senate seat.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis (Democratic) expressed excitement over President Trump's choice of Kennedy to head the Department of Health and Human Services, sparking backlash.
Some state-level leaders, particularly those with ambitions for 2028, appear to want to position themselves as a bulwark against President Trump. California Governor Gavin Newsom (Democrat) has vowed to oppose certain President Trump policies, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (Democrat) has signaled that he will staunchly defend states' rights.
middle east peace agreement
One of President Trump's major victories since the election was thanks to the work of the Biden administration, which announced a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah on Tuesday.
President Biden announced that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to suspend fighting near the Lebanese border starting early Wednesday, following months of fighting and airstrikes in the region.
The terms of the agreement include a 60-day ceasefire under which Israel would gradually withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah would withdraw its troops north of Lebanon's Litani River.
President Trump has not publicly commented on the announcement, but the Biden team has briefed Trump transition officials twice in recent weeks on continued efforts toward a ceasefire.
washington post reported earlier this month Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has claimed it is seeking a ceasefire with Hezbollah as a gift to the incoming Trump administration.
While President Trump still has to contend with the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and Israel's war with Hamas that destroyed Gaza, the ceasefire between the Israeli military and Hezbollah removes one foreign policy concern.
away from the public eye
Trump has largely disappeared from public view for about three weeks after securing his second term.
He appeared in Washington, D.C., to meet with House Republicans and President Biden at the White House, and traveled to Texas with SpaceX founder Elon Musk to witness a SpaceX rocket launch.
However, he has not held press conferences or spoken on camera, making announcements primarily through press releases from his transition team and Truth Social.
Mr. Trump has so far enjoyed a more powerful political career, staying out of the spotlight and avoiding the kind of self-created controversy that arises from his on-camera statements at reporters and rallies.
The question is how long he can keep it up. Some of his cabinet appointments are sure to come under increased scrutiny in the coming weeks, and threats of tariffs against allies Mexico and Canada have frustrated officials and could upend the economy. Yes, President Trump's every move will draw even more attention. Office in January.
