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By Anna Commander
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President Donald Trump's first year back in the White House has been a period of sweeping policy change and intense political conflict, reshaping U.S. domestic and foreign policy.
Gains that include brokering a Gaza peace deal and collecting record tariff revenues stand alongside rising political headwinds, public feuds and slipping approval ratings. The outcomes of these actions not only affect the administration’s legacy but also potentially set the tone for the approaching midterm elections, U.S. international relations and the nation’s political landscape. Analysts suggest the stakes are high for both Trump and the Republican Party in 2026, with key legislative and judicial wins increasingly overshadowed by challenges to his authority and popularity among voters and party members.
Newsweek asked political and legal analysts their thoughts on the president's year overall. Below is a list of Trump's biggest wins and losses based on their remarks.
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Win: Gaza Peace Deal
In October 2025, Trump announced a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, marking what he described as the "first Phase of our Peace Plan." Trump said that "ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!"
The deal, facilitated through multilateral negotiations, drew cautious support from international actors but faced skepticism about its durability and the complexity of guaranteeing humanitarian relief and political reconciliation in the region.
Columbia University professor Robert Y. Shapiro told Newsweek via email on Tuesday that "getting as far as he has with the settlement in GAZA and the release of the hostages, which looked very good for a time and could now take another bad turn" was a win for Trump's administration.
Grant Davis Reeher, a professor of political science at Syracuse University, also agreed more broadly, telling Newsweek on Wednesday that "While the president’s boasting about the number of wars he has personally ended is inflated, it’s also true that he has used his influence and political capital to help end conflicts that might not have ended as quickly without his involvement."
Win: Immigration
Trump's immigration crackdown received judicial support when the Supreme Court allowed the administration to resume the rapid deportation of certain migrants to countries other than their place of origin, overriding a lower court’s block. The 2025 decision marks a major legal win for the administration’s broader immigration enforcement agenda. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in part, “Fire up the deportation planes,” and called the decision "a victory for the safety and security of the American people."
Critics, including Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, warned thousands are at risk of "torture or death" due to the policy.
Shapiro noted that one of Trump's "biggest wins" was "ending the traffic of migrants and refugees across the southern border."
D. Stephen Voss, political science professor at the University of Kentucky, told Newsweek via email on Tuesday that Trump "Successfully executing a dramatic shift in the immigration policies that made Biden so unpopular" is a win.
Florida Atlantic University political professor Craig Agranoff agreed, telling Newsweek, "On the cultural front, his aggressive push on immigration enforcement, including expanded border security measures, resonated strongly with supporters and shifted public discourse on the issue."
Voss did however note that Trump "Quickly losing support for his administration's immigration policies due to their aggressiveness" is a loss for the president.
Win: One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Trump’s major legislative accomplishment, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is a sweeping tax-and-spending-cut bill, restructuring elements of federal finance. The measure, described by Trump as a fulfillment of campaign promises, combined deep cuts in welfare programs, tax rate reductions and business incentives.
Voss said "Passing the Big Beautiful Bill and maintaining that win despite a bruising government shutdown" was a win for Trump. Shapiro agreed, saying, "the Big Beautiful Bill with its tax cuts, changes in Medicaid and SNAP with requirements and money savings, and cuts in the ACA [Affordable Care Act] tax subsidies -- the kind of harm to the ACA that he and Republicans have longed for" was a win for the president.
Agranoff told Newsweek on Tuesday that "Politically, the passage of major tax cuts and deregulation packages through a reconciled Congress stands out as a clear win, delivering on core campaign promises and energizing the Republican base."
Win: Judicial Appointments
Trump is positioned to further reshape the federal judiciary as he made his first major judicial appointment of his second term with Whitney Hermandorfer confirmed to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year.
Agranoff told Newsweek, "Legally, the confirmation of additional conservative judges to the federal bench further entrenched his judicial legacy."
Shapiro agreed, saying, "His other major win is the legacy of his judicial appointments -- especially the Supreme Court, which has given him immunity for possible illegal acts as president and lower courts. The courts have let the president proceed with all manner of acts while cases are being decided and appealed -- not allowing injunctions against some his behavior and that of his administration to stand, and being seemingly helpless as the Trump administration defies court orders."
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Loss: Affordability
Despite Trump's vows to revive the economy, Americans have been hit with steep price increases and overdue utility bills, with organizations like the Tax Foundation warning tariffs may trigger "the largest tax hike since 1993." Many voters now doubt Trump's ability to deliver on such economic promises.
Shapiro said Trump has been an "utter failure" in self-touted efforts to keep "prices down and advance the economy as he promised, and as the result of which, 'affordability' has become a major issue that has given the Democrats something to emphasize and attack Republicans, without offering their own plan to tackle the issue or offer their vision as a party more generally."
Voss agreed, while saying it is not necessarily a "loss but a stubborn reality."
"But the biggest threat to Republicans and the Trump administration isn't really a loss but a stubborn reality: Prices have eroded the American quality of life, and he hasn't done much yet to make good on his campaign promises to improve the situation."
Loss: Epstein Files Release
The Trump administration also faces ongoing backlash regarding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which has generated intraparty strife and bipartisan calls for transparency. Georgia U.S. Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s public break with Trump over the Epstein documents and her resignation highlighted fractures in the GOP coalition.
Shapiro told Newsweek that Trump's "administration botched the Epstein scandal issues and they are not going away."
"It is surprising that these losses have not hurt his approval rating more than it has, but it seems to have significantly hurt Republicans in the recent off-year elections and bodes poorly for the midterm elections. These elections could hurt Trump's stature -- and ego -- and more importantly, if the Democrats regain the House of Representative, they will be able to cause further pain by investigating the Trump administration's misbehavior which could lead to impeachment proceedings against multiple officials," Shapiro said.
Loss: Tariff Legal Battles
Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs, introduced in April 2025, produced a dramatic rise in U.S. tariff collections: from $9.6 billion in March to $15.9 billion in April, according to U.S. Treasury data. While Trump hailed the "Liberation Day" tariffs as a historic win and a path to ending federal income taxes, economists warn that the tariffs are already imposing significant costs on households and threaten to decrease long-term economic growth.
Former Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg put Trump's tariff decisions in the loss category, telling Newsweek via X on Tuesday, "his court losses on tariffs" are "about to reach a boiling point at the Supreme Court."
Agranoff agreed, telling Newsweek, "Finally, the drawn-out court battles over executive actions on tariffs led to mixed rulings, creating economic uncertainty and drawing criticism even from some business allies."
Reeher also told Newsweek that "The extensive and unilateral use of tariffs as a means of foreign and economic policy have not demonstrated positive results and instead have disrupted internal supply chains and likely added to domestic inflation, and disrupted and hurt international trade."
Loss: Approval Rating
Public satisfaction with Trump declined throughout 2025, with approval ratings near historic lows, reflecting possible public frustration over rising living costs and aggressive immigration tactics. Trump saw his approval dip with Hispanics toward the end of the year. Hispanic voters played a pivotal role in Trump’s 2024 reelection coalition and shifts in the bloc's support could pose major implications for future elections.
Voss told Newsweek that Trump "Doing little or nothing to maintain the coalition, including Hispanic support, that put him in office" is a loss for the president.
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