Keeping up with all of President Donald Trump’s promises, even the most outrageous ones, can occasionally be challenging due to the volume of his public speeches. After he makes a commitment, however, the president has a way of making once-unthinkable ideas seem more and more normal the more he says them.
He occasionally even succeeds in making them happen. At other times, however, his words have no effect at all. Here are some of Trump’s more astounding recent thoughts and where they stand.
The Comeback of the Department of War
Promise kept, but pending congressional approval. Trump spent weeks advocating for the renaming of the Defense Department, claiming that it “just sounded better” when the United States had a War Department. George Washington established the War Department in 1789, but it was disbanded as part of the 1947 National Security Act, which established the National Military Establishment in its place.
#DemsUnited #DV1
Trump wants to rename the Department of Defense the Department of War & doesn’t seem too concerned about the fact that it takes an act of Congress.He has declared war on blue cities, Black mayors, Black history and everything not MAGA
— Lisa Ericsson Murphy 🌊🌊Release The Files 🇺🇦 (@lisakrstin) August 25, 2025
Congress altered that two years later, renaming it the Department of Defense. Trump reportedly attempted to use an executive order to alter the name himself. However, lawmakers must still agree to make that official and permanent.
Renaming Washington’s Kennedy Center the Trump Kennedy Center
The conversation is still on. In August, Trump shared a list of individuals he assisted in selecting for the center’s yearly awards: “Woops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS, but GREAT NOMINEES for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER.” “Some people call it the Trump Kennedy Center, but we’re not ready to do that just yet,” he later stated at an Oval Office event. Perhaps in about a week.
🚨BREAKING: Trump slips and says he’ll rename the Kennedy Center the “Trump Kennedy Center” next week.
There is something seriously wrong Trump’s brain. It’s beyond ego. Trump is OBSESSED with rewriting America in his own image, erasing legacies greater than his. It’s sick. pic.twitter.com/wEB9rehplc
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) August 22, 2025
The center and its opera house would be renamed after Trump and first lady Melania Trump, respectively, in a congressional proposal supported by the Republican Party. However, a complete renaming might end up being more plausible than just adding Trump’s name to the edifice beside Kennedy.
Defending Daylight Saving Time
The issue has faded away. Trump has taken sides on the matter. Before retaking the White House, he posted that the Republican Party would try to end daylight saving time. He stated in March that it was very difficult for him to take a solid stance on the matter because clocking back and forth was a 50/50 issue.
President Trump on Ending Daylight Savings Time 🙌
He wants to know:
A. Would you like to have more daylight later?
B. Would you like to have more daylight earlier?
Which do you prefer?
I prefer A…. More daylight. But regardless, it needs to end! I HATE it! lol… pic.twitter.com/OAju0LooRo— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) March 6, 2025
The president declared online the following month that he was in favor of permanent daylight saving time. In 2022, the Senate passed a bill to that effect, but it was blocked in the House. Although it has been proposed, legislation to revive that endeavor has not progressed.
Cane Sugar In U.S. Coke
It will arrive soon, though not exactly as promised. It is well known that Trump enjoys Diet Coke. However, this added to the surprise of his July revelation that Coca-Cola had decided to utilize real cane sugar in its iconic beverage in the United States. The business quickly acknowledged that such a version was on the horizon, but that it would be a new product added to the lineup rather than a change that would affect all domestic Cokes.
There’s a reason why Trump wants Coca Cola to use sugar. His neighbor José ‘Pepe’ Fanjul is on Epstein’s client list and owns a sugar plantation in the Dominican Republic that uses ‘forced labor’. Earlier this year, Trump lifted a ban on importing sugar from Fanjul’s plantation. pic.twitter.com/7Q7PAskURL
— Piyush Mittal 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇬🇪🇨🇦🟧🌊🌈 (@piyushmittal) July 17, 2025
Even though Coke from Mexico and several other nations continued to utilize cane sugar, the anticipated change is noteworthy because U.S. Coke has been sweetened with high fructose corn syrup since the 1980s. Trump declared, “This will be a very good move.” “You’ll see. It’s simply superior!
No Taxes on Social Security
Still discussing it, but lying about what occurred. Trump and senior administration officials have stated time and time again that taxes paid on Social Security benefits will be eliminated in the tax deal that Congress approves.
However, it doesn’t. People who are 65 and older are eligible for a temporary tax discount under the rules, which is applicable to any income, not just Social Security. Furthermore, not all recipients of Social Security are eligible to receive it.
Trump’s plan to not tax Social Security benefits would deplete the program’s funds.
This would mean massive benefit cuts for future generations.
Make no mistake: It’s just another Trump scam. pic.twitter.com/CzUh9aXbWY
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) October 21, 2024
In fact, the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 prohibits budget reconciliation bills from making significant changes to Social Security, and Republicans used a congressional procedure known as budget reconciliation to pass the measure without the 60 votes typically required to end an opponent’s filibuster.
Gold Cards For U.S. Visas
Trump has long discussed providing $5 million “gold cards” to “very high-level people” as a “route to citizenship” and allowing foreigners to enter the country and work. The president even announced in April that they would be ready in “less than two weeks, probably,” while holding out a gold card with his name and picture on it.
Trump: “We’re gonna be selling a gold card. You have a green card, this is a gold card. We’re gonna put a price on that card of about $5 million and that’s going to give you green card privileges, plus. It’s gonna be a route to citizenship, and wealthy people will be coming into… pic.twitter.com/aan5O8rwyv
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 25, 2025
Later, Howard Lutnick, the secretary of commerce, boasted that he had sold 1,000 of them himself. Despite the fanfare, the administration has not made any significant efforts to restructure the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, which Congress established in 1990 to provide U.S. visas to investors who invest around $1 million in a business with at least 10 employees.
