The Trump administration's frenetic pace right out of the gate has confounded Democrats and kept the national press on its toes.

"Incredible pace of activity in the Trump White House on week one," tweeted ABC News' chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl. "When have we seen a public sked as packed as yesterday's and today's?"

Entering his first full week in office, President Trump has issued executive orders clearing the way for the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines, pushing for relief from the costs imposed by Obamacare, reinstating a ban on public funds for international organizations that perform or advocate for abortion, and freezing both new regulations and federal hiring.

Executive orders pertaining to immigration, especially the "extreme vetting" Trump promised would take place with migrants from selected countries deemed to pose a disproportionate terror risk, are expected to follow Wednesday. He's even reshaped how the White House deals with press, by calling on non-mainstream news outlets first at the daily briefing, leaving wires and major TV networks waiting their turn.

Things are moving very quickly. "It's important for Trump to throw a lot of balls in the air," said Republican strategist Ford O'Connell.

Trump formally pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Monday. More significantly, he started the ball rolling on re-negotiating NAFTA, a North American free trade pact that was conceived by Ronald Reagan, substantially negotiated by George H.W. Bush and has been in effect since Bill Clinton's administration.

"We are going to put a lot of people back to work," Trump said, according to the pool report. He met with labor union leaders (most of whom endorsed Hillary Clinton last year) and rank-and-file members (many of whom voted for Trump anyway) at the White House, eliciting effusive responses.

"It hit home for the people who have been hurting," Douglas McCarron, president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Sean McGarvey, president of North American's Building Trades Unions, was later quoted as describing it as "by far the best meeting" he'd had in Washington.

These construction unions might be willing to make common cause with Trump on infrastructure spending. House Speaker Paul Ryan is set to carve out space in the budget for an "expansive" plan.

Business leaders had their turn meeting with Trump as well. While the president promised to improve the business climate with fewer regulations and lower taxes, he also reiterated his threat to get tough with companies that move American jobs overseas. The CEOs in attendance seemed to get the message.

All this has taken place as the first of Trump's Cabinet picks have been confirmed by the Senate in bipartisan votes. James Mattis was confirmed as secretary of defense by a vote 98-1. John Kelly was approved as secretary of homeland security 88-11.

Even Mike Pompeo, a conservative Republican congressman from Kansas whose nomination proved more controversial, won 15 Democratic votes on his way to becoming CIA director, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's and 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine. A Supreme Court nominee is coming soon.

Many rank-and-file Democrats are outraged more hasn't been done to resist Trump. There was big turnout for anti-Trump marches in Washington, D.C. and other major cities over the weekend. Trump lost the popular vote and his current approval ratings are anemic, especially by the standards of a new president.

Liberal interest groups and lawmakers have weighed in each time Trump has acted on their pet issues.

"Big oil and billionaires are running the White House," the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said in a statement. "By pushing the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, Trump is siding with corporations and Wall Street over working families, ranchers, and indigenous communities."

"Republicans' unrelenting efforts to force unwanted pregnancies and eradicate affordable and safe abortion will not save lives," said Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla.

All this is also happening while the Trump administration is enmeshed in controversies over the president's refusal to back down from questionable claims about inaugural crowd sizes and illegal immigrant voting the presidential election.

There also remain concerns about the new administration's transparency, the president's own personal conflicts of interest due to his vast business holdings and the investigation into Russian hacking.

While some say Trump is benefiting from a combination of chaos and good fortune, others argue Trump has proven himself a master at coming up with distractions for the media and his critics to focus on while he pursues his goals.

After a few days in office, it's reminiscent of the campaign, where there were constant uproars over Trump's words while he pushed ahead to the finish line. "He always has everyone chasing shiny objects," said a Democratic strategist.