The withdrawal of the federal freeze was a stunning about-face for President Donald Trump’s White House, which has so far pushed the envelope to reshape the federal government, sowing chaos and confusion in firing career civil servants, pausing foreign aid programs and offering federal workers a buyout.

After major backlash, Trump’s radical plan to freeze government spending is on hold. Now, it’s all very confusing and somewhat opaque — which, under Trump, is by design — but here’s what appears to have happened: We often forget that Trump has frequently been cowed by public opinion when it turns against him.

Several executive orders Trump signed last week pause or end some federal funding. Those executive orders, which remain in place, include the freezing of foreign aid, all funds to federal grantees who received money for DEI-related purposes and all funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act.