President Trump’s First Day
After Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on Monday, as promised beforehand, he signed a slew of executive orders covering a wide range of issues focused on reversing Biden-era policies and ushering in his new agenda.
Regarding immigration and Mexico, Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, allowing for the deployment of the U.S. military to the region, which Trump has vowed to do. He has also resumed the construction of border defenses, ended the “catch and release policy,” reinstated the Remain in Mexico policy, and halted refugee resettlement and asylum claims.
Trump has also classified South American drug cartels and similar groups as foreign terrorist organizations, which allows the federal government to take broader action against drug cartels, with Trump hinting at possible military intervention in Mexico for this purpose. Trump has also authorized the government to use federal resources to remove foreign criminal groups from U.S. territory through the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
Controversially, Trump signed an order calling on the government not to recognize babies as U.S. citizens if at least one of their parents was not a legal resident at the time of birth, effectively ending birthright citizenship. This order is already being challenged in court, and its future remains unclear.
As promised on the campaign trail, Trump began pardoning individuals arrested for charges related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Some 1,500 people were freed from federal custody, including Proud Boys
leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers leader Steward Rhodes. In anticipation of this, Biden gave last-minute pardons to the Justice Department and other government officials involved in the Jan. 6 commission.
Regarding energy, Trump also declared a national emergency, giving the government power to increase energy production and the resources to do so, such as upending many Biden-era regulations, allowing for oil drilling on federal land previously closed to energy exploration, specifically the Alaskan and Gulf Coasts.
Trump is also demanded that government agencies find a way to reduce inflation and make energy production cheaper, pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organization and ending Biden’s electric vehicle mandate for the federal government.
Regarding cultural issues, Trump signed an order that says the federal government only recognizes the existence of two genders, male and female, and dismantles the federal government’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. He also demanded federal agencies return to merit-based hiring and revoking the 1965 Equal Opportunity Employment Act, while also baring anyone identifying as transgender from joining the U.S. military.
In terms of the federal government, Trump ordered all federal employees to return to full-time, in-person work immediately while halting all federal hiring except for the Border Patrol, ICE and the military. Trump also brought back a previous order, which made it easier to fire federal employees for “disloyalty” and commands them to carry out orders “to the best of their ability.”
The new president also signed orders demanding that government agencies stop censoring Americans and fully abide by the free speech doctrine. Additionally, he established the new federal Department of Government Efficiency, and requested new government buildings that “respect regional, traditional and classical architectural styles.”
Trump has also renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and returned Mt. Denali, the tallest mountain in the United States, back to the name Mt. McKinley. And, to the rejoicing of many Gen-Zer’s, staving off the TikTok ban for 75 days until Trump’s administration can make a deal to keep the app available in the United States.
This list is not a complete record of all President Trump’s executive orders he has signed since the beginning of his second term, and the signing of more orders is expected to continue.