President Donald Trump is opening his second term with an unusually large set of executive orders spanning from immigration to energy – although in some cases achieving significant results will require more than just signed directives.
The president on Monday fulfilled many of his first-day campaign promises with the stroke of his pen, signing executive orders, proclamations and memorandums, ranging from pardoning the Jan. 6 rioters to declaring national emergencies related to the southern border and energy.
One of his first steps is the president It has been revoked Dozens of executive orders signed by former President Joe Biden. As was the case in his first term, Mr. Trump is running the country To withdraw From the Paris Agreement, which includes commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and To leave Global Health Organization.
Why did we write this?
President Donald Trump signed a historic number of executive orders on day one. Here’s what he has done — or avoided so far — that reflects his priorities on the economy, America’s borders, and social policy.
Mr. Trump said during his inaugural address that the executive orders “will begin the full restoration of America and the common-sense revolution.”
There are likely to be legal challenges on a variety of fronts, including his efforts to limit birthright citizenship. On Monday, immigrant advocates sued Trump over the order, asking a federal court in New Hampshire to declare it unconstitutional.
Immigration and border closures
Congress sets immigration law, but presidents formulate policy through executive action. Mr. Trump declared a national emergency in Southern border Monday, which directs the military to assist in internal security operations, build more border barriers, and prevent illegal entry.
“All illegal entries will be stopped immediately, and we will begin the process of returning millions upon millions of criminal aliens to the places from which they came,” Mr. Trump said. “I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.”
The Biden administration has recorded historically high levels of illegal immigration. Despite his repeated calls for an “invasion” of migrants, Trump is resuming office with fewer Border Patrol encounters with illegal immigrants at the southern border — and fewer than when he left office in 2021. Crossings numbered about 47,300 in December the first. There were 71,100 meetings in December 2020, Mr. Trump’s last full month, by comparison.
The administration is also reinstating a previous Trump policy known as “Remain in Mexico.” This leaves immigrants seeking asylum in the United States waiting in Mexico before their immigration court date. Migrant advocates have criticized the policy, saying it has left asylum seekers stranded in dangerous conditions in Mexico. Mr. Trump has too commander End of use of the mobile app, CBP One, for initial appointments at official ports of entry that could lead to immigrants being allowed to enter legally through parole. The new administration is also ending parole programs for certain nationalities, including Venezuelans.
Through another Executive orderMr. Trump seeks to block Citizenship by birth Of children born to illegal immigrants. It attempts this by upending a long-standing interpretation of Fourteenth AmendmentDirecting the government not to issue or recognize documents that would confirm citizenship is against Mr. Trump’s new reading. (This policy begins for babies born in the United States after 30 days.) Critics, including many legal scholars, say Trump’s change would require action from outside the White House — essentially a major Supreme Court ruling or constitutional amendment.
But illegal immigration is not his only goal. The president is also temporarily scaling back the long-standing legal path – Suspension of refugee resettlement As of January 27. Unlike asylum seekers, refugees are approved for protection in the United States before they arrive and are rigorously screened.
Citing domestic bandwidth and security concerns, the order says the refugees “would harm the interests of the United States.” The United States received just over 100,000 refugees in fiscal year 2024, the most in three decades.
Mr. Trump is seeking “exactly what he promised,” says Gabriel Chen, an immigration law scholar at the University of California, Davis, School of Law. While significant legal opposition is expected, and limiting birthright citizenship is a “heavy burden,” he says, Mr. Trump has “a lot of power at the border.”
Economics: Study of tariffs, expansion of energy supplies
Since his emergence on the political scene, President Trump has destabilized political norms and remade the Republican Party in his image. But bending the economy to his will may be more difficult. The laws of economics continue to get in the way.
Take tariffs, a signature issue for the president. On his first day in office, he refused to impose new tariffs on allies and adversaries that he had been hinting at for months. Instead, he signed an executive order to study the issue and expressed further threats to China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico.
At some point, it will have to clarify where its tariffs will fall and how comprehensively, so international supply chains can adapt. Tariffs would make imported products more expensive, hurting American consumers and businesses alike.
The administration hopes companies will avoid potential tariffs by moving manufacturing to the United States and boosting jobs. But some consumer goods are so low-cost that companies find it impossible to make a profit using highly paid American workers. If the administration issues blanket tariffs, consumers will end up paying more for washing machines, cars, and everyday goods like toys and T-shirts.
In a similar way, the law of supply and demand complicates Mr. Trump’s immigration policies. His deportation steps, if successful, would significantly reduce the workforce of the estimated 8 million immigrants who are estimated to be in the United States illegally. A decreased supply of workers will lead to higher wages, if demand remains the same. This is good news for low-skilled, low-wage local workers who have been hit hard by the free trade policy that has been ongoing for more than 40 years. The trade-off is that higher wages will mean higher costs for businesses and consumers who are still suffering from higher prices during the previous administration.
Either way, higher prices pose a political risk to Mr. Trump. Americans who voted against Democrats over inflation during the Biden administration may do the same to Republicans in Congress in 2026 if inflation starts rising again.
In a third area, the law of supply and demand could help the new president. It was announced on Monday A National energy emergency It issued executive orders aimed at enhancing oil and gas exploration operations and reducing energy prices. Increased supply would lead to lower prices for gasoline and other energy. How much is an open question, analysts say. Prices are already low, and drilling companies are reducing the number of oil and natural gas rigs. Will they dig more if prices fall further?
Pardoning the defendants in the January 6 case
Fulfilling a campaign promise, Mr. Trump pardoned more than 1,000 criminal defendants charged in connection with the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. He also commuted the sentences of 14 people who were convicted or charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with the event.
Since his reelection, so-called “J6ers” have been anxiously awaiting a pardon from Mr. Trump. But the following months brought mixed signals. Mr. Trump declined to confirm whether only those convicted of misdemeanors or violent crimes would be pardoned as well. Vice President J.D. Vance said last week that defendants responsible for the Jan. 6 violence would “clearly” not be pardoned, though he later walked back those comments.
now The answer A “full, complete and unconditional pardon” for all individuals “convicted of crimes relating to” arrived on 6 January. This includes more than 200 people who have pleaded guilty to felonies, including Julian Khater, who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers with a dangerous weapon, and Robert Palmer, who pleaded guilty to the same charge after attacking police officers with a wooden board and a fire extinguisher.
The 14 commutations reduce the sentences issued to a number of leaders of far-right groups. Stuart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers militia, has had his sentence commuted to 18 years in prison. Jessica Watkins, an oath keeper who described herself at the sentencing as “just another idiot wandering around the Capitol,” saw her sentence reduced by 8.5 years. Enrique Tarrio, founder of the Proud Boys militia, is subject to release from prison tonight, NBC News I mentioned.
“Tomorrow, everyone will be very happy with my decision on the J6 hostages,” Trump said at a rally after his inauguration on Monday night.
Diversity and gender
Mr. Trump also signed two executive orders that his administration described as “restoring common sense” to the country.
One order targets recent cultural conflicts over transgender rights and gender classifications. The directive broadly directs federal agencies to enforce laws in a way that treats men and women as biologically different sexes, and to ensure that federal funds are not spent promoting “gender ideology,” according to a new White House official. “It is the policy of the United States to recognize both sexes, male and female.” order He reads.
Specifically, the executive order will reverse policy that has seen taxpayer dollars subsidize gender transition procedures for transgender federal prisoners. Under the order, federal documents such as passports and visas will be required to reflect the holder’s biological sex.
Another order signed by Mr. Trump will roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, policies, and positions in the federal government.
Mr. Biden issued his own set of executive orders upon entering the White House that instructed federal agencies to improve their hiring of minorities and women. His administration also prioritized addressing systemic inequalities, such as “environmental justice” initiatives that sought to address poor air and water quality that disproportionately affects minority communities.
The Trump administration, which describes these programs and policies as costly and ineffective, will roll them back. President Trump will end “the onslaught of useless and overpaid DEI activists buried in the federal workforce,” according to guidance His administration engaged members of Congress.
But how effective it is is unclear. There are 2.2 million federal civilian employees, most of whom are subject to a strict regime Civil service regulations.
“He doesn’t really have control [many] employees. “We realize this is about the federal workforce,” says Norma Riccucci, a professor at Rutgers University who studies the federal workforce. “But there is a lot of symbolism here.”
“Maybe the term ‘DEI’ will disappear, but I don’t think so [the practice] “It will disappear,” she adds. “You won’t see state and local governments backing away from their commitment to diversity. You won’t see it in the private sector.”
