


President Donald Trump took swift action to reverse his predecessor’s policies and follow through with his plans to delay a TikTok ban, restrict illegal immigration and increase American energy production in a series of executive orders signed in the hours after he took office Monday.
President Donald Trump on stage with his wife First Lady Melania Trump at the Liberty Inaugural Ball ... [+]
Immigration: Trump ordered mass deportations of anyone in the U.S. illegally, shut down a program that allows migrants to make advance appointments with Customs and Border Protection, ordered the military to the border and designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
He also tried to scale back birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented or non-permanent immigrants (which is already facing legal challenges), suspended the parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, and reinstated his previous “Remain in Mexico” policy barring many migrants from staying in the U.S. while their immigration cases play out.
TikTok: Following through on his promise, Trump signed an order that instructs the Justice Department not to enforce TikTok ban for 75 days, though it’s unclear if Trump, or any president, has the power to reverse federal law, particularly one greenlighted by the Supreme Court (the law lets him delay the ban for 90 days if there’s progress toward a sale).
DOGE: Trump ordered the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, set to be run by Elon Musk, to identify areas to cut government spending.
DEI: Referring to diversity, equity and inclusion programs as “forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs,” one order eliminates all federal government DEI programs, while another declares the government will recognize only two genders, male and female, upending a Biden-era rule that allowed passport applicants to state their gender as “X.”
Renaming landforms: Trump declared Denali in Alaska would be renamed Mount McKinley, reversing a 2015 decision to rename North America’s tallest peak to a name preferred by Alaska’s native population, and ordered the “Gulf of Mexico” to be called the “Gulf of America.”
Tariffs and trade: He hasn’t imposed planned tariffs yet, but teed up his threats by ordering some federal agencies to investigate and review various trade practices, including the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and weigh the feasibility of a new “External Revenue Service” to collect tariffs.
Energy: Reinstating a policy from his first term, Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions, declared a “national energy emergency” to enhance energy exports and roll back environmental regulations, issued a sweeping order targeting Alaska’s natural resources and halted all offshore wind leasing in federal waters (in line with his disdain for the wind energy industry).
Federal employees: Trump implemented a federal hiring freeze and terminated remote work arrangements, which could face pushback because remote work is enshrined in deals with some federal workers’ unions.
World Health Organization: Trump withdrew the United States from the United Nations agency, citing a “mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
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Some of Trump’s executive orders are expected to face legal challenges. The American Civil Liberties Union and Lawyers for Civil Rights have already sued to block his order halting birthright citizenship, arguing it’s protected under the 14th Amendment—a view held by many legal experts. The National Security Counselors public interest group also sued to require the Department of Government Efficiency to comply with a 1970s law dictating the rules and regulations for federal advisory committees, including a duty not to be “inappropriately influenced by the appointing authority or by any special interest.”
Trump promised to “immediately restore the integrity, competency and loyalty of America’s government” in his inaugural address shortly after he was sworn in as the 47th president on Monday. Trump reiterated his plans to scale back illegal immigration and DEI programs, enhance drilling on U.S. lands, roll back environmental regulations and impose foreign tariffs. The speech was relatively tame compared to the address Trump delivered to his supporters immediately after the ceremony, in which he attacked former President Joe Biden’s last-minute pardons of his family members, promised mass pardons of Jan. 6 defendants and repeated his false claims of fraud in the 2020 election. Later Monday, Trump issued immediate pardons to all but 14 people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots, and ordered prosecutors to drop all pending charges, a move that could legally absolve more than 1,500 people accused of participating in the attacks.
Trump Renaming Gulf Of Mexico To ‘Gulf Of America.’ Here’s What He Can—And Can’t—Do. (Forbes)
Can Trump End Birthright Citizenship? Executive Order Already Faces Legal Challenges—Here’s Why (Forbes)
Trump Renames Denali To Mount McKinley—Here’s What To Know (Forbes)
TikTok Ban Live Updates: Trump Halts Ban For 75 Days—After CEO Attends Inauguration (Forbes)
Can Trump End Birthright Citizenship? Executive Order Already Faces Legal Challenges—Here’s Why (Forbes)
Trump Renaming Gulf Of Mexico To ‘Gulf Of America.’ Here’s What He Can—And Can’t—Do. (Forbes)
Trump Faces First Lawsuit Moments After Taking Office—Targeting Elon Musk’s DOGE (Forbes)