President Donald Trump had a busy first day in office, signing dozens of executive orders and fulfilling campaign promises ranging from border security to sending federal employees back to the office.
“I’ll revoke nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration, one of the worst administrations in history,” Trump said on Monday, taking a jab at former President Joe Biden. Trump eventually rescinded 78 of Biden’s orders.
However, Trump did not quite fulfill his to-do list within the frenetic first day, and more actions can be expected as this week rolls on. Here are five actions that could still be on the horizon for Trump 2.0.
1. New tariffs
Trump signed a memorandum directing federal agencies to pursue an “America First” trade policy but stopped short of imposing tariffs on his first day in office.
After campaigning heavily on the idea of a universal tariff that could see all goods coming into the United States taxed at 20%, Trump’s first action on trade policy was directing his administration to study trade policies with allies and adversaries alike.
A senior policy adviser for the president told the Wall Street Journal that Trump wants to roll out his trade agenda “in a measured way.” Trump has said “tariff” is the most beautiful word in the dictionary and raised the notion of Day One tariffs against Mexico and Canada.
But while Trump is a major proponent of tariffs, some of his love stems from the idea of using them as a negotiating tactic, which could be at play this week and throughout his second term.
Trump told reporters Monday night he is still considering a 25% import duty on Mexico and Canada “because they’re allowing vast numbers of people” across the U.S. border, and he is floating a Feb. 1 implementation date.
2. Pardon for Ross Ulbricht
Trump told the Libertarian Party at its national convention last May that he would commute the life sentence of “Silk Road” website creator Ross Ulbricht on Day One, but that deadline has now come and gone.
“If you vote for me, on Day One, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht,” Trump said during his speech as the crowd erupted in cheers of “Free Ross.” “He’s already served 11 years. We’re going to get him home.”
Ulbricht thanked Trump for his pledge in a statement posted online shortly after, saying, “After 11 years in prison, it is hard to express how I feel at this moment. It is thanks to your undying support that I may get a second chance.”
However, while Trump has yet to commute Ulbricht’s sentence, Libertarian National Committee Chairwoman Angela McArdle told the Washington Examiner the party has “full confidence” the president will fulfill his promise.
“It’s been less than 24 hours. We have full confidence that the president will fulfill his promise and that Ross Ulbricht’s persecution will end today,” McArdle said.
The chairwoman posted on X that the order could be issued late Monday night or Tuesday morning.
3. ‘Mexico City’ policy
The “Mexico City Policy” has been put in place by every Republican president since Ronald Reagan and rescinded by every Democrat. Trump is likely to continue that tradition, though it did not make it into his first-day agenda.
The policy further bars foreign NGOs that perform or provide information about abortions from receiving U.S. taxpayer dollars. Opponents call it the global gag rule, arguing that existing legislation already prevents taxpayer dollars from being used for abortions in other nations.
However, organizations are eligible to receive U.S. dollars if they use separate funds to pay for work related to abortion.
Trump restored the Mexico City Policy four days into his initial term in 2017, and Biden rescinded it a week after taking office himself. Look for it to reemerge soon.
4. War in Ukraine
During the presidential debate between Trump and then-Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump claimed he would end the war in Ukraine before beginning his presidency.
“I will get it settled before I even become president. When I win, when I’m president-elect, and what I’ll do is I’ll speak to one, I’ll speak to the other, I’ll get them together. That war would’ve never happened,” Trump said, implying he could get Ukraine to enter a truce with Russia.
That hasn’t happened yet, and Trump acknowledged Monday night that it could still be some time before a conclusion is reached in the nearly 3-year-old conflict.
Trump was asked about the war while signing executive orders in the Oval Office, saying he still hopes to make a deal and wants to meet with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Zelensky wants to make a deal,” Trump said. “I don’t know if Putin does. He might not, I don’t know. He should make a deal. I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal. I think Russia is going to be in big trouble. You take a look at their economy, you take a look at the inflation in Russia. So, I would hope — I got along with him great and, you know, I would hope he wants to make a deal.”
5. Dictator on Day One
Trump also did not fulfill his “pledge” to be a dictator on Day One of his second term.
Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity in December 2023, Trump said he would not be a dictator in office, “except for Day One.” Trump supporters always maintained that it was a joke, but the remark became a constant theme of Democratic messaging during the 2024 campaign.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Trump was asked late Monday if he would in fact spend his first 12 hours in office as a dictator, and he said the answer was “no.”
“No. No,” Trump said flatly. “I can’t imagine even being called that. No. I believe in the sanctity of the vote. The Democrats didn’t because they cheated like dogs. But I believe in the sanctity [of the vote], and this was too big to rig. This last election was just too big to rig. No. Really the opposite.”