Many of the core policies and practices of the Biden administration were halted Monday with the stroke of President Trump’s pen as he began implementing his agenda with a record number of Day 1 executive actions.
Mr. Trump didn’t wait until he arrived at the White House to reverse Mr. Biden’s policies. He brought a folder of executive orders and signed nine at Capital One Arena, where he met with supporters and watched the inaugural parade diverted inside because of frigid temperatures.
“We are restoring control of our government to the people,” Mr. Trump told a roaring crowd.
Many of his immediate actions aim to secure the southern border, a top campaign promise.
Mr. Trump also sought to address the economy, another top voter concern. He declared a national energy emergency, withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Accord, which he called a “rip-off,” and taking other actions to boost reliable energy production and “drill baby drill,” as he frequently promised during his campaign.
He declared an end to all diversity, equality and inclusion programs in the federal government and said he would reverse Mr. Biden’s policies promoting transgender rights.
The federal government, he said, would recognize only two genders: male and female.
Mr. Trump later signed pardons for about 1,500 people and commutations for six people convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Some remain in prison, and Mr. Trump labeled the group “the J6 hostages.”
“We hope they come out tonight, frankly. They are expecting it,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump worked quickly to unwind Mr. Biden’s legacy. He signed an executive order ending 78 executive orders and memoranda issued by his predecessor.
The executive order whiplash is hardly new and has almost become a tradition with incoming presidents.
When he took office four years ago, Mr. Biden quickly reversed Trump-era policies. He signed 15 executive orders on his first day in office and many more in the following days to erase Mr. Trump’s imprint.
When he took office in 2017, Mr. Trump reversed Obama-era executive actions. Since then, presidents have begun relying on unilateral action to jump-start their administrations. On Monday, Mr. Trump took this to an unprecedented level.
“You’re witnessing the dawn of the Golden Age of America. That’s what it’s going to be,” Mr. Trump said as he prepared to sign the executive orders. “We’re bringing it back. We’re going to bring it back fast. We’re going to bring it back fast.”
Among the orders Mr. Trump signed were two ending government censorship and stopping the weaponization of government, which he said the Biden administration brandished to hurt him and silence conservatives.
Mr. Trump indicated he also planned to dig into the Biden administration’s role in his criminal indictments and convictions, signing a directive to every federal agency “to preserve all records pertaining to political persecutions under the last administration of which there were many and begin the process of exposing any and all abuses of power.”
During the signing ceremony at the sports arena, he tossed the pens he used to sign the executive orders into the audience.
Mr. Trump later signed more executive orders at the White House, including the pardons for Jan. 6 defendants and the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency. He put Elon Musk in charge of the commission and authorized him to hire 20 staff members.
The orders signed Monday included:
• A rescission of 78 Biden-era executive actions and presidential memoranda.
• A regulatory freeze preventing federal workers from issuing further regulations until the Trump administration has full control of the government.
• A freeze on federal hiring, excluding the military and some others.
• A requirement that federal workers, most of whom have work-from-home arrangements, return to the office full time.
• A directive to every department and agency to address the high cost of living.
• Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, which Mr. Trump said would save the United States $1 trillion.
• Ordering the restoration of freedom of speech and preventing the censorship of free speech.
• An end to the weaponization of government against the political adversaries of the previous administration.
During the signing ceremony at the arena, Mr. Trump took another shot at his predecessor, joking that the 82-year-old Mr. Biden wouldn’t have the energy to sign so many orders at once.
“Can you imagine Biden doing this? I don’t think so,” he said.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.