On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump was sworn into the Oval Office marking his first day as President of the United States for his second term. He has already completed some of the promises made to his supporters while surprising Americans with new orders. Here are some of the major decisions Trump has already made:
Day-1 Orders
By week one of the presidency, Trump had already signed off on many executive orders, some of which he promised his voters he would do. He signed off on orders to end birthright citizenship, separated the U.S. from the World Health Organization, revoked electric vehicle targets, reclassified federal employees, declared a national border and national energy emergency, created a policy declaring only two genders – male and female – paused the TikTok ban, rescinded 78 Biden-era executive actions, pardoned Jan. 6 defendants and withdrew from Paris Climate Agreement.
Freezing Federal Aid
The Trump administration released a memo that paused trillions of dollars in federal aid. The order was reportedly released without proper vetting by key officials in the White House. The memo was released by the Office of Management and Budget and was released without viewing from the White House secretary and Trump’s policy advisor.
Non-profits have come out and stated that they feel as if their grants are still frozen, other government-funded programs have dealt with these repercussions including Head Start programs, programs that provide childcare and preschool education for low-income families.
The act froze all federal grant spending temporarily, which cut off funding for non-profits that are under federal grants. Quickly after the memo was released, it was rescinded and blocked by two judges.
Tariffs
President Trump has talked about enacting tariffs on countries such as China and Canada since before he won the election. So far, he has already implemented tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, and are set to begin on Feb. 4. Trump enacted these tariffs to lessen any threats to national security. He claims drug traffickers and the Mexican Government “have an intolerable alliance.” The Canadian order states that Mexico is operating cartels out of the country and allowing fentanyl over the border. Both Mexico’s and Canada’s tariffs have been postponed for a month. China’s tariff order was put in place to avoid laundering the shipment of and production of synthetic opioids. China has enacted retaliatory tariffs on American imports.
Gender Affirming Care
Trump signed an order in an attempt to deny gender-affirming care to citizens under 19. The order reads: “It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.” What the order does is block federally run insurance programs from covering this type of care.
Guantánamo Bay Detention Facility
President Trump signed an executive order that will prepare a major detention facility at Guantánamo Bay. It is said to hold about 30,000 immigrants deported from the U.S.. Trump said Guantánamo could, “detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people,” while he signed other immigration policies such as the Laken Riley Act.
Birthright Citizenship
Trump went for automatic citizenship for U.S.-born children of both undocumented people and some legal immigrants. The order details that there would be limits put into place surrounding birthright citizenship, reading: “Mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth.”
World Health Organization
Trump then pulled the U.S. out of the World Health Organization. The U.S. is the biggest financial backer to the United Nations health agency. Withdrawing from the WHO will possibly lead to less funding and many jobs lost. He attempted to do so during his first term to many expected it but former president Biden reversed it once he came into office since the act typically takes around a year to come into play. The issue Americans also need to worry about following the disconnect from the WHO is the incredible cost that follows. Trump claims the removal comes after the WHO’s response to COVID-19.
“The Gulf of America” and “Mount McKinley”
The President has recently stated he plans on changing the names of two major landmarks. While the name change is only relative to the U.S. and not worldwide, Trump ordered two name changes: the Gulf of Mexico to become the Gulf of America and Alaska’s Mount Denali to become Mount McKinley. The executive order is supposed to bring back the pillars of American civilization by changing the names.
Recognizing Only Two Genders
Another order signed by President Trump was signed to legally recognize only two genders — female and male. The order officially removes “gender ideology guidance” which plays into his removal of “radical and wasteful” diversity equity and inclusion programs. The order was placed under his “restoring sanity” agenda. The gender order reads that it will: “defend women’s rights and protect freedom of conscience by using clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male” which requires the federal government to now use the term “sex” over the term “gender.” The order also reads: “requires that government-issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards, accurately reflect the holder’s sex.”
Presidential Pardons
Making his first few presidential pardons, Trump pardoned any Jan. 6 defendants related to the attack. He orders the Department of Justice to dismiss any open cases currently in progress pertaining to the attack. It is said that Trump has pardoned over 1,500 people federally charged with any associated charges. The order also calls for any ongoing investigations into those related to the attack to cease.
Trump has completed many of his promises and some new orders that he did not announce before his win in November. While this is only just the start of his second term, he plans on continuing his orders to move along with his plan for his second presidency.
