On Monday, Jan. 20, Donald Trump was inaugurated for the second time, becoming the 47th President. As he promised, President Trump immediately went to work signing several executive orders. So, if you’re like me and don’t read the news, here are the highlights of what has been ordered and what is to come in the next few weeks.
immigration
President Trump ran his campaign with the major concerns of illegal immigrants in the United States. Staying true to his word, he ordered the U.S. military to act, instructing border patrol and immigrant agents to remove illegal immigrants. Additionally, staying consistent with his hardline stance on immigration, President Trump has suspended the arrival of refugees into the country.
President Trump also has signed an executive order to change the terms of the birthright citizenship guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. The changes made would deny citizenship to children born from illegal immigrants and temporary legal immigrants. This order is already being legally challenged, with a temporary block being placed on the order by the federal courts.
transgender rights
In a significant rollback of transgender rights, Trump signed an order mandating that the federal government recognize a person’s gender solely based on their biological sex at birth. He claims it is to prevent men from self-identifying as women, gaining access to single-sex places such as “women’s domestic abuse shelters” and “women’s workplace showers.” Despite trying to protect women’s rights, the order will also prevent people from the option of identifying as their preferred gender on their passports.
Department changes
One of the most unexpected announcements was the creation of a Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk. The department’s ambitious goals are to reduce government spending and “dismantle government bureaucracy,” though details of their execution remain unclear.
Under Trump’s orders, he has chosen to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). Historically, the US was one of the largest funders, but Trump claims the WHO is mismanaged and corrupt based on their poor responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
international relations
Trump plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods on Feb. 1. Since Mexico and Canada are so dependent on the U.S., the tariffs would severely hurt their economies.
President Trump has also once again decided to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement for the purpose of oil drilling in Alaska.
restoring landmark names
Trump has announced his intention to restore the name of Mt. McKinley, reversing former President Obama’s decision to rename the mountain Denali in honor of Native Alaskan heritage. His desire to revert the mountain to its original name comes from Trump’s admiration for President William McKinley, even though McKinley had no connection to the mountain, nor had he ever visited it.
Based on his first few days in office, it’s clear the Trump administration is moving to implement changes that reflect his campaign promises. We can expect more changes to be made in the future. The first days of Trump’s presidency are only the beginning, and it will be interesting to see how the nation responds to these changes and future ones.
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