With President Donald J. Trump back in the White House, he got straight to business cranking out 26 executive orders, 12 memoranda, and 4 proclamations on his first day.
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Many of them, like Trump’s pardoning of all Capitol rioters’ crimes, sent major alerts around the country, but there are others that Americans haven’t been paying attention to... and they should be. Here’s everything you need to know about the most outrageous orders and proclamations signed by the 47th president of the United States so far.
Rescinding Biden’s Executive Orders
Not only did Trump sign his own orders, but he most shockingly canceled out a whopping 78 executive orders signed by former President Joe Biden’s administration. The majority of these orders, according to the White House, attack DEI, climate change and green energy, and COVID-19 assistance.
Renaming the Gulf of Mexico
Right before Trump returned to office, he promised to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. In an executive order, he did just that! According to the White House, “It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes.”
Not only that, but Trump also is renaming the tallest mountain in the country, Denali, back to its original name honoring former President McKinley.
Terminating DEI
We all knew this one was coming... Trump signed an order to end diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) programs in federal departments and agencies. His order also details plans to compile a list targeting all federal contractors and grantees with DEI programs, according to the White House.
Freeze on Hiring Civilians
In an executive order, the president put a pause on hiring federal civilian employees. This means, if you’re waiting to hear back about a government job... you’ll be waiting for awhile. According to the White House, the freeze began on Jan. 20, 2025 and is expected to continue for at least 90 days.
Recognizing Only Two Genders
Trump has officially directed all federal agencies to only recognize two genders, male and female, which are not changeable. According to the White House, this executive order will be reflected on government documents like passports, visas, Global Entry cards, and federal personnel records. This also rescinded Biden’s transgender rights efforts.
Withdrawing From WHO
During the pandemic, Trump expressed his repeated frustration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and disappointment with their handling of COVID-19. Now, according to the White House, Trump is back with a vengeance and wants to completely withdraw the country from WHO.
The order won’t take affect for a full year, according to NPR, but in response to Trump, Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University and director of WHO’s Center on Global Health Law, said “This is the most cataclysmic decision.” He continued saying “[This is] a grave wound to American national interests and our national security.”
Calling for the End of Birthright Citizenship
In a proclamation announced yesterday, Trump is calling for the federal government to not grant U.S. citizenship for people born in the U.S. but have parents who aren’t citizens or permanent residents— also known as birthright citizenship. According to the White House, the proclamation will take effect 30 days from Jan. 20, 2025, for individuals born on or after that date. Critics of Trump’s order say it directly contradicts the Constitution, which protects birthright citizenship.
Pardoning Capitol Insurrectionists
Trump celebrated his second term doing exactly what he promised he would do. Among a series of executive orders signed by the president, Trump most notably either pardoned, commuted the prison sentences, or vowed to dismiss the cases of all roughly 1,500 people charged with crimes connected to the infamous Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, according to the White House.
Enacting Mass Deportations
It seems the president is making good of yet another one of his controversial campaign promises to perform mass deportations of undocumented immigrants across the nation. According to his executive order, Trump has enlisted “all available resources and authorities” to help detain unlawful immigrants and further secure the Mexico-U.S. border.
Stricter Laws for Asylum Seekers
...And on the topic of immigration, Trump also ordered the halt of entry by migrant asylum seekers who don’t provide sufficient medical information. Additionally, Trump’s order requires asylum seekers to provide reliable criminal histories and background information to enter the country.
Restoring the Death Penalty
Trump signed an execution order directing the attorney general to “take all necessary and lawful action” to make sure states have enough lethal injection drugs to carry out executions, according to the White House. This comes just weeks after Biden commuted 37 of the 40 total federal death row inmates’ sentences to life in prison. Trump cited Biden’s executive order, calling the former president’s actions “a mockery of justice and [an] insult the victims of these horrible crimes.”
Denying Funding to Sanctuary Cities
In addition to enacting mass deportations, another executive order completely revokes Biden immigration orders on asylum processing and family reunification. According to the White House, Trump also plans to construct new detention facilities and even suggests denying federal funding to sanctuary cities.
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