Donald J. Trump took office once again on January 20, 2025, following his November election victory and a “lame duck” period under former president Joseph R. Biden. Since the day of his inauguration, Trump has issued a flurry of executive orders daily, with his rapid pace seemingly not tapering off.
The very first executive order issued, among various orders signed in a crowded area just after Trump’s inauguration ceremony, called for drilling and fracking on federal land for various non-renewable resources. The second order Trump gave expanded on his previous calls for oil drilling, as it declared a national emergency due to an “energy crisis” in the United States – solar and wind power were not included as solutions to this problem.
Continuing his denial of climate change, Trump’s next orders pulled the United States out of the international Paris Climate Accords for the second time while sponsoring the exploration of Alaska’s natural gas reserves for exportation in liquid form.
Trump’s next orders focused on the removal of several Biden-era practices in the federal government. The first of these directed newly-appointed agency and department heads to search for “politically motivated” criminal prosecutions in order to provide recommendations for holding “perpetrators” accountable. The next order stripped civil servants of protections that would prevent them from political persecutions, meaning that the new administration can now fire them at will.
Trump continued his reforms of the federal government by ordering the end of affirmative action in federal government hiring, and calling for a “return to meritocracy” in all governmental hiring practices. The next order explicitly brought an end to DEI programs in the federal government, which sponsored diversity, equity, and inclusion of all races and gender identities in government. The same order requires department heads to report those associated with “environmental justice” programs that seek to curtail climate change.
Some of these executive orders appear more symbolic than others; principally, Trump ordered the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, while requiring the name of Mount Denali—Alaska’s tallest mountain—to be changed back to its former alias, Mount McKinley. While this order prompted backlash, with many left confused by its nature, it was not the most controversial direction.
While not an executive order, Trump’s choice to pardon over 1500 insurrectionists charged with various crimes for their participation in the January 6th Capitol riots garnered criticism from both sides of the political aisle. Democrats blasted Trump, claiming he was abusing his constitutional power, while many Republicans pointed out the hypocritical nature of a “pro-police” president pardoning those who assaulted Capitol police.
Not all of Trump’s efforts have been successful, though. Most recently, the new administration rescinded an order that put a freeze on almost all federal grants and loans, amid large criticism by the public and the temporary halting of the initial order by a federal district judge. The directive ordered all federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities” related to “Federal financial assistance…financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the Green New Deal.” The administration claimed this pause would allow them to review which programs aligned with their agenda and how to appropriately distribute funding for them. However, the memo’s vague wording made it unclear whether or not massive financial aid programs would be affected, such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Despite the order’s recession, the White House press secretary claimed that the administration will continue alternative efforts to half federal spending.
Trump’s executive order aimed at banning birthright citizenship has been one of the most controversial of all of the orders. Birthright citizenship is the century-old practice that grants citizenship to anyone born in the US, regardless of their parents’ immigration status; supporters of birthright citizenship claim it is enshrined in the 14th Amendment, while opponents of it believe it is not. The order to “protect the meaning and value of American citizenship” claims that the 14th Amendment, which states “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States” does not “automatically extend to persons born in the United States.” This order is part of a much larger crackdown on illegal immigrants and any children they may have had during their time in the US. Since its issuing, 22 states have sued to block the order, citing its unconstitutionality; New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, one of the leading figures in the lawsuit against the order, claimed that “the president cannot, with a stroke of a pen, write the 14th Amendment out of existence, period.” The lawsuits are currently pending review in federal courts, with the future of birthright citizenship unclear.
The first few weeks of Donald Trump’s second presidency have been marked by a fast-paced transformation of the Executive Branch as he challenges long standing policies of the federal government. His flurry of executive orders, from environmental deregulation to thousands of pardons and commutations, reflect his overall desire to remake the nation to be more in line with his vision. These actions, however, have sparked both support and criticism, deepening divisions between the parties as well as Trump’s own base, while uniting others in their approval or disapproval of the new administration. As Trump continues pushing forward with his agenda, America is likely to see more legal battles, controversial acts, and political polarization that will come to define the early days of Trump’s second term.
