All the executive orders signed by Trump on day one of his second US presidency
Donald Trump has wasted no time getting to work on his first day in office, publicly signing multiple executive orders within hours of becoming president.
He declared the "golden age of America begins right now" and decreed that the nation's challenges would be "annihilated" in his inaugural presidential address.
Trump immediately revoked a number of executive actions made during the Biden administration and made it clear he is looking to expand US oil drilling, pardon some of the January 6 rioters, impose heavy tariffs on a number of countries and shut down migration at the southern US border.
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Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool) AP
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Here is what we know so far.
What is an executive order?
An executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government.
They allow a president to wield power without action from Congress, but there are limits to what orders can achieve.
An incoming president signing a flurry of executive orders is standard practice.
During his first term, Trump signed 220 executive orders in total.
Biden signed 160 as of December 20.
What orders have already been signed?
Hours after being sworn in, Trump began to publicly sign some executive orders.
In his first act as president, Trump said he was going to revoke 80 "destructive and radical executive actions" from the Biden administration.
"We're going to sign some orders now," he said.
He signed a revocation of 78 Biden-era policies, as well as a regulations and government hiring freeze, excluding the military.
Another order withdrew the US from the Paris climate agreement.
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President Donald Trump signs executive orders an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event. AP
He also signed an order for all government employees to return to in-person work.
A presidential memorandum also directed the government to do everything possible to bring down inflation.
"I'm going to sign a presidential memorandum directing every member of my cabinet to marshal every power at their disposal to defeat inflation and rapidly bring down the cost of daily life," he said.
And finally, he signed directives supposedly aimed at "restoring freedom of speech" and "ending the weaponisation of government".
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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive in Emancipation Hall after the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. AP
Mass pardon for January 6 rioters
Within hours of becoming president, Trump pardoned almost all the January 6 US Capitol rioters.
The pardon will cover 1500 people, which would appear to cover nearly everyone charged since the attack on January 6, 2021, and he has issued six commutations.
The pardons fulfil his campaign vow to release supporters who attempted to help him overturn his election defeat before Biden's inauguration four years ago.
"These are the hostages," Trump announced during his flurry of executive orders in the Oval Office.
Restoring TikTok for 90 days
Trump has now signed an executive order to keep TikTok operating for 90 days, a relief to the social media platform's users even as national security questions persist.
TikTok's China-based parent company was supposed to find a US buyer or be banned last weekend.
Trump's order gives them more time to find a buyer.
"I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok," Trump said.
Biden declined to enforce the bipartisan measure that he signed into law, while Trump has pledged to keep TikTok open after crediting it for aiding his 2024 election victory.
Trump's legal authority to preserve TikTok is unclear under the terms of the law recently upheld by the US Supreme Court.
The president had vowed to restore TikTok as one of his first acts after the platform went dark over the weekend.
TikTok returned to normal services on Sunday following Trump's pre-inauguration announcement.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office. AP
Nulling birthright citizenship
The president signed an executive order that seeks to end automatic birthright citizenship for children born to immigrants without legal status in the US.
Trump's order, if enforced, is a stark revision of the 14th Amendment in the US Constitution.
A provision of the 14th Amendment grants US citizenship to "all persons born or naturalised in the United States".
The order would apply to all future births and blocks any US government agencies from issuing documentation recognising citizenship.
Unless challenged in court, which is likely, the order applies to all babies born to undocumented immigrants 30 days from now.
It's one of several executive actions Trump has issued relating to immigration.
Trump also issued orders to increase deportations of immigrants without legal status and resume construction of a border wall.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on birthright citizenship. AP
Trump signs sweeping death penalty order
Trump then signed a sweeping execution order on the death penalty, directing the attorney general to "take all necessary and lawful action" to ensure that states have enough lethal injection drugs to carry out executions.
Trump wrote that "politicians and judges who oppose capital punishment have defied and subverted the laws of our country".
A moratorium on federal executions had been in place since 2021, and only three defendants remain on federal death row after Biden converted 37 of their sentences to life in prison.
Leaving the World Health Organisation (WHO)
For the second time, Trump has signed an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the US from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Trump also ordered the nation to pull out of the United Nations agency during his first administration in 2020.
Scientists fear severing ties with WHO could reverse important progress in fighting infectious diseases such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
Experts also warn it could weaken the world's defences against dangerous new outbreaks capable of triggering pandemics.
Recognising two genders
Trump signed an order to remove "gender ideology guidance" from any US federal government communication or policies, making it an official decree that there are only two genders: male and female.
"Agencies will cease pretending that men can be women and women can be men when enforcing laws that protect against sex discrimination," the order states.
It marks a reversal of a Biden administration action to recognise all gender identities.
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Trump said he would be signing orders to pardon January 6 rioters. AP
Renaming the Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico has been renamed to Gulf of America, while Alaska's Mt Denali has reverted to its old name Mt McKinley.
"President Trump is bringing common sense to government and renewing the pillars of American Civilization," the executive order stated.
No more work from home for federal employees
Trump has ordered all federal workers to return to the office full-time.
"Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements," the White House said in a statement.
- with Associated Press
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