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President Donald Trump signed roughly 200 executive actions, memoranda and proclamations on his first day in office, undoing Biden administration mandates and implementing his “America first” policies.
Cabinet appointments
He signed his first documents at the Capitol soon after he was inaugurated, establishing Cabinet and subcabinet appointments, acting leaders of departments and agencies and a proclamation that flags are to be flown at full staff on inauguration days. Flags have been flying at half staff after the death of President Jimmy Carter earlier this month.
Clemency for Jan. 6 offenders and defendants
Once he arrived at the Oval Office — after 7 p.m. — the first executive order Mr. Trump signed at the White House was a full pardon for about 1,500 people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol assault. A handful of Jan. 6 cases won’t receive a full pardon, at least for now, pending review, Mr. Trump said. He commuted the sentences of over a dozen members of the far-right Oath Keepers, several of whom had received the stiffest sentences.
Among those receiving clemency from the president was expected to be Enrique Tarrio, the former head of the far-right group the Proud Boys, who was serving a 22-year sentence after he was convicted in May 2023 of charges including seditious conspiracy. His lawyer, Nayid Hassan told CBS News that Tarrio was expected to receive a pardon or have his sentence commuted.
TikTok law implementation date extended
Mr. Trump signed an executive order Monday night telling the Justice Department not to enforce for 75 days a law that effectively bans TikTok. It was supposed to go into effect a day ago.
It’s unclear what legal authority the president has to delay the bipartisan law, which was passed by Congress last year over national security concerns and upheld by the Supreme Court three days before Mr. Trump took office. The divest-or-ban law permitted the president to delay its implementation by 90 days if a sale was in progress by Jan. 19, when it took effect.
Federal workers ordered to return to work in person full-time
In the 6 p.m. hour, Mr. Trump signed more orders before a packed Capital One Arena, in Washington, D.C. Among them, a requirement that federal workers return to full-time work in person immediately, a freeze on all federal hiring, except by the military and some other excluded categories.
He signed a directive to every department and agency in the federal government to address inflation.
Withdrawal from Paris climate agreement
Mr. Trump also signed an executive action withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, and he claimed the U.S. would save a trillion dollars by leaving the agreement.
Withdrawal from the WHO
Another executive order signed by Mr. Trump called for the U.S. to leave the World Health Organization. The order cites “the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic” and “onerous” costs associated with being apart of the international organization as the reasons for the U.S.’ withdrawal.
Mr. Trump also ordered the federal government to restore freedom of speech and prevent government censorship going forward.
And the final order he signed at Capitol One was a directive aimed at ending what Mr. Trump has called the weaponization of government by the Biden administration against the political adversaries of the previous administration, that is, his first administration.
Immigration and border executive orders
He began invoking presidential powers to launch a sweeping crackdown on immigration, tasking the military with border enforcement, designating cartels and gangs as terrorist groups and shutting down asylum and refugee admissions. The president declared a national emergency at the southern border and ordered the Defense Department to more heavily involve military resources there, tasking officials to deploy additional troops to the border.
He’s instructing officials to restart construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, relaunching a massive, multi-billion-dollar government project that he championed during his first term in office, that was halted by President Biden, although he restarted construction in 2023 along the border in Texas, where there were high incidences of illegal entry. During the Trump administration, about 450 miles of barriers were built along the southwest border between 2017 and January 2021.
Birthright citizenship
Trump also moved to dismantle the longstanding interpretation of the 14th Amendment, signing an order to federal agencies to deny birthright citizenship to children of parents who are unauthorized immigrants or temporary visa holders.
The U.S. government has long interpreted the 14th Amendment of the Constitution as granting a right of citizenship for those born on American soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
Death penalty for unauthorized immigrants who murder law enforcement officers
Mr. Trump also directed the Justice Department to seek the death penalty for unauthorized immigrants who murder law enforcement officers or commit capital crimes.
Executive orders focused on the economy
Mr. Trump’s executive orders related to energy production and the economy are geared toward cutting regulations criticized as red tape. His orders included declaring a national emergency related to energy costs for American consumers and putting an end to electric vehicle mandates.
He also signed an executive order focused specifically on Alaskan economic and energy production. The state and its natural resources are seen as critical to national security, and the new administration is trying to boost its liquefied natural gas production for both export and domestic use.
The new president will also sign a presidential memorandum on inflation, directing the government to focus on bringing down rising costs.
Gender and diversity orders
Another set of campaign promises Trump addressed on his first day related to gender “wokeness” and programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Executive orders made it a policy of the federal government to recognize two sexes that cannot be changed: male and female. Mr. Trump also directed the Office of Management and Budget to coordinate with agencies to terminate all mandates, policies, and programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
This executive order includes a review of facilities that have been renamed as part of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. (cbsnews.com)
