Executive Orders: Donald Trump’s Initial Actions as President | US News

Donald Trump has enacted a series of executive orders shortly after his return to the White House, reversing several policies established by his predecessor, Joe Biden.

At an inauguration parade held at a sports arena in Washington DC, the newly inaugurated President announced his intention to rescind “80 destructive and radical executive actions” implemented by the previous administration.

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Shortly after taking office as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, Mr. Trump’s key actions included:

January 6

:: Granting pardons to approximately 1,500 supporters charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

This also includes commuted sentences for 14 members of the far-right Proud Boys and Oath Keepers groups, some of whom had been convicted of seditious conspiracy.

Climate

:: Announcing the withdrawal of the US from the Paris climate agreement, a move that undermines the agreement’s goal of limiting global temperature increases to 1.5C.

Energy

:: Repealing a 2023 memo from Mr. Biden that prohibited oil drilling on 16 million acres in the Arctic. He declared a national energy emergency and committed to refilling strategic oil reserves while exporting US energy globally.

“We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help to do it,” the President stated.

Immigration

:: Declaring a national emergency at the US-Mexico border, which involves deploying US troops to assist immigration agents while tightening restrictions on refugees and asylum seekers.

Free Speech

:: Signing an order aimed at “ending the weaponization” of government against political adversaries.

The directive instructs the Attorney General to investigate the federal government’s actions over the past four years, including those at the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission during the previous administration.

The order mandates that the government “identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the Federal Government related to the weaponization of law enforcement and the Intelligence Community”.

TikTok

:: Signing an executive order that allows TikTok to continue operations for an additional 75 days, a temporary relief for its users amid ongoing national security concerns.

ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, was required to find a US buyer or face a ban by January 19. Mr. Trump’s order may provide ByteDance with extra time to locate a buyer.

“I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok,” Mr. Trump remarked.

Return to office

:: Mandating that federal employees return to the office five days a week.

This return-to-office directive coincides with a hiring freeze and the establishment of an advisory body called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to streamline the size of the federal government.