Trump Returns to Power, Signs Sweeping Executive Orders on Day One
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States and immediately began dismantling his predecessor’s policies.
WASHINGTON — Inside the Capitol Rotunda, shielded from bitter January cold, Donald Trump took the oath of office at noon on 20 January and declared that “the golden age of America begins right now.” By the time the sun set, he had signed an avalanche of executive orders designed to erase Joe Biden’s domestic and foreign policy legacy and reimpose his own.
The orders touched nearly every function of the federal government. He declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border, restarting border wall construction and ordering the Defence Department to deploy additional troops. He reinstated the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which forces asylum seekers to wait outside US territory while their claims are processed. He moved to end birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants — a step that prompted immediate legal challenges from civil rights groups and Democratic-led states, with constitutional scholars calling it plainly unlawful under the 14th Amendment.
On energy, Trump signed an order pulling the United States out of the Paris climate agreement for the second time, called for an end to Biden-era electric vehicle mandates, and directed agencies to fast-track drilling permits on federal lands and waters. “We will drill, baby, drill,” he said during his inaugural address.
The most controversial action came in the evening. Trump issued full pardons or commutations for roughly 1,500 people charged in connection with the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol, including those convicted of assaulting police officers. He also directed the Justice Department to drop all pending January 6 cases. Family members of officers who defended the Capitol that day denounced the move, while supporters gathered outside the Washington, D.C., jail, waiting for prisoners to walk free.
In foreign policy, Trump ordered a review of all foreign aid programmes with an eye toward aligning them with his “America First” doctrine. He directed officials to begin the process of designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organisations and threatened 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada unless those countries took stronger action on border security and fentanyl trafficking.
The day was choreographed to project strength. Tech billionaires Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos were seated prominently. After the ceremony, Trump gave a rambling, campaign-style speech to supporters in an overflow room, repeating false claims about the 2020 election. His aides signalled that further executive orders would follow throughout the week on trade, education, and federal workforce rules.
Democrats offered little immediate resistance beyond statements and lawsuits. The swift tempo seemed designed to overwhelm opponents before they could organise. Several of the orders are already facing federal court challenges, and the birthright citizenship order is widely considered unlikely to survive judicial review. Still, the message was unmistakable: a second Trump term would move faster and hit harder than the first.