No delay, no surprise, no restraint. For weeks, President Donald Trump and his team had promised that his arrival at the White House would bring a torrent of executive orders and impactful decisions to transform the United States, and they have more than delivered. Within minutes of taking the oath, a flurry of instructions began, focused on the main priorities of the MAGA movement and continued for hours. He signed from the Capitol, amidst a basketball pavilion with cheers from thousands of supporters, and more calmly from the Oval Office. On immigration matters, declaring a national emergency to mobilize resources and troops. The cultural war, with a direct attack on equality, diversity, and inclusion policies by declaring "there are only two genders." And on environmental issues, revoking policies aimed at combating climate change and decarbonization. Not to mention the recurring decision to abruptly withdraw the country from the World Health Organization, as he did in his first term, arguing that the U.S. contributes much more to the WHO than its major rival, China.
He also signed pardons for over 1,500 individuals involved in the Capitol riot and commuted the sentences of six others. Many of them were behind bars, and the president-elect, whom he refers to as "hostages," wanted them released immediately.
The day before, Trump had dispelled any doubts about the content, form, and pace. "Every radical and absurd executive order from the Biden administration will be revoked within hours of taking office. You will have a lot of fun watching TV. Someone told me yesterday not to sign so many in one day, to do it over a few weeks. I said no, to hell with that, we will sign them tomorrow."
And so it was, describing them from the Rotunda of the Capitol, with the presence of top officials: congressmen, senators, and all former U.S. presidents, including Joe Biden, watching as he promised to dismantle each of their initiatives one by one. Hours later, he annulled 78 of them at once, including, for example, the removal of Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, announced just a few days ago.
Trump confirmed on Monday that his first steps will focus on immigration matters. "The first executive order will declare a national emergency at the southern border," said the president in his inauguration speech. "Illegal immigrants will be detained, and we will return millions of criminals to their home countries. I will end the catch-and-release policy for criminals and send troops to fix the disaster in our country," he added. The order took effect shortly after.
The 47th president also confirmed what was expected, that he will consider Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, not ruling out the use of special forces against them, and will resort to a 1797 law to grant sufficient powers to the Executive. John Adams was president when Congress first approved the so-called Alien Enemies Act. The U.S. was composed of only 16 states and on the brink of war with France.
Trump had promised during his campaign to use this instrument "to attack and dismantle all criminal migrant networks operating on U.S. soil," but Constitutional Law experts anticipate a tough legal battle in the courts as the text states that the Enemy Alien Act can be invoked whenever: "A war is declared between the U.S. and any foreign nation or government" or "an invasion or predatory incursion against U.S. territory is perpetrated, attempted, or threatened by any foreign nation or government," followed by "the president making a public proclamation."
For this, Trump needs more, such as declaring cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Similar to when the U.S. started the war on terror or terrorism 24 years ago. As he took the oath, the effect began to be felt. The application used to schedule asylum seekers' appointments in some Mexican locations suddenly stopped working, canceling all appointments.
The president did not make announcements about those convicted for the 2021 Capitol riot. Not from Congress itself and not at that moment. But he did so as soon as he sat in the Oval Office.
His directive is to immediately pardon individuals convicted of non-violent crimes and commute the sentences of those convicted of more serious offenses. It is also stipulated that the Department of Justice drop cases that have not yet gone to trial.
Following the riot, the prosecution charged over 1,500 individuals and has secured around 1,270 convictions so far, with around 300 cases pending, according to CNN records. According to the Department of Justice, approximately 55% of the January 6 cases are minor offenses, such as public order disturbances or trespassing. As for the convicted, the vast majority were sentenced to probation or a few months in prison and have already been released.
Pardons do not erase criminal records, but they serve to restore civil rights, such as the right to bear arms or the right to vote. A couple of hundred Capitol rioters are currently behind bars. The Department of Justice estimates that 1,100 have already been convicted and sentenced, and around 700 of them have either completed their sentence or are on probation.
He did not mention TikTok during his three speeches of the day, but later signed the quick decision he had announced on Sunday, to extend by 75 days the deadline for the law requiring them to separate ownership from their Chinese owners. This way, there will be no shutdown or user pressure.
EFFICIENCY. One of the top priorities was to establish the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the non-governmental agency that was to be led by the world's richest man, Elon Musk, and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, to conduct an audit of the public sector and recommend cuts of up to two trillion dollars. It will not be part of the Executive, as that would require Musk and his associates to pass conflict of interest exams and other procedures. But it has also been revealed in recent days that Ramaswamy will not be part of it either. Clashes over what DOGE should be were evident from day one, and he has announced his intention to run for governor of Ohio and step aside.