Authored by Nathan Worcester, Jacob Burg, John Haughey, Darlene McCormick Sanchez, Ryan Morgan, Savannah Hulsey Pointer, and Andrew Moran via The Epoch Times,
President Donald Trump set a breakneck pace on the first day of his second term, taking numerous executive actions and rescinding 78 executive orders from his predecessor, while also pardoning roughly 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, breach at the U.S. Capitol.
The commander-in-chief moved fast on the border, inflation, energy, government censorship, federal bureaucracy, and much more. He also officially renamed parts of the map, changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and reverting Denali back to Mount McKinley. Here’s a rundown of Trump’s first moves upon his return to the White House.
Border and Immigration
Trump issued 10 executive actions on border security, including a national emergency declaration to pave the way for military deployment to the border and the completion of a border wall.
Trump’s executive orders set the stage for deportation operations while cracking down on illegal immigration and crime.
Trump’s orders reinstate Remain in Mexico, end catch-and-release of illegal immigrants, designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, pause refugee resettlement, end birthright citizenship, and bring back the death penalty for certain crimes against federal agents.
By stopping catch-and-release and re-implementing policies such as Remain in Mexico, those seeking asylum will no longer be able to live and work in the United States while awaiting adjudication of their claim.
Those policies under President Joe Biden were a significant factor in attracting some 11 million illegal immigrants into the country in four years, experts have said.
Another executive order directs the attorney general to seek capital punishment for the murder of law enforcement officers and capital crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
Ending birthright citizenship will likely spark legal challenges.
Birthright citizenship is addressed under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, saying “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”
Trump’s order hinges on the “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” part of the amendment, meaning the federal government will not recognize automatic birthright citizenship for children born to illegal immigrant parents.
The idea of birthright citizenship was decided in the 1898 Supreme Court case United States v. Wong Kim Ark. The high court ruled that children born in the United States to immigrant parents are citizens, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
Trump also rescinded multiple Biden executive orders related to the border and immigration.
A chart depicting illegal immigration data is displayed on a screen as former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nev., on Oct. 11, 2024. Alejandra Rubio/AFP via Getty Images
Reducing Inflation
Trump also signed an inflation memorandum, titled “Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living Crisis,” that will assemble a whole-of-government approach to tackle high prices.
In his executive action, Trump referenced the “unprecedented regulatory oppression” from the previous administration that he estimates “have imposed almost $50,000 in costs on the average American household.”
He ordered heads of all executive departments and agencies to provide “emergency price relief.” The measures will include expanding the housing supply, eliminating administrative expenses and rent-seeking practices that add to health care costs, and removing requirements that raise the costs of home appliances.
Trump, according to the memorandum, will abolish “harmful, coercive ‘climate’ policies that increase the costs of food and fuel.”
Trump, in his inaugural address, diagnosed 40-year high inflation as caused by overspending and ballooning energy prices.
Cumulative inflation has surged about 21 percent over the last four years. Trump will begin his second term with an annual inflation rate of 2.9 percent, compared to the 1.4 percent when he left office.
A chorus of economists has said Trump’s economic agenda, especially tariffs, could rekindle the inflation flame by making products more expensive to produce and raising consumer prices.
U.S. Treasury nominee Scott Bessent dismissed these concerns during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee last week. Bessent stated that a layered-in approach could offset a spike in prices. Additionally, he noted that U.S. dollar appreciation, cheaper foreign exports, and changes to consumer preferences could counteract potential adverse effects.
Treasury secretary nominee, Scott Bessent, testifies before the Senate Committee on Finance at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 16, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
Trade and Tariffs
A portion of Trump’s raft of executive orders focused on his trade agenda.
The 47th president presented a broad trade memorandum that directs federal agencies, including the Treasury, Commerce, and Homeland Security, to examine unfair trade relationships and currency policies with other countries, particularly Canada, Mexico, and China.
Trump will not impose new levies on other nations.
This does not mean he will abandon his pursuit of tariffs. Speaking to reporters from the White House, Trump said he will consider imposing 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Feb. 1 because of their trade policies. The president noted he will think about putting levies on China if it does not approve a TikTok deal.
He also pledged to overhaul the trade system in his inauguration speech.
“I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families. Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,” he said.
