U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in for a second nonconsecutive term yesterday, and soon after issued more than two dozen executive orders, the most ever by a U.S. president on their first day in office. He also rescinded 78 executive actions implemented by his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. (Washington Post)
One might have expected Trump’s inauguration to be anticlimactic, given the steady stream of provocative pronouncements he has made since the election. But after taking the oath of office and delivering a relatively traditional speech, the proceedings took on all the aspects of one of his campaign rallies. A second speech he delivered at the Capitol was filled with inflammatory rhetoric and falsehoods, and he went on to sign his barrage of executive orders in front of an arena of cheering supporters, underscoring the resemblance.
Indeed, several of those orders seemed tailor-made for the occasion, including one that renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and another that bars censorship of U.S. citizens, which is already guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
But in addition to the symbolism for the consumption of his supporters, many of these orders have real policy implications. We’ve separated them into three broad categories:
First up, there are the ones that will have an immediate impact on U.S. foreign policy and global affairs, including orders that:
Withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, which Trump also did during his first term before Biden reinstated U.S. participation.
Withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization, perhaps the only unexpected move of the day.
Declare an emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, direct the military to boost border security and halt new refugee admissions for at least four months.
Another granting top secret security clearance to members of his administration without the normal vetting procedure will be particularly alarming to the other members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partnership, which in addition to the U.S. includes Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
