On his first day back in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump hit the ground running with a series of executive orders. Here are some of the executive orders he signed in the first hours of his presidency.
- Paris Climate Agreement Exit: Trump officially started the process to withdraw the U.S. from the global climate pact, saying it doesn’t align with American values and costs taxpayers too much.
- World Health Organization Exit: The U.S. will again leave the WHO, a move critics say could weaken global disease prevention efforts.
- January 6 Pardons: Trump pardoned over 1,500 people tied to the Capitol riots, including far-right group leaders. Pending cases will also be dismissed.
- TikTok Stay of Execution: He signed an order allowing the social media app to continue operating for 75 days while seeking a U.S. buyer.
- Cuba Policy Reversal: Trump reinstated Cuba’s status as a state sponsor of terrorism, reversing a Biden-era decision.
- Biden Freeze: He paused pending Biden regulations, calling them federal overreach.
- Return-to-Office Mandate: Federal employees must resume five-day, in-office work weeks, ending pandemic-era remote policies.
- Federal Hiring Freeze: No new government positions will be filled, except in security and safety roles.
- Education Rollbacks: Trump revoked protections for gender identity in schools and rescinded Biden-era COVID-19 school reopening guidance.
- Immigration Clampdown: He reinstated 2017 policies to crack down on sanctuary cities and deportation standards.
- Death Penalty Supply: Trump ordered the attorney general to secure lethal injection drugs for states.
- Renamings: Trump signed an executive order restoring the name of Mt. McKinley. The same executive order also calls for the renaming of The Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
- Combating Cartels: Trump classified cartels and other organizations as foreign terrorist organizations.
- The Southern Border: Trump declared an emergency at the Southern border.
- Drilling: Trump repealed Biden-era regulations to ease burdens on oil and natural gas production, especially in Alaska.
- Tariffs: The president announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Feb. 1, with further tariffs on Chinese imports to be decided later.
- Fighting Inflation: Trump signed a symbolic memorandum directing federal agencies to combat consumer inflation.
- Flags on Inauguration Day: Trump ordered that flags will always fly at full staff on inauguration days.
- Ended App Immigration: Disabled the CBP One App that allowed legal immigration during the Biden presidency.
- Energy Emergency: Declared an energy emergency, which would allow America to expand domestic oil drilling.
- Created DOGE: Trump signed an executive order creating the Department of Government Efficiency.
- No More DEI: Signed an executive order removing all DEI programs from the federal government.
- Only Two Genders: Decreed that the United States will only recognize two genders.
- Free Speech: Trump signed two executive orders related to free speech, one barring federal employees from infringing upon free speech and the other investigating free speech violations during the Biden administration.
The orders signal Trump’s intent to reverse many Biden administration policies while prioritizing his own long-standing goals.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
