On his first day back in the Oval Office as the 47th President, Donald J. Trump launched an unprecedented wave of executive actions aimed at systematically dismantling policies from the previous administration. Within hours of his inauguration, the new Trump White House announced over 60 presidential actions that comprehensively targeted diverse policy areas, including immigration, energy policy, federal hiring, environmental regulations, and social programs.
The Trump administration structured its first-day agenda around four major policy priorities: border security, energy and economic policy, government reform, and social issues. This explainer provides a detailed breakdown of the sweeping executive orders and actions that signaled a dramatic shift in federal policy across nearly every domain of governance.
It bears noting that Trump’s current presidency comes at a time of unparalleled ideological divisiveness in the country. Thus many of these issues are couched in broader ideological splits, comprehensive explanations of which fall beyond the scope and word count of this article. We encourage you to conduct your own research into any issues that strike your interest. If you have any questions or would like to request a future explainer on any of these specific ideological splits, please contact us at jurist@jurist.org.
Multi-Priority Initiatives: Recasting Biden’s Legacy
The Administration’s first executive order revoked over 60 Biden-era policies, targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, climate initiatives, COVID-19 measures, immigration policies, and various social programs. The order directs agency heads to halt what it terms “unlawful and radical DEI ideology” and establishes two 45-day review processes: one to identify additional policies for potential removal, and another to assess national security concerns in previous memoranda.
A separate regulatory freeze halts all new rules pending review by Trump appointees and delays for 60 days any rules published but not yet in effect.
See:
- Executive Order: Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions
- Regulatory Freeze Pending Review
Priority 1: Making America Safe Again
The Administration launched a comprehensive immigration overhaul through multiple orders. Key measures include resuming border wall construction, reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy, ending the CBP One app, and suspending refugee admissions. The military is being tasked with “sealing the borders,” with US Northern Command given expanded border security responsibilities.
A separate order seeks to restrict birthright citizenship for children of non-citizens who are either undocumented or on temporary visas.
Another expansive order establishes Homeland Security Task Forces in all states, mandates collection of civil fines from undocumented immigrants, requires state-federal law enforcement cooperation, restricts funding to “sanctuary” jurisdictions, and directs review of contracts with NGOs that provide services to immigrants.
In a sweeping proclamation, the Administration declared the situation at the southern border an “invasion” under Article IV of the Constitution, suspending the entry of migrants and restricting their ability to claim asylum. The order directs immediate removal of any migrants crossing the border after the proclamation’s effective date.
The Administration also declared a national emergency regarding cartels and transnational gangs, ordering officials to designate major cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, while preparing to invoke the Alien Enemies Act for expedited removals.
The Administration also ordered enhanced vetting of all visa applicants and current foreign nationals in the US, directing agencies to identify countries with inadequate security screening and evaluate all immigration programs for potential national security threats. The order requires a review of regulations around grounds for inadmissibility and calls for stronger immigrant assimilation programs.
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- Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States
- Securing Our Borders
- Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program
- Clarifying the Military’s Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States
- Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship
- Protecting the American People Against Invasion
- Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion
- Designating Cartels And Other Organizations As Foreign Terrorist Organizations And Specially Designated Global Terrorists
- Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats
A law enforcement directive orders the Justice Department to pursue capital punishment in all eligible federal cases, particularly for murders of law enforcement officers and capital crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. The order also directs efforts to maintain state death penalty programs and challenges Supreme Court precedents limiting capital punishment.
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Priority 2: Making America Affordable and Energy Dominant Again
The Administration announced plans to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord and roll back Biden-era environmental regulations. A formal declaration of national energy emergency cites inadequate domestic production and infrastructure as threats to national security, enabling expedited approvals for energy projects and emergency environmental waivers. An emergency directive targets what it calls the “cost-of-living crisis,” ordering agencies to reduce costs in housing, healthcare, appliances, and energy sectors.
The Administration also withdrew from the OECD Global Tax Deal, directing the Treasury to investigate potentially discriminatory foreign tax practices against US companies.
A separate order imposes a comprehensive moratorium on offshore wind leasing and requires review of all federal wind projects, including an immediate halt to the Lava Ridge Wind Project and assessment of defunct windmill removal. Another order aims to facilitate broader access to Alaska’s natural resources for purposes of prioritizing and streamlining the extraction of liquefied natural gas.
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- America First Trade Policy
- Putting America First In International Environmental Agreements
- Unleashing American Energy
- Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living Crisis
- The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Global Tax Deal
- Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects
- Declaring a National Energy Emergency
- Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential
Priority 3: Draining the Swamp
The Administration imposed a federal hiring freeze on non-essential positions, cracked down on remote work, and announced plans to increase in-person work among federal employees. Additional measures focus on expediting security clearances for White House staff. A separate order revokes security clearances from 50 former intelligence officials and government employees, including several former agency heads, citing concerns about election interference and improper disclosure of sensitive information.
See:
- Return to In-Person Work
- Hiring Freeze
- Memorandum to Resolve the Backlog of Security Clearances for Executive Office of the President Personnel
- Holding Former Government Officials Accountable for Election Interference and Improper Disclosure of Sensitive Governmental Information
The Administration also reinstated and expanded a policy from Trump’s first term aimed at making it easier to remove federal employees in policy-influencing positions who don’t implement administration directives. Another directive targets the Senior Executive Service, requiring new performance review standards and giving agency heads broader authority to reassign or remove senior career officials.
See:
- Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce
- Restoring Accountability for Career Senior Executives
A separate order overhauls federal hiring practices, mandating development of a Federal Hiring Plan that prioritizes “highly skilled Americans dedicated to the furtherance of American ideals” while explicitly prohibiting consideration of DEI factors in hiring. The order aims to reduce hiring time to under 80 days and modernize recruitment processes. Another comprehensive order mandates the termination of all DEI programs across federal agencies, requiring agencies to identify and end all DEI-related positions, committees, programs, and grants within 60 days. The order also establishes monthly monitoring meetings to track compliance.
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- Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service
- Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing
The Administration established a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to modernize federal technology and software systems. The order requires each agency to create internal “DOGE Teams” and grants the department broad access to agency records and IT systems to improve interoperability and efficiency.
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The White House issued a comprehensive reorganization of the National Security Council system, establishing new procedures for policy development and decision-making. The order outlines the structure and responsibilities of the NSC, its Principals Committee, Deputies Committee, and Policy Coordination Committees.
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Priority 4: Bringing Back American Values
New policies target what the Administration terms federal “censorship” and “weaponization.” A free speech order prohibits federal employees from “unconstitutionally” restricting speech, while another directs reviews of law enforcement and intelligence agencies’ activities during the Biden years. The Administration also issued a broad clemency order for January 6 defendants, including 14 specific commutations and a general pardon for others.
A separate order directs the renaming of several major geographic features, including restoring “Mount McKinley” as the name of North America’s highest peak, thus replacing the Obama-era renaming to Denali — the mountain’s traditional indigenous name. Notably, the order maintains the name Denali National Park. The order also stated that the Gulf of Mexico would now be known as the “Gulf of America.”
See:
- Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship
- Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government
- Granting Pardons and Commutation of Sentences for Certain Offenses Relating to the Events At or Near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021
- Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness
From Gender Identity to TikTok: A Smattering of Additional Measures
Gender and sex
A sweeping order establishes government-wide definitions of sex as a binary, biological classification, prohibiting the use of gender identity concepts in federal policies. The directive requires changes to federal identification documents, prison policies, and grant conditions, while rescinding numerous Biden-era guidance documents related to transgender rights and protections.
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An ‘America First’ foreign policy
A directive to the State Department requires realignment of all diplomatic policies, programs, and operations to prioritize ‘America First’ principles in foreign policy. Relatedly, the Administration ordered a 90-day pause on foreign development assistance to review all aid programs for “programmatic efficiency and consistency with United States foreign policy.” The order requires the State Department and Office of Management and Budget to evaluate whether to continue, modify, or cease each foreign aid program.
See:
- America First Policy Directive to the Secretary of State
- Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid
Farewell, WHO; Welcome back, TikTok
The Administration announced plans to withdraw from the World Health Organization and temporarily delayed implementation of restrictions on TikTok. The 75-day pause on TikTok regulations aims to evaluate security concerns while avoiding immediate platform shutdown.
See:
- Withdrawing the United States From the World Health Organization
- Application of Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act to TikTok
Trump announced various federal appointments, with several confirmation hearings already underway.
See:
- President Trump Announces Cabinet and Cabinet-Level Appointments
- President Trump Announces Sub-Cabinet Appointments
- President Trump Announces Acting Cabinet and Cabinet-Level Positions
- President Trump Designates Chairmen and Acting Chairmen
The Administration also ordered immediate resumption of Trump-era plans to divert water from Northern California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the Central Valley and Southern California, overriding environmental restrictions related to fish species protection. This order relates directly to Trump’s recent accusations that mismanagement of environmental resources exacerbated Southern California’s historically destructive wildfires.
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He also ordered the US flag to be flown at full-staff on Inauguration Day, interrupting the traditional mourning period for former President Carter, and directed the General Services Administration to develop recommendations for ensuring federal buildings reflect classical and traditional architectural styles, requiring advance notice for any designs that deviate from this aesthetic approach.
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