The incoming president is ready to sign a slew of executive orders on day one of his second term. Here\u2019s what\u2019s planned<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the grand theatre of American politics, presidential inaugurations typically follow a familiar script: the oath, the speech, a few carefully chosen executive orders to satisfy campaign promises. Franklin D Roosevelt used his first day to tackle the banking crisis<\/a>. Barack Obama moved to close Guant\u00e1namo Bay<\/a> (though it remains open). Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> first term began with a single executive order targeting Obamacare<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But as Trump prepares to return to the White House for round two, he\u2019s promising to tear up the traditional presidential playbook entirely. With more than 100 executive orders<\/a> reportedly prepared, his agenda represents a new attempt to reshape American governance through sheer executive will. It\u2019s a blueprint that, if enacted, would touch everything from international trade to immigration, from cryptocurrency to classroom curriculums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scope is wide-reaching \u2013 and perhaps impossible. The previous high came from Joe Biden, who signed 17 executive orders<\/a> on his first day in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump\u2019s planned century of orders represents an administrative ambition unmatched in American history. Here are some of his most significant day one pledges, and what they could mean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump has vowed to launch<\/a> \u201cthe largest deportation program in American history\u201d immediately upon taking office. The scope is staggering: with an estimated 11 million<\/a> undocumented migrants and aslyum seekers in the US, including roughly 500,000 with criminal records<\/a>, this would dwarf the Obama administration\u2019s record of 430,000 annual deportations<\/a> in 2013. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the near term, Trump is expected to dismantle legal protections for asylum-seeking migrants and revoke humanitarian deportation safeguards for millions, including those from Haiti and Sudan, as they expire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, he plans to reverse a policy that prioritized the deportation of serious criminals, rather than long-term undocumented immigrants with clean records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond deportations, Trump plans to declare a national emergency at the border. He explained at a New Hampshire campaign event<\/a> in October that he could look to do that by \u201cusing title 42\u201d, which would essentially trigger public health emergency powers similar to ones used during Covid to boot or ban migrants from entering or staying in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This approach faces a significant hurdle: only the CDC, not the president, can declare such emergencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps Trump\u2019s most economically significant day one promise is the pledge to impose a 25% tariff\u2002<\/a>on all Canadian and Mexican imports. This move would affect America\u2019s two largest trading partners and could dramatically reshape North American commerce. Trump has linked these tariffs to drug-trafficking concerns, though he has recently suggested there might be room for negotiation, saying on NBC\u2019s Meet the Press \u201cwe adjust it somewhat\u201d if prices rise too sharply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canada has vowed to respond to the tariffs, and Mexico suggested it would<\/a> do the same. When asked if Quebec would consider pausing hydroelectric or aluminum shipments to the US, the province\u2019s premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault told a news conference<\/a> he would wait for Trump to make the first move, \u201cbut what I\u2019m seeing is nothing is off the table\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last time America imposed tariffs of this magnitude was the Smoot-Hawley Tariff<\/a> of 1930, which economists widely credit with deepening the Great Depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump hasn\u2019t just promised pardons \u2013 he\u2019s specified a timeline, saying he\u2019ll begin reviewing cases in \u201cmaybe the first nine minutes<\/a>\u201c of his presidency. With over 1,580 defendants charged and 1,270 convicted, this could represent one of the largest mass pardons in American history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many potential recipients have already completed their sentences, meaning some pardons would be largely symbolic. That would be a welcome move for some of his most die-hard supporters, some of whom are calling for everyone to be released, \u201ceven the violent ones<\/a>\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump\u2019s \u201cdrill, baby, drill\u201d agenda includes an immediate national energy emergency declaration. The plan calls for expedited approvals of new drilling, pipelines, refineries, and nuclear reactors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His incoming press secretary claims they\u2019ll begin issuing permits \u201cwithin seconds\u201d of entering the Oval Office, though such rapid implementation faces obvious practical and legal constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a direct challenge to current educational policies, Trump promises to immediately cut<\/a> federal funding for schools that teach \u201ccritical race theory\u201d, maintain vaccine mandates, or enforce mask requirements \u2013 effectively turning budget authority into a weapon in the culture wars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond simple funding cuts, his plan promises to establish a \u201crestitution fund\u201d for those allegedly harmed by equity policies \u2013 a proposal without precedent in American education policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plan would also purge<\/a> diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements from federal institutions on day one, extending the battlefield from primary schools to universities and even the armed forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump has vowed to institute what observers call the most sweeping rollback of transgender rights in modern American history on his first day in office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump plans on reinstating his controversial military ban<\/a> \u2013 previously struck down by the Biden administration \u2013 while simultaneously barring transgender women from competing in women\u2019s sports at any level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He pledged<\/a> in 2023 to convene an FDA panel to investigate alleged links between hormone treatments and behavioral issues \u2013 a move critics describe as a thinly veiled attempt to restrict access to gender-affirming care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The president\u2019s actions would impact an estimated 1.6 million<\/a> transgender Americans, including approximately 15,000<\/a> service members who as of 2018 are serving openly in the military, and thousands of student athletes across the nation\u2019s schools and universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While no federal EV mandate actually exists, Trump promised to end what he called \u201cKamala\u2019s insane electric vehicle mandate\u201d at a Michigan campaign rally in November. This appears to target Biden\u2019s tailpipe emission standards and California\u2019s zero-emission vehicle goals. He told podcaster Joe Rogan it might take two days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, Trump separately said that \u201cwe want people to buy electric cars\u201d but has historically opposed mandates, rolling back Obama-era pollution rules his last time in office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump plans to sign an executive order ending automatic citizenship for children born to non-citizen parents in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This direct challenge to the 14th amendment would likely trigger immediate constitutional challenges, with Trump himself recently acknowledging on NBC<\/a> they might need to \u201cgo back to the people\u201d for a constitutional amendment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thirty-three countries and two territories \u2013 mostly in the western hemisphere<\/a> and likely rooted to colonial times \u2013 have unrestricted birthright citizenship, including the United States, Canada and Mexico. There are 32 countries which have a form of restricted birthright citizenship, which could be one parent having citizenship or long-time residency, including France, the United Kingdom and Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump is reportedly expected to establish a US Bitcoin strategic reserve<\/a> to go along with his \u201ccrypto czar\u201d David Sacks, a former PayPal executive. This comes as bitcoin hit record highs ahead of his inauguration, with markets anticipating significant crypto-friendly policies from his administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adding to the momentum, Democratic senator Sherrod Brown, a vocal crypto critic, was ousted in Ohio by the Republican blockchain entrepreneur Bernie Moreno<\/a>, who was sworn in to the Senate this month after being backed by a $40m campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump has promised immediate action to \u201cdemolish the deep state,\u201d planning to revive his Schedule F executive order<\/a> from 2020. This would reclassify tens of thousands<\/a> of federal employees as political appointees, making them easier to dismiss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The move could dramatically reshape the federal workforce, though it would likely face fierce legal opposition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump\u2019s most repeated promise over the last year<\/a> was his pledge to end the Russia-Ukraine war before even taking office \u2013 a deadline that has already passed. Now, his team has pivoted to promising day one negotiations, with Trump\u2019s particular brand of personal diplomacy at the forefront.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy very well, and I know [Russian President Vladimir] Putin very well \u2026 they respect me,\u201d Trump said during his September debate with Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That promise has softened since his election victory. In a December interview with Time magazine, Trump acknowledged that \u201cthe Middle East is an easier problem to handle than what\u2019s happening with Russia and Ukraine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other than his team suggesting he\u2019ll bring both leaders to the negotiating table on day one, he extended his own timeline<\/a> for resolving the conflict to six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nMass deportation program<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBorder emergency declaration<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe North American tariff shock<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nJanuary 6 pardons<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nEnergy sector revolution<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nSchool funding overhaul<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTransgender rights<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nElectric vehicle mandate reversal<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBirthright citizenship challenge<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCryptocurrency in the bank<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nDeep state purge<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nUkraine war negotiations<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n