The White House
Donald Trump became the first convicted felon to serve as President
On Jan. 20, Donald Trump was officially inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States. Later in the day, Trump implemented almost 80 executive orders aimed against the outgoing Biden administration. In one of his most significant orders, he called to overturn birthright citizenship, specifically targeted at children of undocumented immigrants. Birthright citizenship is a constitutional right under the 14th Amendment, and legal scholars largely agree the executive order cannot be enacted fully. 22 states sued Trump directly after the order.
Trump signed many orders over issues concerning the US-Mexico border and the flow of fentanyl. Under new rules, the U.S. must now refuse asylum to new people at the border, and refugees who have already been waiting must remain in Mexico until their case is heard. Trump also has threatened to declare illegal immigration through the southern border a national emergency, which would allow him to use federal funds to build his border wall without congressional approval.
The second category of Trump’s executive orders concerns the environment. On his first day, he withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, removing America’s commitment to help combat climate change. Over the 2024 campaign season, Trump promised to eliminate many energy efficiency regulations by declaring a national energy emergency. This would be the first national emergency declared over energy in the history of the United States, but it would allow Trump to overturn environmental policies for mining and open up Alaska for oil and gas drilling. Trump also reversed Biden’s ban on offshore drilling on around 625 million acres of federal waters.
The last branch of Trump’s orders affects policies inside the federal government. In an executive order, Trump halted federal hiring, except in the military, immigration enforcement and national and public safety. His following efforts work to force federal workers back into the office full-time, with growing threats of termination if the rule is not followed. Trump stopped Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives inside the federal government while also changing the national policy to recognize male and female as the only sexes. Furthermore, Trump removed the protection of transgender people in federal prisons. Other executive orders include Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization, plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and integration of the Department of Government Efficiency, led by the world’s wealthiest man Elon Musk, into his administration to cut government spending. The White House is also offering a “deferred buyout” for all federal employees in hopes of dramatically shrinking the government and civil service field.
Billionaires such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos have already become prevalent in Trump’s presidency. They were seated directly behind Trump at the inauguration, even in front of his cabinet picks. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Indiana Governor Mike Braun were forced to attend the inauguration in the overflow seating, looking down on the tech billionaires from a screen. During his first term, tech billionaires were more cautious to openly support Trump like they had during his reelection. Instagram and Facebook, owned by Zuckerberg, suspended Trump for spreading misinformation after the January 6th insurrection in 2021, damaging Trump’s platform. However, according to NBC, Zuckerberg recently told investors that the Trump administration will “defend our values and interests.” Many tech executives were worried about excessive regulations on cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence in former president Joe Biden’s administration, while Trump is expected to overturn these during his presidency.
Finally, Trump has imposed 10% blanket tariffs on all goods from China and is threatening 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods. The nonpartisan Tax Foundation found that Trump’s tariffs would amount to an average tax increase of over $800 per household in 2025. China, Mexico and Canada, America’s three largest trading partners, imported more than 3 trillion dollars worth of goods in 2022, just under half of total imports. The U.S. also exported over 2 trillion dollars worth of goods to these countries.
“Who does everyone think will pay these tariffs?” junior Lucy Verma asked. “It’s not that hard to understand. This is idiotic; after campaigning for months against high prices, Trump and the Republican Party are going to cause a massive period of inflation.”