What orders did Trump sign on day one? | Donald Trump’s inauguration

On January 22, 2025By Littum

On his first day back in the White House, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders, including the repeal of Biden-era executive actions and the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris climate accord.

Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity during his campaign that he would only be a dictator on “day one” and use his presidential powers to close the southern border with Mexico and expand oil drilling.

“Then I am not a dictator,” he said.

As orders poured in on Monday, the accelerated pace was a shock-and-awe campaign. Trump promised in his inaugural address that these orders would amount to a “complete restoration of America.”

Here’s what we know so far about it most significant orders and actions that Trump signed on Monday.

Termination of birthright citizenship

The order: Along with a series of immigration-focused orders, Trump aims for automatic citizenship for American-born children of immigrants in the country illegally, to begin 30 days from today.

What Trump said: The executive order specifies that it would limit birthright citizenship if a person’s “mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of that person’s birth,” or “when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States on the time of said person’s birth was legal but temporary”.

What it means: Birthright citizenship, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born on American soil, is protected by the 14th Amendment, and any attempt to revoke it is likely to result in immediate legal challenges. The order seeks to deny documents recognizing US citizenship to people who meet these criteria and were born in the US 30 days after the order was signed.

Leaving the World Health Organization

The order: Trump signed an order to have the US leave the World Health Organization (WHO).

What Trump said: “World Health ripped us off, everybody ripped off the US. It’s not going to happen again,” Trump said at the signing. He accused the WHO of mishandling the Covid-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

What it means: The US will leave the WHO in 12 months and stop all financial contributions to its work. The United States is the largest financial supporter of the UN health agency.

_{Read more}

Rename the Gulf of Mexico

The order: Trump ordered two name changes: the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Mount Denali.

What Trump said: “President Trump is bringing common sense to government and renewing the pillars of American civilization,” the executive order said.

What it means: Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the “Gulf of America,” something he promised earlier this month at a news conference. He will rename Alaska’s Mount Denali to Mount McKinley, a change first made by Barack Obama in 2015 to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives as well as the preferences of many Alaskans.

It will have no bearing on which names are used internationally.

_{Read more}

Revocation of electric car targets

The order: Trump revoked a non-binding executive order signed by Biden aimed at making half of all new cars sold by 2030 electric.

What Trump said: “The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity,” Trump said Monday afternoon.

What it means: As part of an effort to roll back Biden’s environmental protections, Trump has also promised to roll back the auto pollution standards that were finalized by the Biden administration last spring.

_{Read more}

Reclassifying federal employees, making them easier to fire

The order: Trump’s executive order reclassified thousands of federal employees as political appointees, making it much easier for them to be fired.

What Trump said: Aides to the president have long heralded mass government firings as part of an attack on the so-called “administrative” or “deep” state.

What it means: Trump is effectively reinstating “Schedule F,” an executive order he signed in the final year of his first term, attempting to reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers. (Biden revoked the order.)

Key aides to Trump have called for mass government firings. Project 2025 made attacking the deep or administrative state a central part of Trump’s second term. The right-wing playbook called for officials deemed politically unreliable to be fired and replaced by conservatives.

_{Read more}

Declare a national energy emergency

The order: Trump declared a national energy emergency as part of a pro-fossil fuel barrage and efforts to “trigger” already booming U.S. energy production that also included lifting restrictions on drilling in Alaska and lifting a gas export freeze.

What Trump said: The order means that “you can do what you have to do to get out of that problem, and we have these kinds of emergencies,” Trump said at the White House late Monday.

What it means: The declaration would allow his administration to speed up permits for new fossil fuel infrastructure. The order, which was part of a broader effort to roll back climate policy, is likely to face legal challenges.

_{Read more}

Creation of a only policy appreciative two genders

The order: Trump signed an order to remove “gender ideological guidance” from federal government communications, policies and forms. The order makes it official policy that there are “only two sexes, male and female”.

What Trump said: “Agencies will stop pretending that men can be women and women can be men when enforcing laws that protect against gender discrimination,” the order states.

What it means: The order overturns a Biden-era executive action on gender identity acceptance.

_{Read more}

Pausing the TikTok ban

The order: Trump signed an executive order temporarily delaying enforcement of a federal ban on TikTok for at least 75 days.

What Trump said: “I think I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn’t have originally,” Trump said at the White House as he signed orders, according to New York Times.

What it means: Trump ordered his attorney general not to enforce the law requiring TikTok’s sale. Trump says the pause allows time to chart an “appropriate course forward” to protect national security and not abruptly shut down the popular app. In his first term, Trump favored a TikTok ban, but has since changed his stance due to factors including his own popularity on the app.

_{Read more}

Repeal of 78 Biden-era executive actions

The order: Trump ordered 78 Biden-era executive actions to be rescinded, including at least a dozen measures supporting racial equality and combating discrimination against gays and transgender people.

What Trump said: “I will rescind nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration,” Trump told a crowd in Washington after his inaugural address. He also said he would stop politics “attempting to socially manipulate race and gender in every aspect of public and private life” and push for a “colorblind and merit-based” society.

What it means: The orders signal a reversal of Biden-era policy that prioritized implementing diversity measures across the federal government. Trump rescinded orders signed by Biden promoting racial equality for underserved communities and the aforementioned order combating discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

Declares a national border emergency

The order: Trump signed an order at the White House declaring an emergency on the southern US border along with several other immigration-related policies.

What Trump said: “All illegal entry will be immediately stopped and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places they came from,” Trump said in his inauguration speech.

What it means: The executive action clears the way for sending U.S. troops to the southern border and fulfills campaign promises to implement tough immigration policies. There are limited details on how the administration planned to carry out its sprawling set of immigration actions that would almost certainly face legal and logistical challenges.

Immigrant communities across the country are bracing for Trump’s promise to implement the “largest deportation program in American history” beginning as early as Tuesday morning.

_{Read more}

Issuance of pardons for defendants on January 6

The order: Trump issued pardons for criminals and commutations related to the January 6 attack on the Capitol. He will order the Ministry of Justice to dismiss ongoing cases.

What Trump said: “I’m going to sign the J6 hostages, pardons, to get them out,” Trump said during his rally speech. “We’re going to sign pardons for a lot of people, a lot of people.” Trump said he has pardoned about 1,500 defendants accused in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and issued six pardons.

What it means: Trump made his promise to issue pardons to those with convictions in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack a centerpiece of his re-election campaign. On the campaign trail, Trump often highlighted the national anthem sung by inmates in a Washington DC prison. There are more than 1,500 people federally charged with related charges.

With Trump back in the White House, the Justice Department’s investigations into the January 6 crimes are expected to end.

_{Read more}

Withdraw from the Paris climate agreement

The order: Trump issued an executive action pulling the United States out of the 2015 Paris Agreement, along with a letter informing the United Nations of the decision.

What Trump said: “I am withdrawing immediately from the unfair, one-sided Paris climate agreement,” Trump said during a rally at Capital One Arena. In his inaugural address, Trump said he would use executive action to “end the Green New Deal.”

What it means: In 2017, Trump left the Paris Agreement. When Biden took office in 2021, Biden came back. Monday’s order fulfills a campaign promise by Trump to withdraw from the 2015 global treaty to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis.

Leaving the Paris Agreement is part of Trump’s broader effort to roll back climate protections and policies. Trump has described Biden’s efforts to grow America’s clean energy sector as “the green new scam.”

_{Read more}

Read more about The Guardian’s Trump coverage