What Executive Orders Did Trump Sign on His First Day?

Daniel Torok, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Since 1989, a total of 13 executive orders have been signed on Inauguration Day. However, on January 20th, Donald Trump signed 26. In addition, Trump rescinded 78 executive orders signed by the Biden administration. In a massive showing at Capital One Arena in Washington DC, Trump signed several orders in front of a crowd of approximately 20,000. The crowd roared with each new order he signed. From backing out of the ban on TikTok to renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, Trump began his second term with a great deal of commotion, causing significant controversy among the American public.

One of the most controversial orders that Trump signed was ending birthright citizenship for U.S. citizens. This executive order caused an uproar within the Democratic Party and a large portion of the U.S. population. As defined by the American Immigration Council, birthright citizenship is “a legal principle under which citizenship is automatically granted to individuals upon birth.” Millions of children born to undocumented immigrants, as well as those born to parents on work or tourist visas, will lose their citizenship once it is put in place. By stripping these individuals of their citizenship, they would lose many privileges that come with being a U.S. citizen. This order would, in general, make their lives significantly more difficult, despite them having done nothing wrong.

Another incredibly controversial executive order was Trump’s official recognition of only two genders in the United States. Specifically, this executive order requires that government documents display a citizen’s gender at birth and cease the use of gender identity or preferred pronouns. The LGBTQ community has worked for years to earn recognition and appreciation from both the U.S. and the rest of the world, and this executive order tarnishes much of the progress they have made. Furthermore, public schools could be punished for allowing transgender individuals to use the bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity. This executive order effectively takes away the rights of millions of Americans who no longer identify with their assigned gender at birth.

The United States also withdrew from two major organizations and agreements on Trump’s Inauguration Day: the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization. The World Health Organization (WHO) has long been an advocate for global health and safety. By withdrawing the U.S. from the organization, Trump effectively removed all American resources from WHO in a strong statement against it. Trump stated that his reason for the withdrawal was WHO’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature increases and combat climate change. However, Trump, being largely against wind turbines and strongly in favor of fossil fuel energy, opposed the terms and conditions of the agreement. Furthermore, he stated that it costs the U.S. billions of dollars to comply with the agreement and that the country should not be wasting money on it.

Of course, with 26 new executive orders signed on January 20th, there are plenty more controversial and significant orders that were issued. Trump’s first term was marked by large-scale controversy and many decisive actions. Based on his first day in office, which already sparked widespread debate in the media, it seems that his second term will be just as contentious as the first.

By Efe Colakoglu