The Sharpie and the sword: How President Donald Trump is wielding power in his second term

Donald Trump hit the ground running on his return to the White House, using an innocent Sharpie pen to set the stage for a fiery four-year term as US president.

They say the pen – or, in Donald Trump’s case, the Sharpie – is mightier than the sword.

On the first day of his second term as America’s President, Mr Trump wielded both. At the glitzy Commander-in-Chief inaugural ball, the sword used to cut the cake suddenly became part of his signature YMCA dance move. It was the Sharpie, however, that truly marked his return to power as he signed a record-breaking blitz of executive orders in the Oval Office.

Mr Trump’s lawyer Will Scharf introduced them one after the other: proclaiming a national border emergency, ending birthright citizenship, leaving the World Health Organisation, saving TikTok from a US ban. “That’s a big one,” the President replied over and over again.

Eventually, Mr Scharf gave up explaining the orders, because the Sharpie-armed President’s metaphorical sabre-rattling had begun. Surrounded by reporters, Mr Trump was at his chaotically freewheeling best. The people of Greenland wanted the US to take over, tariffs on Mexico and Canada were coming on, NATO members had to spend more on defence.

Trump used a Sharpie as he signed a record-breaking blitz of executive orders on his first day. Picture: AFP

At one point, he gleefully turned to Fox News’s Peter Doocy and asked: “Does Biden ever do news conferences like this? How many news conferences, Peter, has he done like this?”

“Like this?” the White House correspondent replied. “Zero.”

There was, in fact, a Biden-esque clanger. Mr Trump declared Spain was a member of the BRICS bloc of developing countries, an error that went uncorrected as he doubled down, telling a confused reporter: “You know what a BRICS nation is? Well, you’ll figure it out.”

A mistake like that would have caused days of headaches for Joe Biden, the oldest US president in history. While Mr Trump will break that record by serving his full four-year term, such is the volume of his presidency that his Spain slip was immediately lost in the noise.

The 78-year-old former Celebrity Apprentice host has long been able to harness media attention – from TV to TikTok – unlike any other politician. Steve Bannon, his on-again, off-again adviser, once famously described this strategy as to “flood the zone with shit”.

Trump signed 26 executive orders and dozens more memos, proclamations, and rules revoking his predecessor’s policies on his first day. Picture: AFP

When he was by Mr Trump’s side at the start of his first term, Mr Bannon saw this as “shock and awe”. This time around, watching from outside the White House, he observed an administration that was more organised, more deliberate, more ruthless and more unified.

“These days of thunder … are going to be incredibly, incredibly intense,” he told Politico.

So it was in Mr Trump’s first week back. Indeed, on his first day, he signed 26 executive orders and dozens more memos, proclamations, and rules revoking his predecessor’s policies. Eight years ago, Mr Trump signed just one executive order after he was sworn in.

Of course, scribbling in Sharpie is the easy part. The President’s team had two and a half months after his stunning election victory to frame this rush of action after his inauguration, knowing this week would also be the likely peak of Mr Trump’s popularity and power.

(That evidently emboldened him to pardon all the January 6 rioters, including those who attacked police officers during the invasion of the Capitol to stop the transfer of power four years ago. Just days after Vice President-elect JD Vance said they would “obviously” not pardon violent offenders, Mr Trump reportedly told his advisers: “F*** it. Release ‘em all.”)

The real challenge for the President is how he thrusts, blocks and parries with his sword, against opponents foreign and domestic who have had four years of seeing his moves.

Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States this week. Picture: AFP

There were still some gasps at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week when Mr Trump beamed in to tell Europe’s business and political elite: “If you don’t make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then, very simply, you will have to pay a tariff.”

The President is determined to raise huge sums of extra revenue from tariffs. But his trade threats are now more obviously understood as negotiating tactics, not definitive policy decisions. He has already delayed new tariffs he promised on China, Mexico and Canada.

Mr Trump also failed to deliver on his vow to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. Instead, he threatened Vladimir Putin with new tariffs and sanctions, telling him via social media: “It’s time to MAKE A DEAL.” Given Russia has already been hit with punishing sanctions and has little trade with the US, that is unlikely to be enough to produce peace.

In Washington DC, while Mr Trump’s Republicans control of both chambers of Congress, their razor-thin majorities mean clashing members of his own party also loom as roadblocks.

If the President wants to extend trillions of dollars in tax cuts, lift the nation’s debt ceiling, overhaul immigration laws, and generate enough electricity to halve household bills this year, then his Sharpie will only come in handy once Congress sends laws to the Resolute Desk.