What Trump can – and can’t – do on day one of his presidency
The wheels are now in motion to help Donald Trump act on an ambitious ‘day one’ agenda involving a range of policy and personnel shake-ups, such as mass deportations and the firing of generals. Here’s how he’ll spend his first day in office.
The wheels are now in motion to help President-elect Donald Trump act on an ambitious “day one” agenda involving a range of policy and personnel shake-ups, such as mass deportations and the firing of generals.
Transition staff, and the handful of outside policy shops that have been offering their input, are helping to craft executive orders that would implement some of his proposals. Transition personnel are also working to incorporate his vision for various agencies in their planning efforts.
Here are some of Trump’s campaign promises for how he will spend his first day in office:
Immigration
Trump has vowed to implement “the largest deportation program in American history” as soon as he takes office. Although such a massive logistical feat would likely take longer to carry out, officials familiar with his planning said it is likely he will sign a pre-drafted executive order when he takes office ordering the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies to deport undocumented migrants.
Much of Trump’s day one agenda will revolve around his efforts to reverse many of the Biden-era immigration policies and pass some of his own to reassert his zero-tolerance policies. One of his top advisers, Jason Miller, recently told NBC News that Trump can “simply flip the switch” and put his old immigration policies back in place, adding, “They didn’t need an act of Congress.”
Trump has said he would reimplement on day one his “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to stay in Mexico until their cases are processed by U.S. immigration courts. He has also said he would resume construction of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border – something he repeatedly criticised the Biden administration for failing to continue.
Trump has also said he would use executive action on his first day in office to put a stop to granting birthright citizenship to children born to anyone who entered the US illegally. This is likely to face legal challenges.
Dictator on ‘day one’
Trump made the bold but vague statement that he would be a dictator only on “day one” of his presidency. He explained to Fox News’ Sean Hannity that “I want to close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill.”
Firing Jack Smith and pardoning Jan. 6 offenders
Trump has said he plans to quickly fire special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the federal case against Trump in Washington, over his efforts to subvert the 2020 election and remain in power.
Smith has begun conversations with the Justice Department about federal criminal cases pending against Trump. He hasn’t sought to freeze his other prosecution related to Trump’s mishandling of classified documents and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them from his Florida beach resort.
Trump also vowed to pardon many of the 1,000 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol once he returns to the White House. He has called the people facing charges hostages and political prisoners.
Climate
Trump has said that he will sign an executive order once again withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, the international treaty which implements the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. President Biden on his first day in office had brought the U.S. back into the Obama-era accord after Trump had pulled out of it in 2019.
Officials close to Trump said the order has been drafted and will be ready for Trump to sign on his first day in office.
Foreign policy
Trump has vowed to take several measures aimed at putting what he sees as America’s interests first and has vowed to end conflicts around the world, including in Ukraine and the Middle East, before he takes office. Among them, he has said he would give priority to American national security and economic interests at home over paying billions to support allies abroad, and would impose steep tariffs on imports to stimulate domestic job creation.
Trump may have luck encouraging Ukraine, which has been losing ground, to the negotiating table, but Russia’s Vladimir Putin – as well as Hamas and Israel – have shown no signs they want to end the fighting in their respective conflicts.
Trump has also said that he would demand the resignation of any general involved in the US withdrawal from Afghanistan by “noon on Inauguration Day.”
Transgender student protections
In April, the Biden administration unveiled a final set of changes to Title IX to cover discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time. Trump has vowed to revoke such protections for transgender students the day he takes office.
Dow Jones
