Potential Actions by Donald Trump Upon Assuming Office

Donald Trump and the Republican Party, holding an ambitious agenda and control of the US Congress, are preparing for a swift start. Mr. Trump has stated his intention to “make heads spin” as he moves forward rapidly after his inauguration on 20 January. His team has indicated that a series of executive orders – directives from the US president – are expected from the Oval Office within the first week. Policy experts and legal professionals are currently drafting these orders as part of the administration’s transition. Nevertheless, advocacy groups and Democratic state governors have pledged to challenge at least some of these proposed plans. Here is an overview of the president-elect’s stated priorities for his second term. Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, informed Fox News on Sunday that “we know he promised to sign an executive order to secure the southern border.” She further stated, “We know that on day one he is going to launch the largest mass deportation of illegal immigrants in American history.” In the week since his re-election, Mr. Trump has focused on filling key leadership positions related to immigration, suggesting an early focus on his border policy plans. He appointed veteran immigration official Tom Homan as his “border tsar”; selected South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to oversee homeland security; and named Steven Miller as White House deputy chief of staff for policy. Mr. Miller is recognized for his role in shaping some of Mr. Trump’s most restrictive policies on illegal immigration during his first term. Any mass deportation program could face both logistical challenges and numerous legal objections from immigration and human rights activists. Mr. Trump could also reinstate his “Remain in Mexico” policy, which required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims were processed. President Joe Biden had labeled the program “inhumane” and attempted to terminate it on his first day in office, but encountered legal obstacles. In 2022, the Supreme Court allowed him to proceed with its termination. During the Trump administration, approximately 70,000 asylum seekers were returned to Mexico to await their hearings. Another commitment for his first day was to abolish birthright citizenship – the 150-year-old principle asserting that individuals born on US territory are American citizens. “We’re going to end that because it’s ridiculous,” Mr. Trump told NBC News anchor Kristen Welker on Meet the Press in December. However, the method by which Mr. Trump intends to implement this policy remains uncertain. While he has pledged an executive order, birthright citizenship is explicitly guaranteed by the US Constitution, implying that its alteration can only occur under specific circumstances. Such a change would necessitate either states agreeing to a national convention or a two-thirds vote in favor within the closely divided Congress to propose an amendment, followed by approval from three-fourths of state legislatures, with Republicans currently holding control of slightly more than half. Although Mr. Trump did not mention pardons in his victory speech, he has long indicated that granting pardons to individuals convicted of storming the Capitol in 2021 would be a priority. When questioned by Ms. Welker on Meet the Press, Mr. Trump stated he “most likely” would issue pardons. He remarked, “I’ll do it very quickly,” characterizing the convictions as “unfair.” US presidents possess broad authority to pardon individuals found guilty of federal offenses or to commute their prison sentences. Prosecutors could also opt to dismiss ongoing cases contingent on whom Mr. Trump might decide to pardon. The specific individuals who might receive pardons remain less defined. Mr. Trump once informed CNN, “I am inclined to pardon many of them. I can’t say for every single one, because a couple of them, probably they got out of control.” Ms. Leavitt informed the Washington Post that he will make decisions “on a case-by-case basis when he is back in the White House.” Over 1,500 individuals were apprehended in relation to the Capitol riot. Federal data indicates that more than 750 of these individuals were sentenced for offenses spanning from trespassing to assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy. Mr. Trump has also encountered his own legal difficulties concerning his conduct after the 2020 election and a distinct case involving classified documents. Special Counsel Jack Smith, an experienced prosecutor tasked with supervising the US Department of Justice’s inquiries into Mr. Trump, brought charges, to which the president-elect has entered a plea of not guilty. This week, sources informed CBS News that Mr. Smith intends to resign prior to Mr. Trump assuming office, thereby circumventing Mr. Trump’s pledges to dismiss him. The BBC’s US media partner additionally reported that Mr. Smith’s office would conclude the two cases it was prosecuting against Mr. Trump. The question of whether Mr. Trump and his allies will still seek to penalize Mr. Smith is unresolved. Congressional Republicans have reportedly suggested their intention to scrutinize his activities. Billionaire and Trump supporter Elon Musk stated on social media, “Jack Smith’s abuse of the justice system cannot go unpunished.” Mr. Trump frequently criticized the special counsel in interviews and online, referring to him as a “crooked person,” a “scoundrel,” and employing other disparaging terms. The legal proceedings initiated by Mr. Smith were already facing an ambiguous outlook. In July, the Supreme Court determined that presidents possess partial immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken while in office, thereby weakening Mr. Smith’s efforts. Mr. Trump’s election victory also grants him the authority to pardon himself for any federal offenses, although no president has previously exercised this power. During his 2016 campaign, Mr. Trump prioritized withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. Within half a year of assuming office, the United States initiated its departure from the significant accord. President Joe Biden made rejoining the agreement a primary objective during his 2020 campaign against Mr. Trump. Mr. Biden signed a letter on his first day in office requesting the US’s readmission. How Mr. Trump will act in his second term remains to be seen; media reports indicate that his team is drafting orders for another withdrawal upon his January inauguration. Exiting the agreement would release the US from obligations to achieve specified carbon emissions reductions. Among other objectives conflicting with the Paris standards, Mr. Trump has expressed a desire to emphasize US oil and gas production. He pledged to swiftly accelerate permitting and fracking, stating to Fox News host Sean Hannity last year, “We’re drilling, drilling, drilling.” Mr. Trump has also voiced criticism of the Biden administration’s initiatives to expand wind energy and boost electric car manufacturing, which could become early targets for his new administration. During his campaign, Mr. Trump asserted he could conclude the conflict in Ukraine “in a day.” He has also consistently criticized the US government’s ongoing assistance to Ukraine, portraying the war as a depletion of resources. He has not yet provided precise details on how he would broker an end to the war, beyond indicating he would facilitate an agreement between the two nations. Following his re-election, Mr. Trump engaged in a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, lasting “about half an hour,” which also included billionaire Elon Musk. A source informed the BBC that “it was not really a conversation to talk about very substantial things.” The Kremlin refuted claims that Mr. Trump had a call with Vladimir Putin, despite media outlets reporting that Mr. Trump cautioned the Russian president against intensifying the conflict in Ukraine. The economy was a central theme of Mr. Trump’s campaign, with a pledge to halt inflation immediately upon assuming office. Mr. Trump has stated, “We will target everything from car affordability to housing affordability to insurance costs to supply chain issues.” He added, “I will instruct my cabinet that I expect results within the first 100 days, or much sooner than that.” He indicated his intention to sign an executive order mandating that every cabinet secretary and agency head “use every tool and authority at their disposal” to combat inflation and reduce consumer prices. Mr. Trump’s economic strategy involves implementing tariffs on imported products, particularly those originating from China, asserting that such taxes would preserve manufacturing employment within the US. The Republican stated on Meet the Press, “I’m a big believer in tariffs. I think tariffs are the most beautiful word. I think they’re beautiful. It’s going to make us rich.” The full scope of these tariffs remains undefined, but Mr. Trump has suggested the possibility of at least a 10% universal tariff on imported goods, alongside a 60% import tax on items from China. He further committed to applying tariffs to Canada and Mexico. He has stated, “I’m going to inform (the Mexican president) on Day 1 or sooner that if they don’t stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I’m going to immediately impose a 25% tariff on everything they send into the US.” In December, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau undertook a last-minute visit to Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago, reportedly aiming to avert what would be a severe tax on Canadian products. These tariffs would likely not require congressional endorsement. Mr. Trump previously implemented tariffs during his initial term, referencing Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which grants a president the authority to levy duties on goods potentially impacting US national security. A further pledge, according to Mr. Trump, is to “end the Biden-Harris war on American energy,” promising to increase oil drilling and fracking to reduce consumer energy costs. Mr. Trump could achieve this through an executive order that reverses environmental safeguards, thereby enabling him to stop clean energy initiatives and eliminate climate objectives established by the Biden administration. The president-elect has additionally committed to dismissing Gary Gensler, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, on his first day. Mr. Gensler, an appointee of President Biden, advocated for climate disclosure regulations and rigorous oversight of the cryptocurrency market. Mr. Trump has endorsed cryptocurrency, and his election coincided with a 30% increase in Bitcoin’s value within a week, driven by anticipation of a more crypto-favorable administration. Donald Trump has pledged to reverse the modifications enacted by President Biden concerning Title X, the sole national, federally-funded family planning program in the country. In 2019, during his initial term, Mr. Trump’s administration instituted a new regulation that forbade any health provider within the Title X network from discussing abortion with patients, even if patients themselves inquired about it. This alteration effectively diverted tens of millions of dollars from organizations like Planned Parenthood that provide or refer patients for abortion services. However, mere months later, upon assuming office, President Biden rescinded that policy. It is now anticipated that Mr. Trump will once again modify these regulations.