Trump’s First Day at Work

It was not unexpected. Within hours of being sworn in as the 47^th President of the US, Donald Trump began work with a bang. Unlike his first term, which was quite disorganised, he came prepared for his second one. One the first day at work Trump signed 78 executive orders. Most of these were anticipated even if their effects will be far reaching on the US and the world. Among others, these include:

1)     Closing the US Southern border to prevent illegal migration. Trump also declared a national emergency at the Southern border by a separate order.

2)     Ending birth-right citizenship.

3)     Withdrawing the US from the World Health Organisation.

4)     Pardoning of individuals who had participated in the 6^th January, 2021, riots in the wake of Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election. These individuals were later tried and jailed for the offense.

5)     Withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation.

6)     One order, simply titled “Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the Federal Government.” This was one of the most divisive ideological issues confronted by the US in recent years. “Gender fluidity” had led to a profusion of “genders” to the point where even talking about biological sex was considered heresy.

7)     Putting an end to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes in the US. DEI, originally thought to be a step beyond affirmative action, had turned into an ideological prop that affected virtually every aspect of American life.

8)     A host of orders on federal government personnel including those on accountability on part of an officialdom that had turned ideological in recent years.

Trump has hinted at tariffs as his policy tool of choice but has not, so far, put any in place. Chances that US’ immediate neighbours—Canada and Mexico—will face heat on this front are very real.

This is just the start of a new, and very different, world from the one that has existed since 1991 when the US won the Cold War. That period is now at an end, formally. The consequences will unfold in the coming years.

About The Author

Siddharth Singh

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