The United States is already different from what it was a week ago, before President Trump’s inauguration for his second term.
The government has repealed numerous climate change initiatives and designated additional land for hydrocarbon drilling.
The government now acknowledges only two “immutable” genders: male and female.
Migrants, who are now referred to as “aliens,” are being deported at the border, and immigration agents have been granted unrestricted access to hospitals, schools, and churches to locate individuals for deportation.
Trump has declared that tariffs on a large scale will be implemented on February 1, but nations worldwide are currently in the process of preparing for this.
The federal government has dismantled diversity initiatives and turned employees into informants.
Federal funds will no longer reimburse abortions performed abroad.
Mount McKinley will be renamed Mount Denali, and the Gulf of Mexico is now referred to as the Gulf of America (at least according to the U.S. government).
As part of Trump’s pledge to purge the government of individuals whom he regards as disloyal to the “deep state,” career officials from various government agencies have been terminated.
Trump has denied security clearances and protections to people he views as political adversaries.
Even as Trump reversed his predecessor’s efforts to establish safeguards around artificial intelligence development, TikTok has been granted a reprieve from being compelled to shut down.
Federal hiring and new regulations are currently on hold.
The sentences of more than 1,500 individuals who were convicted of offenses related to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, have been commuted or pardoned, including those who assaulted police officers.
These are some of the most consequential policy modifications that Trump has implemented.
Immigration
Immigration, which has been a prominent aspect of the president’s political identity for a long time, garnered the most attention during his inaugural week and from his new administration. Throughout the 2024 campaign, he pledged to implement significant changes to immigration policy.
Trump issued more than a dozen executive orders concerning immigration, which encompassed a variety of policy changes. These orders were based on the premise that the United States is being invaded by dangerous immigrants who are crossing the Mexican border. The most aggressive changes, such as the addition of new powers to deny asylum seekers entry, are designated for “aliens participating in the invasion.”
Prohibiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from conducting investigations in churches, schools, and hospitals, Trump promptly reversed these policies.
He blocked the entry of thousands of refugees who had already been granted permission to enter the United States. He also began the process of deporting one million individuals who former President Biden had permitted to enter on a temporary but legal basis. Furthermore, he fulfilled his long-standing commitment to attempt to abolish birthright citizenship, an order that was promptly blocked by a federal judge who deemed it to be blatantly unconstitutional.
In addition, Trump has instructed federal law enforcement to investigate and potentially prosecute local officials in cities and states that impede federal deportation efforts. He has also directed agencies to withhold funds from so-called sanctuary cities, where officials refuse to cooperate with federal immigration agents.
Energy and Climate
Trump issued half a dozen executive orders concerning energy, to reverse federal efforts to address climate change, restrict renewable energy, and expand the use of fossil fuels.
He withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, dismantled numerous initiatives that were designed to mitigate the risks of global warming, and implemented plans to permit oil extraction in vast regions of Alaska. Additionally, he ordered a nationwide moratorium on federal permits for wind farms.
Realizing the impact of numerous Trump promises to “unleash” American energy—which includes all energy sources except wind and solar—will take time.
He directed agencies to simplify pipeline and mining permits and to reduce regulations that promote electric vehicles (despite the fact that the legally required process of revising federal regulations could take years and must withstand legal challenges).
Other actions may be primarily symbolic. Trump declared an “energy emergency” and asserted that he had the authority to expedite the construction of power plants. Legal experts, however, maintain that the government’s emergency powers are often quite limited.
It is still uncertain how significantly Trump can alter the nation’s energy landscape. Numerous oil and gas companies are hesitant to significantly increase production, which is already at record levels, as it could result in a decrease in prices and profits. At the same time, the wind industry, which is a frequent target of Trump, is preparing to resist, and some companies have already postponed or canceled new investments.
Tariffs and Trade
Previously, Trump had announced on social media that he would impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods on his first day in office. He accused these countries of not doing enough to halt the flow of drugs and migrants into the US. Instead, he issued an executive order mandating that various agencies submit a comprehensive list of trade issues by April 1.
Some business organizations expressed relief; however, it was fleeting. On January 20, Trump informed reporters that he intended to implement a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico commencing February 1.
He then declared on January 21 that he would impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods by the same date.
The implementation of these tariffs remains uncertain. However, even if they are not, Trump will have numerous opportunities in the upcoming months to fulfill his campaign pledge to impose comprehensive tariffs on foreign goods, such as a universal tariff on most imports and high tariffs on China, which could potentially be used to finance tax cuts.
Rights of Transgender and Gender Identity
Trump’s executive order, which was intended to safeguard women from “gender ideological extremism,” effectively mandated that the government recognize only two “immutable” genders: male and female.
President Trump reversed Biden’s efforts to ensure that intersex and transgender individuals, among others, could self-identify in their interactions with the government by declaring that a person’s sex must be their permanent gender identity. Additionally, he disregarded the widely accepted medical understanding that organizations like the American Medical Association hold.
The order has already resulted in administrative modifications. The State Department has eliminated the “unspecified or other gender identity” category from passport applications. Additionally, it mandates that agencies remove any references to non-binary gender identities from official documents and memos.
The order clearly disagreed with how the Biden administration interpreted a Supreme Court decision that had been the basis for protecting transgender students in 2024. In particular, agencies have been strongly told to “protect men and women as biologically distinct sexes” by keeping single-sex spaces like prisons and women’s shelters open, which transgender women will not be able to enter.
Inclusion, equity, and diversity.
Trump declared in his inaugural address that he would establish a “society free from distinctions based on skin color” and “based on merit.” So, he told federal agencies to get rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideas right away from all federal government policies, programs, and practices, as well as from protecting the civil rights of government contractors.
He revoked executive orders that were issued by Biden to ensure equality for women, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native Americans, as well as individuals with disabilities.
Trump subsequently issued an executive order entitled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferences,” which halts all federal agency work that is intended to eradicate systemic racism, misogyny, and other forms of inequality.
The order mandated the immediate dismissal of all employees involved in DEI initiatives and the suspension of offices dedicated to DEI work across all government agencies. The order placed the employees on administrative leave and scheduled their termination in February.
To identify any “masked” DEI initiatives, federal employees were instructed to report any colleagues who were attempting to circumvent the order to a newly established email address. According to emails sent by all agency heads, those who were aware of such activities but failed to report them within 10 days would be subject to “adverse consequences.”
In addition, Trump revoked an executive order from the civil rights era, which was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 and prohibited discrimination in government contracting. This order was considered the cornerstone of the federal government’s dedication to affirmative action.
Artificial Intelligence and Technology
Trump announced on January 21 the establishment of a joint venture between Oracle, SoftBank, and OpenAI to build a computing infrastructure valued at a minimum of $100 billion to facilitate artificial intelligence.
The three companies intend to contribute funds to the Stargate venture, which will be open to other investors and will commence with 10 data centers that are currently under construction in Texas. Stargate is a significant investment by tech companies in American data centers, which are massive buildings that contain servers that provide computing power. The venture has the potential to invest up to $500 billion over four years.
The joint venture announcement was an early victory for Trump, despite the fact that the efforts to establish the venture had already begun before his January 20 inauguration. Trump had pledged to expedite American AI production to compete with China for global leadership in the technology. On January 21, he revoked an executive order issued by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., which imposed safety standards and other requirements on the use of AI in government.
Trump declared during a press conference on January 21 that he would remove obstacles to the building of additional data centers. He also declared that he would issue “emergency declarations” to enable Stargate to generate its own electricity, although he did not provide further details.
From the Roosevelt Room in the White House, Trump said this monumental endeavor is a daring statement of confidence in America’s potential.
Trump revoked Biden’s 2023 executive order, which established limits around artificial intelligence, shortly after taking office. On January 23, Trump issued an executive order that directed his staff to develop a plan to implement policies that “support and enhance America’s global dominance in artificial intelligence.”
Additionally, Trump issued an executive order that established a task force to formulate policy proposals concerning cryptocurrency, an industry in which he has personal investments.
In 2024, Congress passed a law mandating that ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, sell the app or face a ban from app stores and cloud providers. The Supreme Court upheld the law in January 2025, prompting Trump to intervene in the debate over the app’s future. Officials in Washington are concerned that the video app could pose a national security threat.
On January 19, the eve of the inauguration, the ban came into effect. However, on January 20, Trump directed the Department of Justice to refrain from enforcing the law for 75 days. He also instructed companies such as Apple, Google, and cloud provider Oracle that they are not responsible for the app’s distribution and support during this time. The app is currently operational in the United States, but it is not available in the Apple and Google app stores.
Medicine and Health
Trump withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) hours after taking the oath of office, a decision he had made in the final year of his first term during the coronavirus pandemic. Biden prevented the withdrawal from taking effect on his first day in office four years ago.
In the first week of his second term, Trump, as in 2020, accused the World Health Organization of an ineffective pandemic response and claimed that it had demanded “unfairly burdensome payments,” while China paid less than the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is widely regarded as the world’s foremost infectious disease agency, will no longer have access to global data provided by the WHO as a result of the withdrawal. Additionally, the withdrawal will deprive the WHO of a crucial funding source it relies on to support public health programs in other countries.
In addition, Trump revoked a healthcare executive order on his first day in office, which encouraged federal agencies to increase the availability of coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces and Medicaid, the joint federal-state insurance program for low-income Americans.
Additionally, the Department of Health under Trump directed its officials to refrain from publishing reports on avian flu outbreaks and from engaging in public communications. Additionally, health advisory group meetings were canceled.
Federal Workforce
Trump issued an executive order that simplifies the process of terminating federal employees by subjecting them to the regulations that govern political appointees, who have significantly fewer due process rights. Additionally, he issued a memo that confirmed his authority to terminate several thousand members of the Senior Executive Service, the highest-ranking bureaucrats in the government. The administration has already initiated the process of terminating some of these individuals.
Other directives instructed agencies to mandate the full-time return of employees to the office as soon as possible. This has led to some federal employees seeking employment outside of the government. Additionally, agencies were instructed to include employees who are still on probation, which typically lasts for one or two years, depending on the position or employee category, in their lists.
The directive also indicated that employees could be terminated during their probationary period “without invoking appeal rights,” which may indicate that the administration intends to reduce the size of the civil service by dismissing a significant number of newly hired employees. Additionally, Trump implemented a 90-day hiring freeze, which required agencies to rescind job offers to candidates whose start dates were approaching.
On January 20, the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents approximately 90,000 active members in dozens of agencies, filed a lawsuit in federal court to contest the executive order that simplifies the process of terminating federal employees. Other unions continue to examine the flurry of directives and memos to ascertain the precise implications.
Initial Economic and Foreign Policy Statements
On January 23, Donald Trump provided a more comprehensive video address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, outlining his economic policy.
The most significant points of Trump’s Davos address include:
- He informed the audience that companies must manufacture their products in the United States or else they will be subject to tariffs.
- Trump reiterated his call for NATO countries to increase defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP). He observed that many countries had not met the 2% GDP target until he challenged them during his first term, stating, “They were only at 2%, and most countries weren’t paying until I came along. “I insisted they pay, and they did because the United States was paying the difference at the time.”
- He stated that the United States would begin to “demand respect from other countries,” specifically mentioning Canada and the European Union. He suggested that Canada could “become a state” of the United States as a means of reducing the US trade deficit with Canada. “We don’t need their cars, and we don’t need their lumber.” In terms of the EU, he believed that the bloc had treated the US “very, very unfairly.” “They don’t take our agricultural products, and they don’t take our cars. But they send us millions of cars,” he stated.
- He urged Saudi Arabia and the OPEC oil cartel to reduce oil prices, asserting that this would resolve the conflict in Ukraine. “They should have done it in the past.” “They should have done it long ago. They are, in fact, somewhat responsible for what’s happening,” he said. Oil prices dropped sharply following Trump’s speech.
- Trump stated that the United States must double its energy production, in part to power artificial intelligence. He also pledged to expedite the approval process for new power plants that companies could locate near their factories, a practice that is currently prohibited by regulations. However, his suggestion that companies could use any energy source as a backup, including coal—”good, clean coal,” raised concerns.
Trump expressed his desire for “fair relations” with China over the next four years, as well as a “level playing field.” He expressed his optimism for the establishment of “very good relations with China and understanding with China” during his presidency. He also expressed his hope that Beijing would assist the United States in ending the conflict in Ukraine, stating that “they have a lot of power over this situation.”