ALEX BUCKNAM
Asst. News Editor
Donald Trump isn’t wasting any time getting acclimated to the White House for his second term.
President Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025, in the rotunda of the United States Capitol due to the cold temperatures Washington, D.C. was facing.
He is the second president to serve non-consecutive terms.
As of Jan. 31, he has issued approximately 43 executive orders, 12 memorandums and signed one bill into law.
One of the executive orders Trump signed pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Treaty. Another executive order resulted in the issuance of full pardons for 1,500 people who were charged in accordance with events that happened at the capital on Jan. 6, 2021 during the congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election results.
President Trump also asked the acting United States Attorney General not to enforce the TikTok ban for a total of 75 days and created a federal policy that the United States government would only recognize two sexes.
He declared two national emergencies: a national emergency on energy and a national emergency at the southern border.
President Trump withdrew from the World Health Organization, issued heads of government agencies to bring price relief to the U.S., removed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) positions from the federal government and put limitations on birthright citizenship.
The executive order that limits birthright states, “the privilege of United States citizenship does not automatically extend to persons born in the United States: 1) when that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth, or (2) when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States was lawful but temporary, and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth.”
This order only applies to people born after Feb. 19, 2025. This executive order is facing legal challenges with 21 state attorneys general suing Trump over the order. This order is also currently blocked by a federal judge.
The White House has additionally issued a few memoranda, including two that came from President Trump that halted federal hiring. The White House website states that this memo excludes “military personnel of the armed forces or positions related to immigration enforcement, national security or public safety.” It goes on to say, “Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Director of OPM [Office of Personnel Management] and the Administrator of the United States DOGE [Department of Governmental Efficiency] Service (USDS), shall submit a plan to reduce the size of the federal government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition.” This memo was signed on Jan. 20.
Another memo that came from President Trump called for the pause of all new or renewed leasing for wind energy on the Outer Continental Shelf. This pause only bans wind energy and does not affect oil, gas, minerals and environmental conservation.
Furthermore, a memo came from the Office of Management and Budget that paused federal grants and loans. This memo excluded grants and loans that provide direct benefits to individuals. The White House website released a question-and-answer statement that states the purpose of this memo was “expressly limited to programs, projects and activities implicated by the President’s Executive Orders, such as ending DEI, the Green New Deal and funding nongovernmental organizations that undermine the national interest.”
This freeze on federal grants and loans order now has its own timeline of events. The memo was sent out to government agencies stating that it would take effect on Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. Before it took effect, a federal judge issued a pause on the freeze for its potential violation of the Impound Control Act of 1974, which says that no president can withhold or pause any funding that was already placed by Congress. On Jan. 29, the White House rescinded the memo.
This memo also faced potential lawsuits from non-profit organizations and attorneys general from 21 states and the District of Columbia.
President Trump has also taken executive actions since his first day in office, including stating that the United States will not fund any gender-affirming care for people under the age of 19. The organizations affected by this action will include Medicaid and Medicare, which will take away their coverage for gender-affirming care.
Other executive actions taken by Trump include declassifying the assassination files of President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, issuing the start of building weapons capable of deflecting missiles, and stopping federal tax dollars from funding or promoting elective abortions. Elective abortions are defined as “abortions performed for reasons other than a direct, immediate threat to maternal physical health,” according to the National Library of Science.
President Trump reinstated service members who were discharged because of the COVID-19 mandate.
The president also signed the S5-Laken Riley Act, which requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain non-U.S. citizens who have been arrested, convicted or charged with theft, burglary, larceny or shoplifting.
President Trump redesigned the White House website: he took down the Constitution, a list of past presidents, and the reproductive rights and Office of Gun Violence Prevention portions of the site, and he removed Spanish language content.
He replaced all of this with pages to learn more about his executive actions, press briefings and cabinet members.
The Leader will provide updates within each issue as President Trump continues his presidency.
Article Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26480889
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/hiring-freeze
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/01/omb-q-a-regarding-memorandum-m-25-13
Graphic Sources:
https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/lock_1828471
https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/01/13/94/39/360_F_113943993_yb9aCkieoiOJCqcxaj7JovTXShs5CTf1.jpg
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Banner.jpg
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