President Donald Trump started his second administration with a blitz of policy actions to reorient the US government.
His executive orders cover issues that range from trade, immigration and US foreign aid to demographic diversity and civil rights.
Here is a comprehensive look at Mr Trump’s directives so far in his first three days.
Immigration and US borders
– Designate an “invasion across the southern border of the United States”, a move that triggers certain executive branch powers so, Mr Trump says, his Cabinet “shall take appropriate action to repel, repatriate or remove any alien engaged in the invasion”.
– Allow US military service members to act as immigration and border enforcement officers as part of Mr Trump’s promised mass deportation programme. Mr Trump’s order covers the Ready Reserve and National Guard, military property that could be used as detention space, ground and air transport vehicles and “other logistics services in support of civilian-controlled law enforcement operations”.
– Stop refugee arrivals and suspend the US Refugee Admission Programme effective January 27 2025, pending a 90-day review and recommendations from Homeland Security, the State Department and others.
– Redefine birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. A Trump order asserts that a child born in the US is not a citizen if 1) the mother does not have legal immigration status or is in the country legally but only temporarily and 2) the father is not a US citizen or lawful permanent resident.
– Prioritise continued construction of a wall and “other barriers” along the US-Mexico border.
– Direct the attorney general and Homeland Security secretary to create Homeland Security Task Forces in all 50 states, comprising of state and local law enforcement charged with “ending the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organisations”.
– Give the Homeland Security secretary wide latitude to establish agreements with individual state and local law enforcement agencies, “to the maximum extent permitted by law”, that empower those non-federal officials to act as federal immigration officers.
– Require collection of DNA samples and fingerprints from immigration detainees under a 2005 federal law.
– Forbid so-called “catch-and-release” – which allows some migrants to remain in the US while awaiting their immigration court proceedings – in favour of detention and deportation of anyone in the US illegally.
– Direct Homeland Security to immediately devote resources and secure contractors “to construct, operate, control, or use facilities to detain removable aliens”.
– End so-called “parole programmes” (often referred to as “family reunification”) that allow family members of certain citizens and permanent-resident immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to come to the US while their visa applications are still pending.
– Require a review of all cases for all immigrants now in the US under “Temporary Protected Status,” with the stated intent of “ensuring… that such designations are appropriately limited in scope” and last the minimum amount of time “necessary to fulfil the textual requirement” of federal law.
– Revert to vetting and screening standards used during Mr Trump’s first term for any person seeking a visa or “immigration benefit of any kind” and apply the standard visa vetting procedures to “any refugee or stateless individual” seeking admission.
– Repeal a Biden order requiring planning for the effects of climate change on world migration patterns.
– Direct the secretary of state and US diplomats effectively to threaten sanctions against any nation seen as reluctant to accept and facilitate the return of its citizens the US deports.
– Direct the State Department, Homeland Security and others to review and recommend changes to vetting for visas and produce a report to the president within 60 days.
– Direct the attorney general and others to deny federal money to “so-called ‘sanctuary’” cities the administration sees as interfering with federal immigration enforcement, with the caveat that the Trump administration pursues action “to the maximum extent possible under the law”.
– Pause distribution of federal money to non-governmental organisations “supporting or providing services, either directly or indirectly, to removable or illegal aliens” pending reviews and audits to identify any operations that may “promote or facilitate violations of our immigration laws”.
– Designate international cartels as “foreign terrorist organisations” or “specially designated global terrorists” under existing federal law. The order triggers the Alien Enemies Act to combat cartels and their members.
– Require, within 30 days, the attorney general, secretary of state and others to “evaluate the adequacy of programmes designed to ensure the proper assimilation of lawful immigrants into the United States, and recommend any additional measures… that promote a unified American identity.”
International trade, business and the economy
– Broadly direct all executive agencies to tailor their policies to reduce consumer prices.
– Direct the treasury and commerce secretaries, US trade representative and others to examine causes of US trade deficits, identify unfair trade practices and make recommendations, potentially including “a global supplemental tariff”.
– Begin review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Mr Trump’s first-administration rewrite of Nafta, with an eye to a renegotiation in 2026 or sooner. Mr Trump said he plans 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods as of February 1, but he has not signed such executive actions so far.
– Begin establishment of an “External Revenue Service to collect tariffs, duties and other foreign trade-related revenues”.
– Begin review of US trade dealings with China to consider new or increased tariffs. As a candidate, Mr Trump threatened Chinese tariffs as high as 60%.
– Order review of fentanyl flows into the US, specifically from Canada, Mexico and China, and make recommendations, including potential tariffs and sanctions.
– Direct the commerce and trade secretaries and the US trade representative to consolidate multiple reviews and assessments. Mr Trump ordered consolidated reports by April 1.
– Suspend US participation in the Global Tax Deal, an international agreement intended to set a minimum corporate tax globally to prevent multinational corporations from avoiding taxation altogether.
– Pause the US ban on TikTok for 75 days, specifically barring the attorney general from enforcing the law Congress passed in 2024 to allow the new administration to assess national security concerns and seek a potential American buyer for the popular digital platform.
– Bar US government officials from pushing social media companies to combat misinformation and disinformation. Mr Trump’s order states that such previous efforts “infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens” and “advanced the Government’s preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate”.
Climate, energy and the environment
– Withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement, which committed nations to pursue policies limiting carbon emissions that cause climate change. The order blocks transfer of US funds previously obligated to the International Climate Finance Plan.
– Declare a “national energy emergency”.
– Compel the Army Corps of Engineers to use “to the fullest extent possible” its emergency permitting provisions to speed energy projects and urge all agencies to use similar emergency procedures that expedite or bypass permitting processes under the Endangered Species Act or other federal laws that protect wildlife.
– Eliminate Biden policies intended to encourage electrical vehicle development and purchases — part of Mr Trump’s effort to limit non-fossil fuel energy sectors.
– Require all agencies within 30 days to submit to the White House Office of Management and Budget their plans to eliminate regulations and rules deemed “burdensome” to domestic energy production and consumption, “with particular attention to oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, biofuels, critical mineral, and nuclear energy”.
– Repeal multiple Biden orders and memoranda regarding climate change, including guidelines for implementing climate-related provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022; an effort to assess financial risks of not combating climate change; and establishment of a President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology.
– Streamline other fossil fuel extraction in Alaska with a command to “rescind, revoke, revise, amend, defer or grant exemptions from any and all” regulatory actions relevant in the state. Specifically, Mr Trump is restoring any suspended fossil fuel leases within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
– Deny a pending US Fish and Wildlife Service request to create an indigenous sacred site within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
– Restore first Trump administration rules on hunting and trapping in national preserves in Alaska. Order the Interior Department to align federal rules on hunting and fishing in Alaska with rules for state-government lands.
– Roll back other Biden era limits or regulations on fossil fuel extraction on federal lands.
– Make the Offshore Continental Shelf ineligible for wind energy leases — another limitation on non-fossil fuel development.
– Reengage a legal and regulatory battle with California state government over water routes from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Mr Trump wants to override fish and wildlife protection efforts to route more of the water to the Central Valley and Southern California.
Diversity, transgender rights and civil rights
– Give executive branch departments and agencies 60 days to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programmes, including all “chief diversity officer” jobs, “equity action plans” and “environmental justice” positions. Require departments and agencies to give the White House Office of Management and Budget an accounting of previous DEI efforts, including names of relevant DEI contractors and DEI grant recipients.
– A separate OMB memo effectively put all federal DEI officers on immediate leave pending their elimination.
– Repeal several Biden era directives on racial and ethnic equity and LGBTQ rights. They included orders intending to ensure equitable distribution of federal money based on the 2020 census; preventing government discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation and specifically encouraging inclusion in school settings; White House educational initiatives for Native Americans, Hispanics and Black Americans; and an order expressly allowing transgender persons to serve in the military.
– Require that the US government recognise two genders only – male and female – on passports, visas, Global Entry cards and all other forms and documents, and in all programmes and communications.
– Mandate that all federal civil rights law and labour law be interpreted and enforced with the understanding that “sex” is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of “gender identity”.
– Dissolve the White House Gender Policy Council and repeal Department of Education guidelines on Title IX concerning transgender rights and various documents advising schools on how to support and protect LGBTQ persons.
– Forbid federal money, including grants, from being used to “promote gender ideology” and direct the attorney general and Homeland Security secretary to “ensure that males are not detained in women’s prisons or housed in women’s detention centres.”
Federal workers and government structure
– Establish the Department of Government Efficiency under the Executive Office of the President until July 4 2026. This is the entity led by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, and is charged with recommending cuts in federal programmes and spending.
– Require each agency head to establish their own DOGE team of at least four people to work with Mr Musk’s operation.
– Freeze federal hiring, with exceptions – notably immigration and border enforcement posts and US military jobs, plus a generic exception for to “maintain essential services”.
– Block new federal rules and regulations in all agencies where Mr Trump’s appointed agency chief is not yet on the job to approve new edicts. The White House Office of Budget and Management can override the ban in emergency situations.
– Require all federal workers to return full-time to in-person work.
– Direct reviews across the Executive Branch of “career senior executive service” officials and effectively make it easier to fire, demote or reassign those federal employees — generally the highest-ranking civil service employees whose jobs historically have been protected through administration changes.
– Make it easier to fire federal workers by reinstituting an executive order from the first Trump administration, which was later repealed under Mr Biden.
– Require a “Federal Hiring Plan” within 120 days to set new standards for hiring federal workers. The order prioritises “recruitment of individuals… passionate about the ideals of our American republic” and preventing “the hiring of individuals based on their race, sex or religion”, while also blocking those “who are unwilling to defend the Constitution or to faithfully serve in the Executive Branch”.
– Formally nominate Cabinet and sub-Cabinet officers and name many acting Cabinet officers, agency chiefs and commission chairs as Trump nominees await Senate confirmation.
Healthcare
– Repeal Biden directives intended to make it easier to enrol in Medicaid services, secure insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act and lower prescription drug costs.
– Repeal multiple Biden orders and directives on Covid-19.
– Withdraw the US from the World Health Organisation, direct the White House Office of Management and Budget to stop future transfers of US money to Who and order the secretary of state to end negotiations on the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
– Order the secretary of state and OMB director to identify “credible and transparent United States and international partners” to replace the US relationship with Who.
Foreign policy, national security and America First
– Cancel Biden-era sanctions on far-right Israeli groups and individuals accused of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Mr Biden’s order had frozen US assets and barred Americans from dealing with Israelis covered by his order.
– Direct Secretary of State Marco Rubio to issue guidance to put all State Department “politics, programmes, personnel and operations in line with an America First foreign policy, which puts America and its interests first”.
– Define the membership and establish operating procedures for the National Security Council.
– Pause all US foreign development aid pending reviews of “efficiencies and consistency” with administration aims, to be conducted within 90 days by relevant agency heads “under guidelines” from Mr Rubio.
– Immediately grant six-month security clearances to certain administration officials whose background checks are pending. The White House counsel determines which aides get the temporary clearance.
Nationalism
– Restore the name of Mount McKinley in Alaska. The change for North America’s tallest peak recognises William McKinley, the 25th US president, whom Trump has praised for economic leadership and expanding US territory through the Spanish-American War. President Barack Obama had in 2015 renamed the mountain Denali – what native tribes called it historically. Mr Trump’s order did not change the name of the surrounding Denali National Park and Reserve.
– Require Mr Trump’s personal approval of new architectural and design standards for federal buildings so the president can ensure federal structures “respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States”.
– Order that US flags always be flown at full-mast on Inauguration Day. The immediate effect was to countermand Mr Biden’s traditional 30-day order lowering flags as a mourning tribute to former President Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29.
Death penalty and crime
– Direct the attorney general to explore whether 37 federal prisoners who had death sentences commuted to life imprisonment by Mr Biden can be charged and tried with capital crimes in state courts.
– Direct the attorney general to “take all necessary and lawful action” to supply states with adequate drugs to carry out lethal injection.
– Direct the attorney general to seek reversals of US Supreme Court precedents that limit application of the death penalty in state and federal jurisdictions.
– In a symbolic gesture, direct the attorney general to “encourage state attorneys general and district attorneys” to pursue the death penalty in all possible cases.
The Capitol riot and 2020 campaign redux
– Commute the sentences and grant full pardons to hundreds of individuals convicted or still being prosecuted for their roles in the January 6 2021 attacks on the US Capitol as Congress convened to certify Mr Biden’s victory over Mr Trump in the 2020 election.
– Order the attorney general and others to review all agencies’ investigative and enforcement actions during Mr Biden’s tenure to identify what Mr Trump describes as “weaponisation of the federal government” against his supporters.
– Direct the attorney general to investigate US government dealings with social media platforms during Mr Biden’s tenure and make “recommendations for appropriate remedial actions” in response to what Mr Trump frames as censorship efforts.
– Revoke the security clearances of 50 people Mr Trump accuses of aiding Mr Biden’s 2020 campaign via their collective public statement about a laptop that belonged to Mr Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. The list includes former top intelligence officials James Clapper, Michael Hayden and Leon Panetta, along with Mr Trump’s onetime national security adviser John Bolton.
– Direct the director of national intelligence and CIA director to submit a report within 90 days with recommendations for additional “disciplinary action” and how to “prevent the Intelligence Community or anyone who works for or within it from inappropriately influencing domestic elections”.
