Donald Trump’s First Orders of Business: Immigration, Gender, Drilling, and J6 Pardons

Newly minted President Donald Trump signed several sweeping executive orders on Monday evening, including dropping out of the Paris climate agreement, requiring all federal workers to go back to in-person work, and rolling back dozens of Biden-era initiatives.

Joined by his and Vice President JD Vance’s families on the Capital One Arena stage, Trump assured convicted January 6 rioters, who he refers to as “hostages,” that he would sign pardons for them later that evening. The president is expected to continue signing executive orders Monday night and in the coming days targeting immigration, transgender people’s rights, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures.

When signing the executive orders on stage, Trump pulled down the mic and said: “Could you imagine Biden doing this? I don’t think so!” Trump’s choice of having this initial signing ceremony in a sports arena rather than, say, the Oval Office, reflects the theatrical flair he has cultivated in politics since his infamous escalator ride nearly a decade ago. The gathering resembled a political rally, with MAGA icons like billionaire Elon Musk taking the stage ahead of Trump, who ran through familiar grievances and grudges with perceived enemies.

“Did everybody hear my speech?” Trump asked the arena crowd. Did you like my speech?” They cheered.

Hours earlier, standing in the United States Capitol rotunda, a just-sworn in Trump detailed what his first moves as president would be. From a blunt crackdown on immigration to a regressive understanding of gender, Trump outlined a conservative reshaping of American life—one that could pose particular harm to undocumented immigrants, transgender people, and women.

During that inaugural address, Trump pledged to declare a national emergency at the Southern border, announced he would designate cartels as terrorist groups, and rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. As for his energy policy, Trump vowed to “drill baby drill.” The president also claimed he would bring free speech, as he defines it, back to the US; spoke of putting an American flag on Mars; promised to take dominion over the Panama Canal; and exclaimed that the US would only recognize two genders. The president also, after railing against his political enemies and demonizing immigrants, said he hopes he is remembered as a “peacemaker” and a “unifier.”

While Trump’s supporters in attendance roared with applause, former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George Bush, however, sat sternly. Kamala Harris, Douglas Emhoff, Jill Biden, Laura Bush, and Hillary Clinton also sat behind the new president, rarely clapping. (They all stood and clapped when Trump spoke of hostages being released following the recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.)

Here’s some of what his administration has already enacted and what they plan to do in the days to come:

Immigration

Minutes after Trump took office, his administration shut down the Customs and Border Protection mobile app CBP One, which aids migrants in making appointments at the US-Mexico border. In doing so, they canceled all outstanding appointments made by migrants without visas hoping to enter legally.