For the first time in 132 years and the second time in the history of the US, Donald Trump has been elected to two non-consecutive terms as president. The 2024 electorate saw all 50 states shift rightwards, indicating the effective rhetoric of Republicans on the issues of economic policy, immigration, and crime that Democrats largely glossed over. Following on these promises and principles, Trump has spent his first week back in the oval office with a flurry of executive orders, press conference statements, and monumentous proposals for the future of the U.S
On Monday, January 20th, Trump was sworn in as the 47th US president alongside JD Vance as vice president. In his inaugural address, Trump pledged to Americans, “We will be prosperous, we will be proud, we will be strong, and we will win like before. We will not be conquered, we will not be intimidated, we will not be broken, and we will not fail.”
26 executive orders were signed in the afternoon, including a declaration of national emergency at the southern border, pardons for around 1,500 January 6th rioters, withdrawal from the World Health Organization and Paris Climate Agreement, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and easing restrictions on oil and gas production. 78 actions from the Biden Administration were revoked, and federal agencies were directed to interpret “sex” solely as an immutable binary biological classification determined at conception—Trump reported his belief that “there are only two genders: male and female,” to an applauding crowd earlier that day.
Tuesday saw another full and unconditional pardon given to Ross Ulbricht, creator of Silk Road, a darknet market that facilitated trade of illegal services such as narcotics. All government DEI staff were put on paid leave and designated to be terminated within 60 days. Additionally, Trump announced Stargate LLC., a $500 billion AI startup led by SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. Elon Musk expressed doubt in the venture in a tweet, writing, “They don’t actually have the money.”
On Wednesday, Trump called on Russia to “Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous war” with the threat of sanctions. He relinquished security protection to his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his former National Security Advisor John Bolton. In his first major presidential interview, Trump suggested intentions to prosecute Joe Biden for unsubstantiated accusations of benefitting from his family’s morally grey business deals.
In various speeches, Trump mentioned his policies of large tariffs, as well as the idea of annexing Canada. Seattle Judge John Coughenour blocked Trump’s executive order to ban birthright citizenship, calling the order “blatantly unconstitutional.” Finally, as he had promised in his election campaign, the President declassified documents relating to the assassinations of John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.
At the end of the week, large deportation flights of illegal immigrants were carried on C-17 cargo planes, the first effective signs of Trump’s strict immigration crackdown. Anthony Fauci, leader of the US’ Covid-19 response, had his government security detail revoked, and Trump travelled out of DC to California and North Carolina.
In comparison to his first term, several executive actions marked a departure from former policies. Trump now had a focus on energy exports (oil, gas, and coal) rather than domestic production, escalated deregulation by mandating ten regulations removed for one added, and heavily increased tax and tariffs on foreign trade, such as the 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports. These actions underscore Trump’s plans of economic nationalism and government efficiency for the next four years.
Though the tariffs have been postponed for a third review in early April, tensions are still high, especially between Canada and the US. At the 4 Nations Face Off Hockey Tournement, Cananda secured the victory in overtime. Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada said in response, “You can’t take our country- and you can’t take our game.”
A number of similar incidents of high tension have occurred continuously in the months since Trump’s inauguration, many of which have centered around the divisive Ukraine War. The President’s various remarks surrounding the conflict have ranged from complimenting Ukrainian leader Zelensky’s leadership to implicating Ukraine in the war’s origin, leaving many across the world uneasy. The chaotic, disunited messaging of his term thus far can be seen here as well as its effects of confusing both allies and enemies alike.
In choosing fights to pick just a few months into his presidency, Trump has found targets not just outside American borders but within its own judicial system. A scuffle fought in courtrooms and over cable television has pitted Trump against Judge Boasberg, culminating in a call for the Judge’s impeachment and rebukes of such a claim by a Supreme Court justice. Coverage of this altercation has often included worries of a Constitutional crisis, representing continued nationwide sentiment concerned with Presidential expressions of power.