Donald Trump has signed his first tranche of executive orders on the first day of his second term as president of the United States.
It was anticipated Mr Trump would sign up to 100 orders on his first day back in the White House.
In the end, the figure was just shy of 50.
Mr Trump has spoken openly about his plans to grow domestic energy production, crack down on the Mexican border and end diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government.
Here’s what we know.
What is an executive order?
They are essentially statements about how the president wants the federal government to be managed, which can mean instructions to federal agencies or requests for reports.
Donald Trump signed a second round of executive orders in the Oval Office. (Reuters: Carlos Barria)
Executive orders can also play an important role in laying out major policy agendas.
While these orders are legally binding, they are not legislation as they don’t require approval from Congress.
It doesn’t necessarily mean the president can enact orders without challenge, as Congress could still block an order from being fulfilled by removing funding or creating other hurdles.
Only a sitting US president can overturn an existing executive order.
New presidents will often issue orders to cancel the orders of their predecessors.
Other presidential documents — such as proclamations and political memorandums — can also be similar to executive orders, but have different purposes.
However, all three are used by presidents to pursue actions they can’t get through Congress.
What are the limitations to executive orders?
There have been several thousand executive orders signed throughout US history, according to data collected by the American Presidency Project at the University of California.
During his first term, Mr Trump signed 220 orders and Joe Biden had signed 160, as of December 20.
Donald Trump signed 220 executive orders during his first term.
But there are limitations to executive orders, as both Congress and the courts can potentially block orders.
In 1992, Congress revoked an executive order by then-president George HW Bush that would establish a human foetal tissue bank for scientific research.
Congress did this by passing a measure that meant the order would “not have any legal effect”.
And, Congress can also deny funding to agencies and those behind the enforcement of an order.
These orders could also be legally challenged based on the argument that a president went beyond their legal authority.
This was seen when the US Supreme Court said then-president Harry Truman lacked the authority to take private property without authorisation from Congress, when he tried to seize steel mills during the Korean War.
Mr Trump signed an order that withdrew the US from the Paris Climate Agreement.
What executive orders has Donald Trump signed so far?
Mr Trump has signed a wide-ranging number of executive orders, with some aimed at walking back from climate action and others focused on “restoring free speech” in the US.
National ‘border emergency’
U.S. border patrol agent Alessio Faccin walks along the border fence separating Mexico from the United States near Calexico, California, U.S. February 8, 2017. Picture taken February 8, 2017.(Reuters: Mike Blake)
“America’s sovereignty is under attack,” the order said.
“Our southern border is overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries, and illicit narcotics that harm Americans, including America.
“To protect the security and safety of United States citizens, to protect each of the states against invasion, and to uphold my duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, it is my responsibility as president to ensure that the illegal entry of aliens into the United States via the southern border be immediately and entirely stopped.”
Mr Trump rolled back a number of immigration policies announced by the Biden administration, and ordered the shut down of the CBP One app.
Migrants seeking asylum in the US gather near the fence on the US-Mexico border, as they wait to be processed.(Reuters: Jose Luis Gonzalez)
The app allowed migrants to schedule appointments to gain entry into the US and was previously credited by officials as streamlining the border crossing process.
It is expected his border policies could result in mass deportations, and Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum has previously signalled her desire to help those impacted by the changes.
The order would also remove the word “gender” from federal documents, and replace it with “sex”.
While the federal government has no control over how people identify, it can enforce the declaration on documents such as passports and visas.
American civil rights organisation focused on LGBTQI+ activism Lambda Legal said it would look to sue over the order.
“While much of what is called for by the executive orders signed today will take time to implement, we will vigilantly monitor and be ready to challenge when they take effect,” a spokesperson said.
“We are exploring every legal avenue to challenge these unlawful and unconstitutional actions. This is not only about politics and ideology — but also about real people’s lives.”
End to automatic citizenship
Generic shot of an American Flag (Getty Images: Joe Raedle)
Birthright citizenship is enshrined in the 14th amendment of the US Constitution, and dictates:
“All persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”
It was adopted in 1868 to ensure citizenship for Black people.
Mr Trump said automatic citizenship was “just ridiculous” and said he was on “good legal ground” to change it.
However he has already been challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocates.
They have initiated a lawsuit over the order, arguing Mr Trump would be wrongly denying a right enshrined in the constitution.
The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU, Asian Law Caucus, State Democracy Defenders Fund and Legal Defense Fund on behalf of organisations with members whose children were born on US soil and would be denied citizenship.
“Birthright citizenship embodies America’s most fundamental promise: that all children born on our soil begin life as full and equal members of our national community, regardless of their parents’ origins, status, or circumstances,” according to the complaint filed in Concord, New Hampshire.
“This principle has enabled generations of children to pursue their dreams and build a stronger America.”
Pardoned January 6 convictions
Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.(AP: Jose Luis Magana)
Amnesty International has already condemned the order as “reckless” and “short-sighted” while the World Resources Institute said the Paris Agreement remained essential to combating climate change.
“It simply makes no sense for the United States to voluntarily give up political influence and pass up opportunities to shape the exploding green energy market,” an institute spokesperson said.
“Sitting on the sidelines also means the United States will have fewer levers to hold other major economies accountable for living up to their commitments.”
The ‘restoration of free speech’
Mr Trump has been supported throughout his campaign and inauguration events by social media giants like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.
Mr Trump said the administration over the last four years had restricted free speech, particularly online.
“[The administration] trampled free speech rights by censoring Americans’ speech on online platforms, often by exerting substantial coercive pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, deplatform, or otherwise suppress speech that the federal government did not approve,” the order said.
The order highlighted particular concerns over the government censoring information ‘under the guise’ of misinformation.
Mr Trump’s order comes just weeks after Meta announced it would no longer continue with its fact-checking service, with chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg claiming he had been inspired by Elon Musk’s work at X — formerly known as Twitter.
Mr Musk will head up a role in Mr Trump’s government, responsible for the Department of Government Efficiency.
The order also called for an investigation into the Biden administration’s impact on freedom of speech.
TikTok went dark earlier this week in the US after continued discussions about its Chinese ownership.
Under a law passed last year, the platform was ordered to cut ties with ByteDance or shut down its US operation to resolve concerns it posed a threat to US national security.
When it failed to do so, the app went dark on Sunday with a message about working with Donald Trump to ensure a possible solution.
It quickly came back online on Monday, with the app again posting a message thanking the incoming president for his support.
Mr Trump previously suggested that an American buyer should purchase half of the company and run it as a 50-50 joint venture with its current owners, on his Truth Social account.
However US outlets said it would remain unclear if this ownership arrangement could satisfy those in Congress who have ongoing national security concerns.
Renaming the Gulf of Mexico
Unused oil rigs sit in the Gulf of Mexico near Port Fourchon, Louisiana August 11, 2010. REUTERS/Lee Celano/File Photo(Reuters: Lee Celano)
The Gulf is an ocean basin bounded by the US, Cuba and Mexico, and is an important centre of economic activity including maritime transport and oil and gas production.
The name would be changed on US-used maps and in federal references, but other nations would not have an obligation to follow suit.
A map showing the international borders for the Gulf of Mexico from Maritime Regions.org. (Flanders Marine Institute/MarineRegions.org)
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has previously signalled her support for the move, saying her staff would be working on the legislation.
The report found about 10 per cent of federal employees work remotely.
American Federation of Government Employees president Everett Kelley said the move would not be helpful in attracting new employees.
“To justify this backward action, lawmakers and members of President Trump’s transition team have spent months exaggerating the number of federal employees who telework and accusing those who do of failing to perform the duties of their jobs,” he said.
American Federation of Government Employees president Everett Kelley(American Federation of Government Employees)
“The truth is that less than half of all federal jobs are eligible for telework, and the workers who are eligible to telework still spend most of their work hours at their regular duty stations.
“Rather than undoing decades of progress in workplace policies that have benefited both employees and their employers, I encourage the Trump administration to rethink its approach and focus on what it can do to make government programs work better for the American people.”
Mr Trump also announced the termination of a number of diversity, inclusion and accessibility programs in workplaces.
Other executive orders signed by Mr Trump in his first day include:
Withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization.
Ensuring states carrying out the death penalty have a “sufficient supply” of lethal injection drugs.
Rescinding 78 Biden-era orders, including a ban on off-shore drilling.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday accused the United States of violating a fragile ceasefire during the past 48 hours in the southern coastal province of Hormozgan, without specifying the incident.
The accusation comes after US Central Command said its forces had on Monday attacked missile sites and boats in southern Iran that were trying to lay mines in the Gulf, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it fired at US aircraft trying to enter its airspace.
“The US terrorist army, continuing its illegal and unjustified actions since the ceasefire… has, in the past 48 hours, committed a gross violation of the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region,” the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.
It added that Tehran “will not leave any evil unanswered and will not hesitate to defend the Iranian nation,” without elaborating.
Tuesday’s statement came as a top Iranian delegation was in Qatar for talks as part of a “diplomatic process” aimed at ending the war with the United States, which broke out on February 28
U.S. fighter jets have reportedly struck IRGC naval boats in the Gulf after Iranian forces allegedly targeted a vessel near Bandar Abbas.
U.S. Central Command confirms “self-defense strikes” were carried out against Iranian boats and missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions in the region.
It was stated that the numbers of dead has increased from 9 to 15, with dozens still missing while others remain injured.
According to emerging reports, the strikes targeted IRGC maritime assets and defensive positions during what rapidly escalated into a major military confrontation in the region. Rescue and emergency operations are said to be ongoing as authorities continue searching for missing personnel.
Iranian and regional media report heavy explosions and gunfire near Bandar Abbas, while negotiations between Washington and Tehran continue in Qatar.
The situation is still developing, and some battlefield claims remain independently unverified.
Secret Service agents are seen after a lockdown was lifted at the White House
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A man who opened fire Saturday near a White House security checkpoint is dead after being shot by officers who returned fire, the U.S. Secret Service said. It was the third incidence of gunfire in the vicinity of President Donald Trump in the past month.
The law enforcement agency said in a statement posted on X that the man was in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue when he “pulled a weapon from his bag” shortly after 6 p.m. EDT and began firing. Secret Service officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who died at a hospital, the agency said.
The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, said a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.
According to District of Columbia court records, Best was arrested in July 2025 after he attempted to enter a different White House checkpoint without authorization, didn’t heed officers’ commands to stop, “claimed he was Jesus Christ” and said he wanted to be arrested.
An initial hearing was held and a “Pretrial Stay Away Order” was issued, typically a measure ordering a defendant not to go near a person or area before a trial. A bench warrant was issued in August after a notice of “noncompliance” against Best, who did appear for a subsequent hearing.
Latest gunfire incident around Trump
It was the third time in the past month that shots were fired near the president after incidents at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April and near the Washington Monument earlier in May.
A bystander was also struck on Saturday, but a law enforcement official said it wasn’t clear whether that person was hit by the suspect’s initial bullets or those fired subsequently by officers.
Secret Service said none of its officers were injured, and that Trump — who was at the White House at the time — was not “impacted.” Trump originally was scheduled to spend the weekend at his New Jersey golf club but changed his plans on Friday to stay at the White House instead.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media that agency personnel were on the scene and “we will update the public as we’re able.”
Evidence of the shooting was visible on a sidewalk just outside the White House complex, where yellow crime scene tape snaked across the pavement and Secret Service officers placed dozens of orange evidence markers on the ground. Medical material, including what appeared to be purple surgical gloves and kits typically used by emergency medical personnel, were also seen.
Gunshots heard by journalists at the White House
Journalists working at the White House on Saturday evening reported hearing a series of gunshots and were told to seek shelter inside the press briefing room.
In a post shared on X, ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang shared dramatic video of the moment she said she heard what “sounded like dozens of gunshots” and ducked for cover. Writing that she had been performing a routine task that White House reporters do daily — filming themselves on a cellphone for a social media post — Wang’s video shows her speaking for a few seconds about Trump’s statements earlier Saturday about a potential Iran deal.
As the sounds of gunfire are heard in the background, Wang’s eyes grow wider, and she ducks down in the media tent, which is among those situated in a line along the White House driveway where broadcasters film their reports. On X, Wang’s video had been shared thousands of times as of Saturday evening, and viewed at least 3 million times.
Shooting scene not far from a deadly incident last year
The shooting scene is within walking distance of where a gunman ambushed two members of the West Virginia National Guard last November.
U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from the wounds she suffered in that shooting. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, then 24, was critically wounded. Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been charged in that incident.
The gunfire Saturday came nearly a month after what law enforcement authorities said was an attempted assassination of the president as he attended the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at a Washington hotel on April 25. Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California, recently pleaded not guilty to charges that he attempted to kill Trump. Allen is accused of running through a security checkpoint inside the hotel and firing a shotgun at a Secret Service officer.
Following that scare, Secret Service officers shot a suspect they said had fired at officers near the Washington Monument, several blocks from the White House. Michael Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, was charged in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in connection with the May 4 shooting. A teenage bystander was wounded in that incident. AP
