National ‘border emergency’

Mr Trump’s rhetoric around migration continued with the signing of an executive order that declared a “national emergency” at the US and Mexico border.

“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.

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.

Mr Trump also ordered an end to releasing migrants in the US while they await immigration court hearings — part of his Remain in Mexico policy — and an end to asylum.

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.

He also moved to consider designating cartels as “foreign terrorist organisations”, and called them an international security threat.

Mr Trump said securing the southern border was a part of his plan to bring them under control.

‘Only’ two genders

Mr Trump has declared the federal government would recognise only two genders — male and female — and would roll back previous legislation that enshrines the protection of transgender people.

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

Mr Trump has ordered the overturning of birthright citizenship.

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

Mr Trump will pardon or commute the sentences of 1,500 people in connection with the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.

Hundreds of Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol after he made baseless claims that an election victory had been “stolen” from him.

The Capitol riots were widely condemned by those on both sides of politics, and people were arrested in connection with the attack.

Mr Trump has commuted the sentences of 14 people so far — including those of far-right activists — making them eligible to be freed straight away.

He called the arrests and convictions a “grave national injustice”.

The order has already been condemned by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

“The people who invaded the Capitol on January 6th, whether they committed violence or not, should not have been pardoned,” he said.

“Donald Trump is ushering in a Golden Age for people that break the law and attempt to overthrow the government.”

Republican Senator Mike Rounds said while January 6 was a “bad day for America”, he respected Mr Trump’s right to issue pardons.

Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement

The Paris Climate Agreement is an international treaty which legally binds its signatories to fight climate change.

It is the second time Mr Trump has withdrawn the US from the agreement.

“The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity,” Mr Trump said.

According to AP NORC polling of 1,147 people this month, about half of US respondents oppose the country withdrawing from the Paris climate pact. 

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.

Keep TikTok online

Despite previously proposing a law to shut down social media app TikTok, Mr Trump has now extended it a lifeline.

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 said the app had a short reprieve, and had 75 days to find a US-based buyer.

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

Mr Trump said it was appropriate to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, because “we do most of the work there”.

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.

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has previously signalled her support for the move, saying her staff would be working on the legislation.

“Mexican cartels currently use the Gulf of Mexico to traffic humans, drugs, weapons, and God knows what else while the Mexican government allows them to do it,” she said.

The Mexican government has previously taken action against drug cartels in the Gulf region.

“The American people are footing the bill to protect and secure the maritime waterways for commerce to be conducted,” Ms Taylor Greene said.

No more work-from-home

Mr Trump ordered all federal employees return to work “as soon as practicable”.

The order is despite a report by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which found a majority of federal employees already work in their offices full-time.

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.

“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.