From ending Russia-Ukraine war to launching mass deportations, it’s going to be the busiest day in US Presidential history as one looks at the promises made by Donald Trump to be kept on the very first day of assuming office.
The critics are on their toes, ready to analyze the ticks and crosses from Trump’s to-do list as the inauguration day on Monday comes to an end.
Trump, however, seems to exude confidence in his second term at the office. “Your head will spin when you see what’s going to happen,” he said of Day 1.
Here are ten things Trump said he would get done on first day of assuming office:
End Russia-Ukraine war
“I’ll get the war with Ukraine and Russia ended. If I’m president-elect, I’ll get it done before even becoming president,” he told Fox News Channel.
Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that that Trump would bring the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to the negotiating table on Day 1. However, this does not align with his promise to end the war before Monday.
‘Largest deportation program in American history’
“The day I take the oath of office, the migrant invasion ends and the restoration of our country begins. … On Day 1, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history. I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered,” Trump had said at a rally in Kinston, North Carolina on November 3, 2024.
State police and National Guard units may assist federal agents in a major effort to locate and deport millions of people. This approach, aimed at deterring illegal immigration, is largely untested. While illegal crossings surged under the Biden administration, they have recently dropped to near a four-year low.
Close the border
“And on Day 1, I will close the border, and I will stop the invasion of illegal criminals coming into our country,” he said at Coachella rally on October 12, 2024.
This is aimed at shifting to introducing Day 1 administrative actions to strengthen enforcement against criminal entry.
End automatic citizenship for ‘children of illegal aliens’
“I will sign a Day 1 executive order ending automatic citizenship for the children of illegal aliens,” he said at a rally in Pickens, South Carolina on July 1, 2023.
Trump is unlikely to fulfill his promise through an executive order, as birthright citizenship is protected by the Constitution. Changing this would require a challenging effort to gain congressional approval and amend the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to all individuals born or naturalized in the United States.
Cut federal funding for schools pushing ‘transgender insanity’
“On Day 1, I will sign a new executive order to cut federal funding for any school, pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content onto the shoulders of our children. And I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate,” he said at a rally in Atlanta on August 3, 2024.
Achieving such extensive cuts through executive action alone is unlikely, especially without the necessary legislation, which won’t be in place on Trump’s first day.
Trump had also promised to roll back the Biden administration’s Title IX protections against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. But this month, a federal judge ruled that those regulations overstepped presidential authority and struck them down.
Pardon January 6, 2021, Capitol attack convicts
“The moment we win, we will rapidly review the cases of every political prisoner unjustly victimized by the Harris regime, and I will sign their pardons on Day 1,” he said at Wisconsin rally on September 7, 2024.
In another interview, when asked about pardoning Capitol attack rioters, Trump said, “Oh, absolutely, I would. If they’re innocent — if they’re innocent, I would pardon them.”
Demolish ‘deep state’
“We will demolish the ‘deep state.’ We will expel the warmongers from our government. We will drive out the globalists. We will cast out the communist, Marxists and fascists. We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country. We will rout the fake news media,” he said at New Hampshire rally in 2023.
“We’re going to find the ‘deep state’ actors who have buried into government, fire them and escort them from federal buildings, and it’ll go very quickly,” he said at South Carolina rally on January 28, 2023.
This refers to entrenched civil servants who have caused frustration for Trump and his supporters.
A likely first step for Trump is an executive order to reclassify tens of thousands of job-protected, apolitical civil servants as political appointees, making them subject to dismissal at will. This would involve reviving his Schedule F order from 2020, which was reversed by Biden upon taking office.
Declare national energy emergency
“I will immediately issue a national emergency declaration to achieve a massive increase in domestic energy supply,” he said at New York Economic Club speech in September last year.
“Starting on Day 1, I will approve new drilling, new pipelines, new refineries, new power plants, new reactors, and we will slash the red tape,” he said at Michigan rally.
A national emergency could grant him greater authority to act unilaterally, although it’s uncertain how much can be achieved without congressional action. However, he can reverse Biden’s executive orders on renewable energy and environmental protections.
25% tariff on everything imported from Mexico, Canada
“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States,” he said, adding, “we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States.”
During his first term, Trump imposed higher tariffs on $360 billion worth of Chinese goods. As president, Joe Biden not only kept these penalties in place but also introduced a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles.
Trump strongly supports raising tariffs to encourage domestic manufacturing, but his threat may also serve as a bargaining tool. The specific size and scope of the tariffs could vary depending on how the three countries respond before he assumes office.
‘Will end the electric vehicle mandate’
“I will cancel Kamala’s insane electric vehicle mandate,” he said at Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 4, 2024.
He is likely to attempt relaxing Biden-era tailpipe pollution and fuel economy standards, which encourage automakers to produce and consumers to purchase more electric vehicles.
