On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump was sworn into office. Within the first night of his presidency, he signed over 20 executive orders, which, according to USA Today, is the most of any president in history on their inauguration day. These orders ranged in severity, and most have received massive amounts of criticism. A 75 day extension on the TikTok ban, the removal of the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), and a strict new policy on gender were just a few of the orders signed by the President on national television. Where the U.S. will go under these orders remains uncertain, and many are concerned that these decisions will lead the country down a dark path.

Trump signed two orders which would serve to remove the U.S. from major organizations, one of which being the WHO. The WHO states that they are the “United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.” The organization was founded in the United States in 1948, and the U.S. has been a member and top contributor ever since. Trump made efforts to withdraw from the WHO in 2020 during his previous term, following criticism of the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden retracted those efforts during his presidency, however, on the night of Trump’s second inauguration he immediately signed an executive order to withdraw the country from the organization again. As a result of the withdrawal, the U.S. could lose access to important data and information regarding health and disease around the world, which would have detrimental effects.

The WHO is not the only major organization Trump signed to withdraw from. Trump also set forward an executive order for the removal of the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. As stated by United Nations Climate Control, the Paris Climate Agreement is a legally binding treaty that aims to lower global temperatures and have nations control their effects on climate change based on the most reliable science. Trump signed an order to withdraw from the treaty, which, for many, cemented the idea that he will not be working to save the environment during his second term. According to NPR, Trump also revoked many of Biden’s orders to reduce harm to the environment. He declared a national energy emergency, stating in the process: “drill, baby, drill.” Encouraging drilling and promoting the production of fossil fuels will have dire effects on not just surrounding cities and wildlife, but the environment as a whole.

Trump signed several orders regarding immigration on inauguration night. Trump’s insistence on referring to immigrants as “dangerous” or “aliens” has always left many people feeling uneasy,  and the orders the President signed pertaining to immigration have only amplified that feeling. On inauguration day, he declared a national emergency at the southern border, signaling the military’s involvement. On top of this, an order was signed to end birthright citizenship, which is the law which grants citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. Birthright citizenship is upheld by the 14th Amendment. According to Ogletree Deakins, this will come into effect on Feb. 19, 2025, and will not apply to anybody born before that day. Mass deportations in major cities, such as Chicago, also began in the first week of Trump’s presidency and entailed ICE raids of workplaces, neighborhoods, and homes. It is important to note that these orders do not exclusively focus on convicted criminals, but instead target all immigrants, no matter their history with the law. Moreover, the National Immigrant Justice Center stated that the expedited removal program could be utilized by Trump’s administration, which would allow officers to deport undocumented individuals without any hearings.

There were various other orders signed by the President on day one. For example, an order was signed to enact a policy wherein the U.S. will, by law, only recognize two genders: male and female. Another order was signed to pardon people who participated in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which, according to WPR, pardoned about 1,500 people from their charges. Orders such as delaying the TikTok ban another 75 days, requiring that government workers all return to in-person work, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” are amongst some of the other actions begun by Trump. There were many more orders signed,  all of which are detailed in full on the official White House website under the Presidential Actions tab. It is encouraged that people read the official documents in full on the White House website under the Presidential Actions tab. However, it is also important to note that a lot of the language used in these documents can be construed as somewhat off-putting and biased, so it is also vital to look into the effects these orders will have using reliable and unbiased sources.