Here’s how Donald Trump reversed Biden-era policies, from ‘only two sexes’ to ‘trade policies’ | Rundown
Donald Trump quickly implemented a series of executive orders aimed at reversing key Biden-era policies on immigration, energy, and diversity, among others. As he reinstates old policies and introduces new directives, the implications for America's future governance and social fabric remain uncertain.
US President Donald Trump wasted no time implementing many of his campaign pledges, signing a flurry of executive orders over the opening days of his second term, including on immigration, energy, and diversity, casting many as reversing the policies of his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Among his first orders were pardons for nearly all Jan. 6 defendants, a 75-day reprieve for shutting down TikTok, rescinding 78 Biden-era orders and withdrawing the US again from the Paris Agreement.
Notably absent was any explicit order imposing tariffs. While he’s said he plans duties on China, Mexico, Canada and others, so far Trump seems to be just laying the groundwork for future actions.
“We will immediately restore the integrity, competency and loyalty of America’s government,” Trump said in his inaugural address. “With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America, and the revolution of common sense.”
It’s expected that many of the orders Trump signed Monday will be challenged in court, and others may take time to implement. But already US troops were surging to the border with Mexico, refugee flights had been canceled, and some federal workers were told to stay home from the office while their jobs were evaluated.
Here’s a brief rundown of some of the executive orders he’s signed so far:
Pardons
The first executive order Trump signed in the Oval Office on Monday was the full pardon of more than 1,500 people for their role in the siege of the US Capitol. It also commuted the sentences of 14 people.
The clemency action “ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation,” the proclamation stated.
Tariffs
While Trump has threatened tariffs on several trading partners, as soon as Feb. 1, he hasn’t yet signed any orders that throw up trade barriers immediately. He did, however, order agencies including the Treasury and Commerce departments to study current trade policies and relationships, asking them to report back suggested actions by April 1. That includes the feasibility of creating a “External Revenue Service” to collect tariffs.
Also Read: No pre-emptive tariff cuts on US imports; New Delhi prepares for talks with Trump administration
“Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,” Trump said. “I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families.”
Inflation Emergency
Trump directed departments and agencies “to deliver emergency price relief,” including the cost and supply of housing, lowering health care expenses and eliminating climate policies that drive up energy prices.
Global Tax
The Biden administration’s effort to get the US on board with a global tax deal with 140 other countries is basically dead. Trump declared the 2021 agreement, which included a minimum global corporate tax and a more complicated mechanism on cross-border service taxes, has no force in the US. While it was never ratified by Congress, other countries have agreed and Trump rejecting the deal could spark retaliatory tax measures between Washington and close trading parters.
Immigration
Trump signed a series of orders that signal a dramatic change to immigration policy, ushering in new limits to both legal and illegal immigration. The ultimate impacts of some of the orders, however, are still unclear.
Border Emergency, ‘Invasion’
Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border, giving the White House the power to deploy armed forces, including the National Guard. The president also declared that “that the current situation at the southern border qualifies as an invasion.”
Also Read: US news: Donald Trump to declare border emergency to bring ‘major changes’ to immigration
Among the remedies he ordered is the completion of a wall on the US-Mexico border, an effort begun in his first term.
Deportations
Several of Trumps orders are aimed at targeting millions of foreigners for expulsion and keeping out migrants who don’t have permission to come in.
He’s expected to offer new authorities to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection officers to carry out those deportations.
Birthright Citizenship
The new president signed an order seeking to end automatic birthright citizenship for children of people not in the country legally, as well as those in legally but only temporarily, such as tourists, students, and those on work visas.
“We’re the only country in the world that does this with birth right, as you know, and it’s just absolutely ridiculous,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “We think we have very good grounds” for the change, he said.
Asylum, Refugees
Trump ordered a halt to refugee resettlements and end the asylum process, and will stop “catch and release,” the policy by which migrants are released while awaiting hearings on their asylum status.
The administration will also look to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires those seeking asylum to stay in Mexico before their US immigration court date.
Death Penalty
The Attorney General has been ordered to seek the death penalty for “a capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country.”
Cartels
Trump moved to designate the gangs MS-13 and Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations, as well as Mexican cartels responsible for smuggling drugs across the border. He’ll use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport members.
Crypto
Trump didn’t immediately order a national cryptocurrency stockpile, but he did start laying the groundwork, asking for a six-month study on the possibility of its creation.
The order creates a working group on digital asset policies that will include the Treasury and Justice departments, as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Also, as expected, he banned agencies from developing central bank digitical currencies in the US or abroad.
The White House said the policies are aimed at “halting aggressive enforcement actions and regulatory overreach that have stifled crypto innovation under previous administrations.”
Artificial Intelligence
Like crypto, Trump framed his order as reversing Biden policies, which the White House said “hinders AI innovation and imposes onerous and unnecessary government control.”
Otherwise, the order was slim on specifics, asking for an action plan in 180 days that support his headline AI policy: “sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.”
TikTok
Trump temporarily halted a ban on TikTok in the US, granting the company and its Chinese parent ByteDance Ltd. more time to reach a deal for the popular app that would resolve long-standing US national security concerns. The move gives the video-sharing platform a 75-day reprieve.
Energy and Climate
Similar to his actions on immigration, Trump invoked emergency powers in a bid to boost domestic energy production and undo Biden-era policies designed to fight climate change.
Also Read: Trump pulling US out of Paris Agreement is concerning for climate mitigation, say experts
A White House summary of plans said that Trump “will unleash American energy by ending Biden’s policies of climate extremism, streamlining permitting” and reviewing for possible reversal “all regulations that impose undue burdens on energy production and use, including mining and processing of non-fuel minerals.”
Offshore Drilling, SPR
Trump plans to open up more areas to oil and gas exploration, including offshore and in Alaska. “We will drill, baby, drill,” he said in his inaugural speech.
Trump also said he plans to refill the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve “right to the top” and “export American energy, all over the world.”
Efficiency Efforts
Trump plans to unwind several rules intended to boost efficiency, including those governing shower heads, toilets, washing machines, light bulbs and dishwashers.
Wind Farms
The administration will end leasing areas for “massive” wind farms that the White House said “degrade our natural landscapes and fail to serve American energy consumers.”
Electric Vehicles
Trump signed an order to eliminate what he’s called the “electric vehicle mandate” in part by aiming to remove subsidies for the vehicles and terminating state emissions waivers “that function to limit sales of gasoline-powered automobiles.”
Paris Agreement
As he did in his first term, Trump will again withdraw the US from the 2015 Paris Agreement. It isn’t expected to be immediate, however: Signatories must provide formal notice to the United Nations to initiate a withdrawal, then wait a year for it to take effect.
California Water
Trump’s administration will seek to restart work from his first term to route more water from northern California south to the Central Valley and southern California. Trump has said policies to protect fish like the endangered Delta smelt deprive farmers of water.
Only Two Sexes
Trump said it will become “the official policy” of the US that there are only two sexes, male and female, requiring agencies to give force to the definitions and terms in the order when applying statutes and regulations. The White House called the move “biological reality” and will “protect women from radical gender ideology.”
The order mandates that agencies will use the term sex, not gender, and would have the secretaries of State, Homeland Security and other agencies ensure that official documents, including passports and visas, reflect sex accurately.
DEI
Trump ordered the end of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the federal government, including terminating diversity programs and potentially eliminating all related offices and positions.
His action also revoked a 1965 order signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to protect workers against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin by the government as well as contractors.
“I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer, race and gender into every aspect of public and private life,” Trump said at his inauguration.
As for the military, Trump said he intends to issue an order “to stop our warriors from being subjected to radical political theories and social experiments while on duty.”
Reinstating Vaccine Objectors
As he has pledged before, Trump said he will reinstate, with full back pay, any service members who were expelled from the military for refusing to take the Covid-19 vaccination.
WHO
Trump signed an order withdrawing from the World Health Organization, a decision that would cut off one of the international aid and disease response group’s largest funding sources.
JFK, RFK, MLK Declassifications
Trump ordered national security officials to present a plan in 15 days to fully declassify documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Schedule F
Trump reinstated an order claiming broad authority to hire and fire high-level civil service workers. Trump had signed an order just before the 2020 presidential election, which created a new classification of federal workers known as “Schedule F,” now referred to as “Schedule Policy/Career.” Biden had revoked that first order on his third day in office, before it could go into effect.
Return to Office
Trump ordered all department and agency chiefs in executive department to eliminate work-from-home options and return employees to in-person work “as soon as practicable.” The White House earlier in the day said only 6% of government employees “work in person.”
DOGE
Trump declared a formal structure to the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, signing an order renaming the US Digital Service — which currently exists as an in-house technology think tank within the presidency — as the US DOGE Service.
Hiring Freeze
We will immediately restore the integrity, competency and loyalty of America’s government.
The administration will freeze hiring for federal employees, except for the military or those related to immigration enforcement and national security. The White House said earlier in the day it intended to “end the onslaught of useless and overpaid DEI activists buried into the federal workforce.”
Regulatory Freeze
Trump also ordered all agencies to pause issuing or publishing any new regulations until after they’re reviewed by the incoming administration, or designate that review “to any other person so appointed or designated by the President, consistent with applicable law.”
Key Takeaways
- Trump’s executive orders signal a significant shift in U.S. policy direction.
- The impact of these orders on immigration, trade, and climate is yet to be fully understood.
- Many of Trump’s actions are likely to face legal challenges and public scrutiny.
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Business NewsNewsWorldHere’s how Donald Trump reversed Biden-era policies, from ‘only two sexes’ to ‘trade policies’ | Rundown
First Published:24 Jan 2025, 07:48 AM IST
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